It’s vacation. Let’s rest in play!
We love to travel…
We love to embrace holidays. We love to be in fellowship and community with our friends and family. We love to sit together – and these days we love to be active with one another.
For the majority of my life, I thought rest meant “sitting” and that was what would make me feel best on vacation – sitting, eating, drinking, sleeping - repeat.
During a recent holiday when my sister was visiting, we were running at a beautiful, local park. We turned to one another and said “I’m so proud of us and how much we’ve grown.” What we were saying was, we are so thankful that as we have gotten older we now truly appreciate the way we feel when and after we engage in exercise each day.
It did not used to be that way. We grew up playing sports and being active, but we were not “regular exercisers” per my current definition. Now neither of us can imagine spending a part of our holiday or regular day to day without intentional activity!
Six years ago a friend signed up for a half marathon in December. She encouraged a handful of us to do the same. We trained to “keep the holiday weight gain at bay.” Looking back, I think the training for this race was one of the turning points for me. I was historically active to offset my eating habits and weight gain, but now it is a part of my vacation, holiday, daily routine – and it feels so good.
So why does it feel good? What’s in it for you?
What does exercise do for us:
Releases endorphins – Activity makes us happier, makes us feel more relaxed – which is exactly what we want to be on holiday, right?
Builds strength of body– When we have strength to move our bodies, we feel energetic, capable, strong. We can participate in excursions, see new sites, explore in ways we might not otherwise be able to.
Builds strength of mind – Whether we’re exploring a new running path, finding out where the hotel gym is, or exploring a boutique (first visit free) exercise gym, we’re engaging our bodies in a new way which enriches the mind and builds mental fortitude.
Fulfillment – When the holiday is over, the family and friends have returned to their every day, the week returns to “normal”, you’ll look back and say man “I rocked that holiday. I moved my body. Embraced community. Enjoyed all types of food and drink – and I’m not starting from scratch (which hurts and is so intimidating) when I reengage in my activity routine!
Community – Whether you’re with family on a holiday or meeting new people at a hotel gym, you are part of a community. You share conversations, create stories, or catch up on life in conversation with an activity partner. You affirm your sense of belonging.
Sounds pretty not bad, right?
Here are a few of the things that we’ve done to engage in activity on holidays:
Walk down the road with the family
Play euchre
Build a snowman
Listen to music around the pool
Take the stairs at the airport instead of the escalator
Walk instead of take the shuttle or car
Family yoga
Walk or run the local trail
Try a new activity – new boutique class, new trail, new sport like paddleboard
Laugh in community with one another in a tech free space
What are you going to do to treat your body and your mind on your next holiday? Tell us by tagging us on Facebook @JourneyWellLLC