Admit it, most of us fall short of regular exercise.
Daily chores at work and home can be so time consuming and tiring that, although we know we should, we frequently skip our exercise routine.
And even if we manage to grab the weekend for ourselves we often just sit around trying to recuperate from the overwhelming responsibilities of the past week.
Judging by what my patients are saying, sit-down gatherings, food feasts, and TV catch up are typical weekend menus for an overwhelming majority of us.
Get your tush moving!
Unfortunately what feels good to us on the weekend, is not always best for our health. Continuing a trend of inactivity leads to many chronic health problems and accelerated aging. Yet, nobody wants to end up sick and immobile in the future.
Is exercise during getaway possible?
This time we wanted to see if it easy enough for an average person to incorporate an effective workout routine during a weekend getaway. We headed to Spring Rocks, a campground 30 min north of Peterborough, Ontario.
The first day however was a write-off due to packing, time spent in the car, and setting up once on site. The only thing physical we managed to do is walk the dogs on the short trails around the campground, hardly enough to stretch the legs.
The next day was a bit more organized. The weather was not bad and the morning offered a perfect time to try our new toys. Two days before our getaway we bought professional grade kettlebells. I opted for a 12kg (approx. 26lbs) kettlebell and Andi decided on 20kg (approx. 44lbs).
Our new toys – kettlebells
Kettlebells are sort of like dumbbells you see in most gyms . Yet, they are used completely in a different way.
Kettlebell routines are typically shorter, but can be even more challenging and more effective for overall conditioning than dumbbell routines.
A person needs only one kettlebell for all the exercises. In weight training a person needs different sets of weights for different exercises. That’s a plus for travellers.
Kettlebells are a relatively new type of workout, and are quickly catching on in popularity. The first time I saw kettlebell routine, I didn’t think much of it. It looked just like another weight training option. But when I actually tried it, it turned out to be a completely different experience. Because kettlebells use momentum and swing kettlebell training has a different feel than a training with free weights. It also has very different effects.
