Working Out on Vacation
Hello chickadees. I'm back from Ireland/London, though still not totally sure what day or time it is. Recently, I've seen a lot of posts on social media about people cutting back on workouts, indulging more, listening to their bodies more, not photoshopping/retouching pictures, and the like. I don't know what's causing the trend, but I like it and it got me thinking about my workouts while I was away.
Same same but different (kind of?)
Though I did take time to workout each day, it was more about moving my body and doing something that feels good rather than going all-out, working as hard as I could to earn any and all indulgences. In fact, there was a marked difference between these workouts and past vacation workouts. Most days I did a quick thirty minutes at a moderate resistance on the elliptical and called it a day. Sometimes I'd add some sort of ab or arm bit afterwards, but some days as soon as the clock hit 30:00, I was out of there. [A quick note: The majority of our time in Ireland was spent touring by car so being on my feet was a welcome interlude.]
Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park (Ireland). 1,450 feet up and I hiked each bit of it. In the rain. Wearing sneakers. On a whim.
Alternative caption: A respite from the car.
For me, working out is therapeutic and almost hypnotic. As I pull on my sports bra, I feel myself relax. It's like something in my head switches and goes, "Ok, we got this." It's a calming and centering ritual, and something I can do no matter where in the world I am or what I'm going through. The gym doesn't require a language, just the desire to move; I find beauty in that.
Will I always work out on vacation? Probably, or at the very least find a way to move and be active each day. As much as I love to travel, I don't always have the easiest time being away from home. On nearly every trip I've ever taken, the first 24-48 hours are sprinkled with moments of "How many more days until I'm back home?" Working out helps settle these mini bouts of homesickness, giving me something familiar to ease my adjustment. There may come a time when I don't need that, but there may not. I used to feel bad about these thoughts, but now I've come to accept that it's just the way I am and if breaking a sweat makes it better, then point me to the gym.
Thoughts?
P.S. July favorites coming later this week!