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What happens when you take your regular vacation, but instead of doing ‘touristy’ stuff, you do fitness activities instead? A fitcation. Quite literally. We know it sounds like a joke, but it’s really a growing trend in the global fitness community. One trend that we hope can also catch on here in the Philippines.
Now, let me go ahead and just say that this trend hasn’t particularly caught-on over here in the Philippines, and we don’t think it will any time soon. The reason behind this mainly being the fact that traveling and fitness are two forms of leisure that the typical Filipino worker can’t afford. But luckily, with the advent of promo fares offered by local airlines and with the fitness community learning to keep their workouts minimal, fitcationing’s starting to look like a possibility.
With us Pinoys being so proactive in planning trips, we know you guys have already got a number of them lined up. And if you want to take it up just a tiny notch, why don’t you squeeze in a workout or two, and turn it into a fitcation? Here are quick tips on how to get started:
1. Stay minimal
This tip works for the packing of your clothes, to doing the actual workout. If you’re just going to be squeezing a workout or two into your trip, you won’t be needing an outfit for every single day (especially if it’s a long one). Pack maybe just two workout outfits and a pair of trusty trainers that you can use for either running or strolling along tourist destinations with.
The other aspect of this tip pertains to your workouts. It has to be minimal so it’s easy to do, and therefore, easy to squeeze into what I’m sure is a jam-packed itinerary. Keeping workouts minimal can be done in a number of ways. You can do yoga at your hotel room, find a park to run or do bodyweight training exercises at, or if it’s still within your budget, attend class-based workouts at CrossFit boxes or fitness studios wherever you can find them during your trip.
2. Do your research
Those who opt to go for the studios and/or parks for their workout, this step is very crucial. You don’t want to waste precious touring time trying to look for a place to get your sweat on. When you get there, we know you’ll want to get right to doing everything you had planned for fun and adventure.
So if you want to avoid wasted time, be efficient and do your research before your trip. Identify spots where you can possibly do your workouts. Find out about regulations and guidelines for public parks. Research and compare rates of nearby fitness clubs, and whatever else you can think of so you don’t just save up on time, but save up on money as well!
3. Integrate
Of course, we mean with the culture, but we mean your workout, as well. This is great for travelling with people who see eye-to-eye in terms of fitness. They can just agree in advance to take a day to do a running tour or group classes, which makes extra fun and efficient as you get to workout and do more touring together.
However, on the other side of the spectrum, there are those who might be the only one in the traveling party who’s interested in fitcationing. If this is the case, what I like to do is wake up earlier than the rest, strap on a pair of running shoes and do a running route around the area that’s due to be visited that day. With this, I get to cover a lot of ground fast, plus I learn the ways to go before anyone else; making it easier for us to navigate when we take a leisurely-paced stroll around the same route.
4. Have fun with it!
Lastly, make sure to just have fun. A fitcation is still a vacation, and we know you love to exercise, but take it a little easier than you normally do. It’s fine. Just amp it back up when you get back on Philippine soil!
There’s going to be a lot to see and do, and we want you guys to fully immerse yourself in the experience, still. And besides, having fun with it will motivate you to stick to it during the whole trip, if you still want to take the fitcationing seriously.
So there you have it, adventurers and fitness buffs! We hope this list helped you guys get started on turning into your vacations into fitcations!
Will you be fitactioning locally or internationally this summer? Send us photos!
