Fitness at Any Age in Any Place

Written by Shoshana Pritzker Wednesday, 25 January 2012 15:11

I just spent the past week down in Cozumel, Mexico with my family. My boyfriend and I met my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and two young nephews at an all-inclusive resort to spend a week of quality family time in paradise. My plans included visiting with my family and spending a good part of each day lounging at the beach or by the pool. My plans did NOT, however, include completely forgoing my training and nutrition plans. I wanted to feel confident in my swimsuit all week!

For some healthy meal alternatives, my boyfriend and I packed some meal replacements and homemade protein bars for us to share. We brought along one shaker bottle, which we washed out every day with bottled water and a soap bar. The meal replacements were a great way to start the day on a healthy note, and the protein bars came in handy when we were in town all day and needed a nutritious snack.

The fitness room at the hotel was … interesting. It included a universal machine, three treadmills, and a few pink and purple dumbbells. It would have to do. My boyfriend did circuits on the universal machine, while I used the purple dumbbells to do a high rep delt workout. We soon discovered that two of the treadmills didn’t work and the third had a speed cap of 1 mph. That would NOT do. It was time to get creative. I invited my family to walk with me every morning.

My parents are one of the few people I know who actually use their home treadmill as a fitness instrument instead of as a clothes hanger. They watch what they eat and try to pick healthy, nutritious options for meals. At 8:30 am every morning, we met for a brisk 2-mile walk. It was fun to share a fitness experience with them! One morning, the entire group went for a walk, even the kids in their strollers!

Although it can be challenging to eat healthy or fit in a workout while on vacation, it’s not impossible. We didn’t stick to our meal plan the entire time - we were on vacation, for Pete’s sake! But we did choose healthy options at the buffet most of the time, and we didn’t gorge ourselves. My training routine suffered a bit, and I didn’t walk as quickly as I usually do for morning cardio; however, I got a few workouts in and spent some valuable time with my family while walking every morning.

Do you work out while on vacation? How do you balance family time with your fitness goals while on vacation? I’d love to hear from you! Contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Kari Keenan
National-Level NPC Figure Competitor
FigureGirlWorld.com