Fit Tip: Theme-park Fitness

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do I stay fit on vacation?” This summer my family took a vacation to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida for five days so I’ve got lots of tips and tricks to share with you!

Theme Park Workout

Want to hear some good news? According to Orlando Weekly, you can burn 1,558 calories walking the 1.7 mile park rout around Magic Kingdom. That alone makes it the happiest place on Earth.

Now that we’ve got cardio out of the way, let’s add some strength training into the mix. While standing in the 50 minute line for your favorite roller coaster, try these exercises:

Calf Raises

This exercise is perfect if you are trying to be stealth and don’t want anyone to release that you are exercising while waiting.

• Cross your left foot behind your right ankle and balance yourself on the ball of your right foot.
• Slowly come up on your right toe as high as you can. Pause, then lower your heel down.
• Do 3 reps of 12 on each leg.

Lunges with Child

If your kid is like my kid, he will say he’s tired and want a piggy back ride at some point during the day. This is an excellent opportunity to let him become your 40-50 pound sandbag. Both of my kids thought this was pretty fun, actually.

• Stand in a staggered stance with your right foot in front and your left foot behind you.
• Slowly lower your body, with your back knee almost touching the ground.
• Pause, then push through your heels back to standing position.
• Do 3 reps of 8 on each leg.

Wall Push Ups

You’d probably feel pretty weird doing a push up on the ground, but a wall push up is pretty easy to do at an amusement park since a lot of the lines end up being inside part of the time where walls are pretty accessible. Wall push ups work your chest, arms, and shoulders and as an added bonus are easier to do than standard push ups.

• Stand in front of a wall and place your palms against the wall at shoulder height, shoulder distance apart.
• Lower yourself against the wall by slowly bending your elbows, keeping your back and hips straight.
• Exhale as you push off the wall until your arms are straight.
• Do 3 reps of 12.

Remember, don’t let all the calorie burning go to waste! Just because cotton candy is sold on every corner doesn’t mean you have to buy and eat it. Most parks let you bring snacks, so pack some apples or carrot sticks. It’s healthier and saves you a ton of cash. You can ask for a cup of water and (at least at Disneyworld) they will give it to you for free.

When you are choosing your meal, there are lots of healthy options. A burger is fine, just skip the fries and get a side salad instead.

And if you’re going to have a cheat meal, that’s fine too. A healthy lifestyle means being balanced and enjoying your family and friend’s company over a good meal. Just listen to your body and don’t go overboard. Eat until you are satiated (not stuffed), especially if you are about to go upside down on Space Mountain.

See? You can be fit on vacation!

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