Exercise and vacation.  Is the pairing of those two words an oxymoron?  It seems that way to me.  I’ve never considered vacation a time to maintain an exercise schedule.  Vacation is a time to enjoy the surroundings, the food, the people.

The one and only time we took a cruise to the Caribbean, I thought the idea of an exercise room on a cruise ship a rather odd one.  Looking back on that cruise and thinking about what one does when they aren’t visiting a port of call, the exercise room is probably something I should’ve made use of since we didn’t participate in the “pool games” or spend much time gambling.  But that was when we learned that cruises aren’t our type of vacation.

Since that time we’ve learned that we enjoy moderately active vacations.  Vacations where we do a bit of walking or hiking or biking.  It is a form of exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.

Where the oxymoron part comes in for me is the thought that while I’m being active on my vacation, I should be losing weight.  Wrong!  We’ve taken two bicycle vacations in the past 10 years, riding through areas of Vermont.  That sounds like a great way to see Vermont and a way to lose weight; after all, you’re riding your bike every day for 25-60 miles.

Problem: Food.  You’re staying at B&B’s with home-cooked meals.  You’re burning calories and often roll-in to your destination feeling hungry.  So you may gain a few pounds, even though you’re riding your bike every day.  Personally, I preferred to tell myself I was gaining muscle and not just those other pounds.

It can be hard to take a vacation and stick with a diet, an exercise plan, or to just not overeat in general.  Often times you’re on a different schedule than when you’re at home.  You may eat larger meals or have food that you don’t normally eat.  Discipline sometimes goes out the window.

This past vacation I realized how much my dietary choices have changed over the years.  After dining in two different restaurants for breakfast, I was really grateful to have breakfast in a third restaurant that offered fresh fruit with yogurt and granola.  I can only eat so many eggs or bagels at breakfast without feeling like dead weight.

I expect to gain 2-3lbs when we go on vacation (which I usually lose in short order after returning home.)  I was happy to have gained only 1lb this vacation.  It is possible that the shorter duration of this vacation may have also had some affect.  Of course I’d prefer to think the walking, hiking, and better food choices also helped.

But I still think exercise and vacation are an oxymoron.

Source: http://exercisediaries.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/exercise-and-vacation/