Staying Active When You Have Company by Stephanie Nickel

My hubby turned 60 two weeks ago. Son #2 flew home from Saskatchewan for a few days to surprise him and Son #1 flew home from Scotland with his lady and surprised all of us. (They will be getting married in September, and we’ll be off on our first overseas adventure.)

So, what does one do to stay active with a houseful of guests?

Here are 12 ideas:

1. Get up early and go for a walk or do some resistance training before the company wakes up.

2. Do something active instead of simply sitting around chatting. (Even breaking out the Wii Fit can be fun for everyone.)

3. If your company is so inclined, why not go for a walk together? (I’ve got some great pictures that I took when my hubby, our son, his lady, and I went for a walk in a local park.)

4. And speaking of walking—and taking pictures—you can suggest a photo walk. Not everyone likes walking for exercise, but many people like to have a photo record of their vacation.

5. You might be able to get free day passes for a local gym. You could go and work out together.

6. And if you have a public pool in your community, that’s another great option.

7. If you can go to the beach (not really an option in late spring in Southwestern Ontario), there is lots of opportunity to be active: swimming, walking along the beach, playing Frisbee, etc.

8. If there are children involved, playing outside with them with be good for everyone. (And the little ones—and likely even the not-so-little ones—will sleep well.)

9. If you go sightseeing, choose locations where you will do more walking than sitting (i.e. the zoo, the local waterpark, or a walking tour of the city). Plus, remember to take the stairs rather than the elevator whenever possible.

10. Go rock climbing—indoors or out. (I still must do this. I bought lightweight, flexible shoes for this specific purpose but haven’t gotten there yet.)

11. Let each person have the opportunity to choose one activity they would enjoy and if at all possible, participate with enthusiasm. (My son chose to teach us a card game. It was lots of fun but not exactly active. As a saddler, Tough Mudder participant, cyclist, and student of a champion MMA fighter, his lady is used to being active, so it’s no surprise she really wanted to go for a walk [and go hit things at our local dojo]. She quickly gets antsy when sitting around for any length of time.)

12. And don’t forget about making healthy eating choices. Planning ahead is always the best bet. And if you do go out to eat, choose the healthier options. (My future daughter-in-law is always taken aback by the size of our restaurant portions and the fact that vegetables aren’t standard.)

While it’s typical to gain weight when on vacation, there are things you can do for yourself and your company to prevent it.

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Enjoy your visit . . . and enjoy your healthy choices. (tweet this)

Read other articles by Stephanie

10 Ways to Get Healthy on a Budget

12 Suggestions to Keep Active in Fall and Winter

You Are Not Too Busy to Exercise

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Steph Beth Nickel is an author, a freelance editor and writer, a labour doula, and a former personal trainer.