Dec 13

Dec 13 Newport Beach Magazine: February/March 2019

Active

On the Move

Work fitness into your itinerary to stay in shape while traveling.

Frequent travelers often have packed schedules, but whether you’re making a journey for business or pleasure, it’s imperative to find time to exercise while you’re away from home. Travelers themselves seem to agree, considering the Global Wellness Institute’s findings that wellness tourism is growing exponentially. With that trend in mind, it’s no surprise that more health resorts, destination spas, wellness retreats and organic restaurants are popping up all over the world.

“The more that we can move, the more that we can play, the more that we can get outside, that’s what makes it a well-rounded type of vacation, no matter if you’re doing a traditional method of working out or not,” says Laura Parsons, spa and wellness director at The Resort at Pelican Hill. And with local properties like this one rolling out revamped programs for the health-minded guest, such as unique yoga and meditation classes to refresh both body and mind, there certainly is no excuse to forgo fitness while on the go.

Newport Beach Magazine: Why is it important to maintain a fitness regime while traveling?
Laura Parsons: I think it’s mostly just to stay in the habit. So much of fitness is making sure that we devote time to it each and every day—or what works best for us—but I think it’s important to make sure that it stays as part of our day, even if it’s not necessarily what you typically do. … I feel like so many people fall off the wagon if they’re away for a bit and then they have trouble getting back into it when they return to their normal routine.

What advice do you have for frequent travelers who are looking to work out on the road?
LP: Take advantage of the fitness class schedule. … It’s a great opportunity for you to try something new and break out of your comfort zone. You might end up taking that with you as something you’d like to try [back home] but, also, it will help you to stay on schedule.

Do you have any tips for making the most of hotel fitness centers?
LP: The best thing you can do is to try and get off the treadmill, if you can, because so often in a hotel fitness center, we’re able to use … multifunctional equipment in order to get a better work out all across the board. … Book a session with one of the hotel’s personal trainers so they can show you exactly how to use the equipment. … [Also] talk to the staff and find out if they have a way to take some of that fitness outside.

How can travelers work fitness into their already busy schedules?
LP: One of the things that we’re really lucky to have in the Newport Beach area is some fantastic hikes that are also beautifully scenic. So, being able to combine the sightseeing with a bit of fitness is just kind of a no-brainer when you’re on vacation. … I think being able to take advantage of that and any sort of classes that you can take … [at] sunrise or sunset, just to be able to take a minute to capture that.

For those who can’t make time to go to a fitness center or explore the local landscape, are there any effective exercises that guests can do from the comfort of their hotel room?
LP: The favorite one is to just do a sequence of simple stretches, but I think the best thing that you can possibly do when you don’t have a whole lot of time and you have limited space is to do any type of variation of a plank. It will work every part of the body the longer you can hold it. … It’s one of my favorite things to do from a full-body standpoint.

Can you offer any advice for specific types of travelers, such as those who are going on a lot of business trips, family vacations or solo journeys?
LP: Business travelers tend to have their routine set in stone. I think it’s most difficult when you’re traveling with family, … so I think the best thing for them is to try and make it fun and involve as many people as possible: A lot of places will have children’s fitness classes or whole-family fitness classes. … And I think, for the single traveler, again, fitness classes … [are] a great way to meet people but also to try something that might be a bit different than what you would normally do in your regular, home gym.

Issue also included my travel story on Mexico, which can be viewed in Laguna Beach Magazine: February 2019

Meet Ashley

This born-and-raised Maui girl works as a freelance content creator who specializes in writing and editing for both print and digital publications, as well as producing short-form videos for social media. Her favorite topics to cover are travel, food, and spirituality with an emphasis on witchcraft.