How to REALLY relax

Do you work out when you’re on vacation?

I do. But before you tell me I’m nuts, lemme ‘splain: I don’t work out to look a certain way or be a certain size. I don’t need to be in tip-top shape for an event or a race.

It just makes me feel good. My body likes to move. If I skip a few days of exercising, I feel antsy. At home, I exercise for health, for stress relief, and to feel strong, fast, and beautiful. When I’m away, I still want those things!

I know— vacations are made for sleeping and eating and being lazy. But you know how the best sleep is when you’re really tired, and the best meal is when you’re really hungry? It’s hard to work up an appetite from a chaise by the pool.

This doesn’t mean I’m going to lock myself in a sad hotel gym for a 45-minute slog on the elliptical while everyone else is enjoying margaritas by the pool, though.

It DOES mean that I like to walk around the city rather than take a cab to the restaurant. I like to swim in the pool for a while before I plant my butt firmly in the lounge chair. I like to jump in when a hot Mexican  instructor named Eric is trying to talk everyone in to his water aerobics class. I like to race the elevator up to my floor. And I LOVE to work out on the beach just after sunrise. LOVE it.

After that, my margarita is ten times more delicious and my nap is ten times more restful. And when I get home, I feel . . . rested, and ready to get back at it!