Welcome to Diet and Fitness Podcast, a free audio podcast sponsored by Diet.com. This is your fit, fun, and fabulous host, Lady Diet, reporting live from sunny Hollywood, CA. Taking a beach vacation is always in season, but summer seems to be the most popular time for people to take a break from reality. A lot of factors go into planning for a vacation: flights, hotels, activities, shopping for the right clothes, etc. When your destination involves the sun, a beach, and a straw margarita hut, you’ve probably done a lot of pre-vacation working out and dieting to look good in that bathing suit, also. Are you worried that all that hard, pre-vacation work at the gym will just fall apart while away? I know the feeling… I always feel 10 lbs heavier when I return home. So today’s topic seems fitting: “Just because you are taking a vacation, doesn’t mean that exercise has to.”

I’m going to list some easy and time-efficient exercises that we all know and love that will help keep our bodies toned while we lounge on the beach. If the place you are staying isn’t equipped with a gym, no excuses—you can exercise anyway!

• The usual suspects are sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and lunges. These four exercises pretty much cover all the bases and are easy to do in a small space in a short amount of time.
• Another gem is the plank hold, a great move to tone the entire body, especially your core area. Anyone who has done this exercise knows how effective is. Lie facing the floor propped up on your forearms and toes. Keep your body in a straight line with a flat back, butt tight. After about 15-20 seconds your whole body will probably start shaking. Hold it for as long as you can, ideally one minute.
• To further work your arms, do some tricep-dips. Find a sturdy chair to replace the bench you’d usually use at the gym. To work those biceps, buy some water bottles to lift or pack a resistance band in your suitcase.
• As far as cardio goes, I know I feel a lot less guilty about a massive meal or a night of drinking too many pina coladas if I do some sort of exercise besides take a 30 second walk from my lounge chair to the beach bar. If I am super ambitious (which rarely happens, I’ll admit), I go for a run on the beach. But I’ve realized that a vigorous walk on the sand is just as adequate to get the heart pumping. Also, if you are a water person, swimming, snorkeling, diving, water skiing, etc. are all great ways to burn calories.