Summertime means travel time. But exercise and vacation don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Even if you’re not headed to a locale known for heart-pumping adventure — zip-lining in Costa Rica, diving in Australia or hiking in Peru, for example — you don’t have to undo all your hard work by letting your body completely off the hook. After all, aerobic fitness starts to decline after 10 to 14 days of little physical activity, according to a Washington Post article.
Photo: Flywheel/Flybarre
To stay in shape while on the go, try these tips from Destinee Smith, a FlyBarre instructor at Flywheel Sports’s Dupont Circle location.
Triceps on a plane
From a seated position, hold a full water bottle, extend both arms overhead and grasp the bottle evenly with both hands. Next, pull your biceps close to your ears, point your elbows up so that your forearms are parallel to the ceiling and lock your shoulders in place. Extend from your elbows, pulling the bottle above the crown of your head and dropping your thumbs toward the floor behind you repeatedly for two to three minutes.
Shoulders on a plane
Also in a seated position, extend your arms out to the sides as if creating a wide V toward the front of the plane. Pulse your thumbs up with each motion for two to three minutes.
Thighs on a plane
Sit with your torso upright and keep your weight evenly distributed. Lift one leg and pulse your knee up toward your shoulder without letting it tap back down. Try not to lean into your supporting hip. Tap your thigh up for three to four minutes and then repeat with the other leg.
Hamstrings in your hotel room
From a table-top position, with palms under or slightly wider than shoulder-width, place a full water bottle behind your left knee. With a strong flex in your foot, keep your knee at hip height and press your heel up as if stamping footprints on the ceiling for three to four minutes and then repeat with your right leg.
Abdominals in your hotel room
Lie on the floor and place a pillow between your ankles. Raise your legs so that your knees are over your hips and shins are parallel to the ceiling. Start with your hands behind your head and curl your shoulder blades off the floor and lift as if you’re tapping your forehead on the ceiling (not toward your knees) repeatedly for four minutes. Transition to lower abdominals by putting your hands under your tailbone and extending your legs away from your belly as if you were going to lie flat on the floor, but hover your legs off the ground by squeezing the pillow. Keeping your legs straight, lift and lower them for four minutes without letting your pillow fall or your feet drop.
— Stephanie Kanowitz
