No matter how busy your life is, everyone deserves a vacation! Vacation time can help you clear your mind, reduce stress, and make you feel a lot happier. Unfortunately, chances are that you're going to come back from your vacation feeling like you've put on a few pounds and slacked off on your fitness goals.
The good news is that you can steer clear of any extra vacation baggage. So how do you burn calories on vacation and still have tons of fun? Here are some simple tips.
1. Walk Everywhere You Go With Sweatcoin
Whether you're enjoying the local sights, taking a guided group walking tour, or going to a nearby restaurant for dinner, try to always walk wherever you go! For those who lack a bit of motivation to start walking, try the Sweatcoin app.
Sweatcoin is a pedometer app that encourages you to walk by awarding you with "sweatcoin" currency. The more you walk, the more sweatcoins you earn, which you can use to buy real goods and services. You can even take part in community walking challenges and races to compete against others to win big. Or you can choose to donate your sweatcoins to charity if you'd prefer.
Download: Sweatcoin for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
2. Try a Plank Challenge in Your Hotel Room
A quick plank challenge is the perfect vacation workout. Particularly because it doesn't require a lot of room, you can easily get a decent session in the hotel room before you start lazing and grazing by the hotel pool.
The Plank Challenge app is the best tool to help you build a stronger core. The app offers 30-day plank workout programs in three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The beginner program features workouts that are as quick as three minutes, while the advanced program consists of longer 30-minute workouts.
To put yourself to the test, tap Challenge to see how long you can hold a plank. From there you can keep track of your planking times and try to beat your own record.
Download: Plank Challenge for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
3. Explore the Area on a Bike Ride With Cyclers
Besides walking, cycling is an excellent way to go exploring on your vacation. Plus, cycling is the better option if you want to burn more calories. To find safe bike-friendly routes, use a navigation app like Cyclers. The Cyclers app includes guided voice navigation, cycle tracking and statistics, and an automatic best-match route planner.
Simply choose your start and end point and the type of cycling you'll be doing, and the app creates a route for you. Alternatively, you can edit and customize your route as you please. So take a bike ride with Cyclers, and you'll even receive traffic and other safety alerts while you cycle.
Download: Cyclers for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
4. Stay at a Hotel With a Gym
One of the best ways to guarantee that you get a good workout during your vacation is to stay at a hotel that offers a gym or fitness center. To be sure you've made the right choice, use Hotels.com to narrow down your search properly.
To get started, just type in your vacation destination and tap on filters. You have the option to filter by budget, rating, class, and lots more. However, to find a hotel with a gym, scroll down to Amenities and tap Gym.
From there you can either browse using the overhead map or scroll through the various accommodations that are available. Furthermore, each listing includes details like guest reviews, photos, and property highlights.
Download: Hotels.com for iOS | Android (Free)
5. Pack Light and Do Resistance Band Training
It's not feasible to pack your dumbbell set, exercise ball, or treadmill into your suitcase. A small piece of exercise equipment like a resistance band takes up barely any space in your bag, but it can still give you a great workout.
Resistance Band Training is a resistance band workout app that features over 20 different resistance band workouts and challenges to choose from. Plus, the app offers activity tracking and a custom workout timer. The resistance band workouts come in three skill levels: beginner, medium, and hard. Some workouts target specific focus areas, like the abs, chest, glutes, and quads.
Download: Resistance Band Training for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
6. Attend a Class at the Local Gym
When you can't book a hotel with an in-house gym, but you'd prefer to work out in one, then consider taking a class at the local gym. Finding nearby gyms is super simple with the help of Google Maps.
Google Maps gives you the freedom to explore the area around your location and find things to do nearby, such as gyms. Browse through the surrounding gyms and fitness centers to find one you like. You can even use the filters to find a gym based on distance, rating, and hours. Once you've made your choice, you can either contact them or use the app to get instant directions.
Download: Google Maps for iOS | Android (Free)
7. Find a Nearby Hiking Trail With Wikiloc
Going to the hotel gym or local fitness center is convenient. However, it's a lot more enjoyable to go outside and take advantage of the great outdoors. This is especially true if you're vacationing somewhere that offers beautiful hiking trails.
Wikiloc is an app that can help you find hiking trails and improve your overall hiking experience. Enable location on your device and the app gives you a list of possible hikes to enjoy. Furthermore, you can use the map feature to find trails that are close by.
Additionally, you can use the app to live track your hike while you're busy doing it or find hikes that locals have completed. Each trail gives you all the necessary details, including the distance, elevation, difficulty, trail type, and more.
Download: Wikiloc for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
Download These Apps to Keep the Vacation Pounds Off
Burning calories and losing weight from the comfort of your home is sometimes a difficult task. But it's even more difficult to burn those extra calories when you're trying to enjoy a vacation. Even on vacation, you can use these easy tips to get in some extra exercise, blast away calories, and avoid vacation weight gain.