Vacations are intended for relaxation. While that’s typically really good for mental & emotional recuperation, vacations can wreak havoc on your physical health goals. At least, if you don’t plan ahead. We recently took a vacation & despite planning ahead, I still found myself having to improvise in order to stick with my physical therapy routine. The experience did teach me a valuable lesson though: if it’s important enough, you can make it happen.
When things don’t go according to plan
I planned ahead! I did! I knew that the hotel we were staying at had a gym. I also planned ahead & brought my laptop so I had my workouts with me. I even talked with my physical therapist about what I should & shouldn’t do on vacation. And then we showed up to the hotel. All I needed was a yoga mat. But they didn’t have one. They had a gym full of equipment but no mat. We even asked the concierge where we might be able to buy one so I could continue doing PiYo & stick with my physical therapy. We quickly learned that our options were: a 2.5 hour trip back to the WalMart near the airport with no guarantee they’d have anything, or paying $100 for a yoga mat at Lululemon. And then my husband had a brain child. He suggested that we check on Amazon & see how quickly we could have one shipped. As it turned out, we could get a yoga mat and 1-day shipping for $30. So we decided to go on a walk for my workout that day & I did my PT stretches after we got back and then the next day my yoga mat showed up!
So even though my husband didn’t need to do yoga, because he cared about me & we were on the same page in terms of my needs & my goals, he had a great idea so I could avoid being in pain & still get in a workout each day. So our typical day on vacation involved breakfast, followed by making a reservation for dinner for the next day and then my workout in the living room while my husband read on the balcony.
Vacation taught you something?
Yes! Surprisingly. Looking back on this recent vacation compared to our other vacations, I was determined to get my workout in. But, I also made adjustments (going on a walk instead of yoga on a few days). In the past I would have just said “oh, well, I guess I can’t make it work” or I would have totally freaked out about it and the situation would have put a very big damper on our vacation. Instead, I learned two things:
- Being on the same page vs. doing the same things: this one I already posted about, but part of the idea behind that post came from the fact that my husband made a huge difference in the quality of my physical wellbeing both on vacation and even now that we’re back because we had a conversation about my goals
- If you care enough about it, you’ll figure out a way: this vacation made me realize that I really cared about feeling ok, not being in pain when I woke up, and sticking with my physical therapy so that I could feel ok
Normally I wouldn’t be looking to learn things on vacation and yet when I had the opportunity to relax, had the support of my husband and focused on my needs & goals, I still managed to walk away from vacation having learned a valuable lesson.
How about your recent vacation?
Did you learn anything on any of your recent time off? Often time away from work & the day-to-day routine allows for new ideas & new perspectives. I’d love to hear any new realizations about your routines, your goals, and hurdles you’ve been able to overcome thanks to some time away.
Wishing you an All+SUM LIFE,
Sarah