‘Fitcations’ Are a Great Way to Shape Up

From a three-day bike race to raise awareness of a charitable cause, to adventure travel abroad, you can take exercise to a brand new level on a fitness trip.

With no shortage of “fitcation” options available any time of year, start with some research, either by destination or by the activity you want to explore in-depth. It might be a yoga retreat in the mountains, kayaking through white water, or indulging in a variety of sports at an island destination.

If you want to stay in the United States, you can look up trips by state at adventurevacation.com, the website of the America Outdoors Association. Whether you’re traveling with friends, family or on your own, the association suggests identifying what you’d most like to do or if you’d rather learn a new sport. Then calculate your budget and the length of time you’d like to be away.

Also decide whether you want a fully outfitted trip — meaning one run by a professional who guides the adventure and provides instruction along with needed supplies and equipment — or a partially outfitted one, or even a self-guided experience.

If you’re evaluating a trip offered through your own gym or exercise studio, the fitness association IDEA suggests considering whether the instructor is someone you can see yourself spending a lot of time with, how appealing you find the destination, how many of your gym friends are going, and what your expectations are for the experience.

Regardless of the trip you choose, make sure you have a written contract that details what’s included in the price, from workout sessions to room and board, the payment schedule and the cancellation policy.

More information

Need some inspiration? Health magazine offers a year’s worth of ideas to get you started.

Source: HealthDay