As the summer months approach and those temperatures are starting to rise, lots of southwest residents look to escape the heat for a few days. All year you have worked on your fitness goals and the last thing you want to do is take an unscheduled rest day. Wherever you are heading to this summer don’t let the summer months break your fitness routine. With some simple exercises you can create endless variations in your workout routine and keep things fresh even without your normal gym. There are a few simple exercises that can be done anywhere and can help you maintain your mobility and strength, really allowing you to maximize the benefits of your vacation.
- Lunges – From a standing position step one foot forward and lower your back knee towards the ground. Again this exercise can be easily advanced by changing the direction of your step. This can be a very effective lower body exercise targeting all major lower body muscle groups.
- Bedside Dips – Simply sit on the edge of a bed or chair, place your hands on either side of your hips, then lower your body down in front of the chair or bed by bending at the elbows and shoulders, then push yourself back up. This exercise can be very effective on building the upper body muscles and can be scaled to any skill level by moving your feet closer to the bed (making it easier) or farther from the bed (making the motion harder).
- Suitcase Sit-ups – Laying face up on the floor with your hands overhead, swing your hands forward and sit the body upright, as the body sits up pull your knees towards your chest balancing on the tailbone, then slowly extend the body back out.
- And of Course… Burpees! – From a standing position simply lower down to a pushup position, then stand back up. You can add any level of variation to this exercise from a simple push up and jump to any one of your favorite plank movements.
“Example of a hotel room or hotel gym circuit:
5 Burpees
10 lunges each leg
10 Suitcase Sit-ups
10 Bedside Dips
Go for 10 minutes, add one burpee and take away one lunge, situp, and dip each round.”