| If it's the season to stay active and do things | | | | your body during any exercise, your muscles build up |
| outdoors, you'd think that it would be easy to stay in | | | | what's known as elastic energy. It works like a coiled |
| shape. But weekend road trips and week-long | | | | spring and the elasticity allows you to bounce back |
| vacations also mean getting knocked out of your | | | | to the starting position and reduces the amount of |
| normal routine, which can actually freeze your fitness | | | | work your muscles have to do. Take a four-second |
| plan. Maintaining your workout regimen can now be | | | | pause at the bottom position of any exercise |
| challenging because even if you're very motivated, an | | | | because that's how long it takes to discharge the |
| ill-equipped gym facility can derail your sweat | | | | elastic energy of a muscle. Without the bounce, you'll |
| sessions. It even could be worse: the place you're | | | | force your body to recruit more muscle fibers to get |
| staying in could have nothing at all. Here are a few | | | | you going again. |
| tricks you can do so you can take your routine | | | | 3. Start walking. If you don't know the area you're in, |
| anywhere with you. | | | | you can always walk around the hotel. Take a tour |
| 1. Do pull-ups. You just need the floor for this. As you | | | | on the golf course and do one round. It's that easy. |
| increase the distance between the point of force | | | | Just make sure you stay out of the ball's way or you |
| (your muscles) and the end of the object you're | | | | could have bigger problems. Or, if you're gutsy |
| trying to lift (your body), you decrease your | | | | enough, walk around and enjoy the sights. Looking at |
| mechanical advantage. In layman's terms, this basically | | | | the sky and aiming for the horizon will get you |
| means that the longer your body is, the weaker you | | | | sweating in no time at all. |
| become and the more muscles you have to use. This | | | | 4. Add a twist to your exercise routine and take up |
| is the major difference between a simple pushup and | | | | dancing. This is actually perfect when you're on |
| the regular ones. When you get off your knees and | | | | vacation. Check out the local bars and put your new |
| rest on your toes, your core muscles have to work | | | | dancing skills to good use. Don't limit yourself to just |
| a lot harder to support more of your body weight. | | | | ballroom dance routines. Several schools have now |
| To apply this theory, raise your hands above your | | | | added modern dance to their curriculum. So, whether |
| head so your arms are straight and in line with your | | | | it's jazz, boogie, salsa, or even the twist, you can |
| body during lunges, squats, crunches, or sit-ups. If | | | | look good on the dance floor because you know |
| this is too hard for now, split the distance by putting | | | | how to move right. If you can't go anywhere, put |
| your hands behind your head. | | | | some music on and dance the night away inside your |
| 2. Take the spring out of your step. When you lower | | | | hotel room. |