Fitness is Fun!
June 2008

What efforts do you make to incorporate fitness into your summer vacation?

Fitness Question Responses from the Month of May:

While on my summer vacation, I will get up early in the morning before the rest of my group and I will take a lengthy walk. In the evenings I also try to get in a walk after everyone is finished with the activities of the day. I'll also go swimming and try to incorporate exercises into that. If our hotel has an elevator, I'll take the stairs instead. I exercise when I am at home, so being on vacation is no different. Even though I cannot get to my gym while away on vacation, I can still find the time to fit in plenty of exercise.
~Teresa W.

Exercise is easy to incorporate into beach or mountain vacations. It's walk, walk, walk: on the boardwalk, on the beach (especially in the early mornings), hiking, and even bird-watching can be a way to get in a daily workout. Instead of the leisurely stroll, I try to kick it up a bit more and power walk!
~Annie S.

When planning a vacation, I always check to see if any fitness classes are being offered. I have taken water aerobics for some time, so I always incorporate some of those exercises while enjoying the pool. The beach is one of my favorite places; a long walk in the sand is excellent for strengthening hamstrings. If you walk in the water, you get even more exercise! Stairs are used at the hotel if at all possible. You'll be surprised at how many trips you make in and out of your room in the course of one day. These are just a few ways to keep up your routine while on a summer trip.
~Gayle Y.

I'm planning on incorporating fitness into our summer vacation by taking a group of Boy Scouts canoeing from Hoover Dam down the Colorado River, approximately 50 miles, for one week. Included in the canoeing and kayaking activity will be swimming and hiking. My son and I are traveling from Kula, Hawaii, to Los Angeles to meet another Boy Scout troop. We will then drive to Nevada to start the adventure and we will finish in Needles, California. Should be fun!
~Dale D.

This summer will mark my 45th year of active surfing. I got my first board in 1962, a 9' 2'' Ten Toes. They called them pop-outs in those days. Surfing requires vigorous aquatic effort. The reward is always the ride after paddling.
~Jerry C.

We try to stay at hotels that have a fitness center or we look for a walking trail near it. Taking along walking shoes is helpful--that way we're less likely to forget about trying to exercise because of lack of equipment.
~Bill & Jonnie B.

When I travel I always carry my work-out gear and only book with hotels that have a fitness center. I continue to follow my routine of getting up early and making my work out an integral part of my day's beginning.
~Rob W.

My family is involved in Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venture Scouts. Before going to a vacation spot I sometimes look up the local Troops or Crews on the internet and e-mail them to find out what there is to do in the area we are planning on visiting. Most chapters will answer right away. Scouts usually know all the good spots to go see or visit and they may give you some contact names or numbers to get more information.
~Karen S.

My husband and I spend our summer vacations at state or national parks. We park "hop" and spend a night or two camping at a different park every day or so. We seek out campgrounds with long hiking trails and access to backpacking trails. We enjoy the physical demands that day-hiking and backpacking provide. The fresh air and sleeping "under the stars" provide relief from the stress of our daily grind.
~Annemarie K.

We would like to extend a special thanks to all of the President's Challenge Advocates. Please visit the Advocates area on the http://www.presidentschallenge.org/ web site to see how companies, organizations and groups are making a difference with the President's Challenge.

Starting this month, we would like to feature one of our Advocates in each newsletter. With summer approaching, we chose to include the Make a Splash initiative.

Make a Splash is a national child-focused water safety initiative created by The USA Swimming Foundation. The initiative works by aligning the nation’s top learn-to-swim resources in an effort to save lives. Make a Splash educates parents through a national awareness campaign, saves lives through grassroots learn-to-swim programs and reaches thousands of children through wide-reaching in-school curricula.

The initiative aims to reduce youth drownings, especially among minorities and create opportunities for children of all economic and ethnic backgrounds to learn to swim by the 3rd grade.

To find out how you can get involved, please visit www.makeasplash.org.

We would like to hear from you. If you have any topics that you would like to see addressed in Fitness is Fun or any comments regarding this list, please let us know. You can provide them by emailing us at preschal@indiana.edu.

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