Fitness Camping

Working out while you’re camping (Fitness Camping) might not be the first thing on your mind when you’re enjoying your campsite but just because you’re camping doesn’t mean your workouts have to take a sabbatical. The good news is you can give your body an amazing workout while camping with no equipment whatsoever. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do anywhere to challenge all muscles and fitness components. So, as we tell our clients, no excuses! Here are some ideas to help you stay on track:

Muscle-Conditioning:

There are so many options. Squats, Lunges, Step ups, pushups, tricep dips and wall squats are favorite exercises while away from the gym because they are so efficient, effective, you can do them anywhere and don’t require any equipment. If you can purchase an exercise tube with handles at your local fitness department store, your choices are so much greater. You can wrap a tube around a pole, tree, fence or deck and perform back rows and pulldowns and tricep kickbacks. You can also sit and wrap the tube under a chair and perform overhead shoulder and tricep presses. You can stand on the tube and perform bicep curls and side shoulder raises. There’s so much you can do and a tube isn’t going to take up too much space or weight in your luggage. Your abdominal work, of course, can be done anywhere using planks, v-sits, crunches etc.

Cardiovascular:

A hike, run, power walk, cycle, or swim can be done pretty much anywhere. Get up early and take the time for yourself before your kids, friends and family start demanding your energy. You’ll feel so much better for it. And remember, it doesn’t have to be an exhausting, lengthy workout. Ten minutes may be all you need. Every little bit counts and something is better than nothing. Take time to enjoy the scenery, listen to the sounds and smell the beautiful outdoors. If you want to maintain your aerobic fitness and keep on burning calories to prevent weight gain, use the outdoors as your playground while camping.

Flexibility:

Stretching, a component that should not be neglected while away, can be done anywhere. There’s nothing better than stretching or performing some Yoga poses by the lake or river. What a great way to finish a workout and start or finish the day.

Yours in health & fitness
Sherri McMillan

---

Join us for the PDX TRI & MULTI-SPORT FESTIVAL July 29th @ Blue Lake Park!

The 34th annual PDX TRI at beautiful Blue Lake park offers 3 distances including the Olympic, Sprint and My First Tri options for the Triathlon, Duathlon and AquaBike! We will also offer a Kids Splash & Dash so we can get the kiddos started young too! This event is a MUST event to put onto your racing calendar and a wonderful way to spend a ‘lazy’ Sunday Summer morning.

---