The Benefits of Exercise for Weight Loss and Overall Health

 An Unwelcome Souvenir: Avoiding Vacation Weight Gain

The summer months can reek havoc on the waistline, even for the most avid health enthusiast. The draw of the outdoor patio or the cottage dock can prove too hard to resist, and often people end up treating the entire summer as one long “treat day” or  special occasion.

The average person can gain between five to eight pounds on a week-long vacation of sitting and relaxing. If you are someone who cherishes their summer relaxation time on the dock with a fruity cocktail or beer, don’t despair. The summer may not be the most realistic time to try to lose five pounds, but summer cottage vacations don’t have to be a time when you gain weight, either.

You can enjoy sitting on the dock and having the occasional treat (moderation is key), as long as you stay active as well. The trick is to plan ahead, knowing that it can be hard to fit exercise in during the summer months. Recognize the problem, plan for it in advance and make activity a vacation priority.

My clients try to convince me that they can’t exercise up at the cottage because they don’t have access to a gym. My response to this excuse is that the beautiful weather and the call of the floating dock is no reason to ditch your workout. Tell yourself the dock will be waiting for you after you finish your workout. Use the outdoors as your gym.

A balanced workout involves strength, cardiovascular and flexibility training, all three of which you can get outside.

To get your cardio in:

Grab a skipping rope and skip on the dock

Walk or run on the beautiful roads surrounding your cottage

Get your friends together and organize a group outdoor boot camp on the dock

To get your resistance training in:

Stop during your jog at a park bench and perform step ups, dips and push ups

Use the vast amount of grass space in a park to do walking lunges or squats

Pack a lightweight resistance band in your running belt and stop under a big tree mid-run

 and do some biceps curls or overhead triceps extensions with the band

To get your flexibility training in:

Take your yoga mat out on your deck and go through your flexibility routine in the fresh air when you get back from your outdoor run or walk

Sample Workout

Equipment: Skipping rope, resistance band and a soup can or other small weighted object

Cardio # 1: Skip rope for 5-10 minutes  (click Skip Rope for FR mini Video)

Resistance Circuit # 1: Standing Resistance Band Walk; One-legged Arm Circles; Reverse Lunges

Standing Resistance Band Walk

Equipment: resistance band

Purpose of this exercise: Strengthening the entire lower body, specifically the side hip stabilizers. Strengthening this muscle (called the glute medius) will stop your hip from jutting out to the side as your foot hits the ground when running.

Execution: Tie the ends of the resistance band together so that the band makes a loop. Wrap the loop around your ankles so you feel moderate tension when your feet are shoulder width apart. Start with your feet shoulder with apart. Come down into a mini-squat (chest up, hips back, core tight).

Staying low in that squat position, step your right leg out about to the side about two feet. Step your left foot so that it follows the right foot, but never have your feet come closer then hip distance apart. Perform 10 steps to the right; then switch and step to the left. When you step to the left, lead with your left foot.

Focus on: Thinking about those side hip muscles giving you the power to step your leg out to the side.

Make it harder: Go lower into your squat.

Standing on one leg with arm circles

Equipment: soup can.

Execution: Stand on your right leg. Hold the weight in both hands, arms straight, positioned to the outside of the right hip. Arc your arms in a big counter-clockwise circle over your head and finish with the weight back in its original position. Keep arms straight. Repeat 10 times and then switch legs.

When standing on the left leg, start with the weight on the outside of the left hip and perform the circle in a clockwise position.

Focus on: Keeping your standing ankle stable, and don’t let the hip of the standing leg jut out to the side.

Make it harder: Try closing your eyes.

Reverse lunge

Execution: Stand on your right leg with your left foot lifted and ready to move. Step your left foot back into a lunge position. Have your left heel off the ground and bend your left knee towards the ground. Make sure your weight goes down, not forward, and your front knee does not go over your front toe. Finish by bringing your left knee up to your chest. Repeat 10 times and then switch and perform 10 reps on the opposite side.

Make it harder: Balance and hold the knee up at your chest for 10 seconds

Cardio # 2: Do a walk/jog combo around your cottage for 10 to 20 minutes.

Resistance Circuit # 2: Push ups; Rows; Plank

Push ups

Execution: Place your knees on the ground and hands on the floor, positioned slightly wider than shoulder width apart under your chest. Make sure your bum is down so your body makes a straight line. Bend your elbows and bring your chest down towards the ground. Engage your abdominals and press back up to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Rows

Equipment: resistance band

Execution: Hook the band around a tree. Stand facing the tree, holding each end of the band. Keep your core tight and pull your elbows backward. Use your upper back to do the work and picture squeezing something in-between your shoulder blades. Repeat 12 to 15 times.

Make it harder: Try standing on one leg.

Plank 

Execution: Come down onto the ground. Rest your weight on your forearms and toes and hold a plank position. Keep your belly button drawn into your spine and make sure your lower back is not arched, and that your bum is not up in the air. Hold for 20 seconds to one minute.

Cardio # 3: Optional second walk/jog combo around your cottage.

Cool Down: Finish with stretches on your dock.