Ahhhh…the joys of Summer.  The time of year when doing things gets just a bit easier.  The days are longer, the temps are warmer, there are endless options to choose from.  Should I read a book…go hiking…go camping…take a trip…plant a garden…ride my bike…ride my mtn bike…take a nap…go for a run…go to the gym?  It’s like the universe WANTS you to get out & engage.

On the surface, having lots of choices is quite exciting…especially when some of the choices are only made available at certain times of year (i.e. camping).  But then…you realize that you have to choose.  You have to choose to do one thing.  And choosing to do one thing obviously means you’ve chosen NOT to do a whole bunch of other things.  If you’re like me, that realization can dull my excitement.  On the flipside though, that same realization can make your choice even better!

I recently returned from a 2-week trip to Egypt.  It was AMAZING, it was fabulous, it was a dream come true!  Our trip was tour-based & we were part of a small group of 7.  When one of my fellow tourmates discovered that I work in fitness, she asked if I was “getting my workouts in” while on the tour.  She mentioned that she had brought workout clothes with every intent to exercise.  I answered that no, I wasn’t working out.  I wasn’t even trying to work out.  I didn’t bring any clothes to work out.  I decided before I left that I would take a break from workouts.  My goals were to 100% focus on Egypt, to relax & rest, & to enjoy a change in schedule.

Needless to say, she was quite surprised!  She asked if I was worried about losing fitness.  I acknowledged that yes, I would lose a bit of fitness…but it’s only 2wks!  I further explained that I had intentionally uptrained before the trip began – 4wks prior to the trip I did a really intensive lower body strength building program.  Because of that 4wk hard push, I felt really good about taking 2wks off.

As you’ve no doubt heard me say before I firmly believe in the benefits of cycling your training.  Bodies respond quite well to times of hard, intense work followed by times of rest & recovery.  The contrast between different phases of training is what pushes a body to adapt, change & improve.  Keep out of status quo & the benefits are great!

I looked at my trip as an opportunity to do an expanded training cycle.  Instead of my normal training cycle of 3-4 days of exercise followed by 1-2 days of rest, I simply expanded the timeframe to 4wks of hard exercise followed by 2wks of rest.  The cool thing is that you can make the ratios of work-to-rest be whatever you need them to be based on your current scenario!  Once you get comfortable with this concept the world opens up!

Here’s my final thought.  The best part about planning NOT to exercise in Egypt was that I was 100% able to enjoy each moment.  Because I wasn’t worried about when or how to fit in a workout, my attention was freed up to fully focus on each & every spectacular experience!  And I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about not exercising!  I had planned it that way!

So, get out there, folks!  Go do something different.  Just remember that whatever you decide to do, go ALL IN & enjoy the heck out of it!