Five tips for planning a FITNESS-staycation!

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a snippet of the child's summer bucket list.

a snippet of the child’s summer bucket list.

Ahhh, summer.

  • Warmer temps (or cooler if youre a transplant as am I).
  • Longer days (love. Im a misfit who thrives in sunlight).
  • Almost over (thirteen days till school)
  • SAD FACE.

The Tornado & I would leap (lunge? burpee?) at a last hurrah!! vaycay, but sadly our bank account begs to differ.

We are not despairing.

A trip to a fab fitness destination may not be in the cards please G-d let there be a YOGA RETREAT for MAMA in 2014 yet, unbeknownst to her, Ive planned a kickass PLAYout-filled STAYcation for us.

In the spirit of saving *you* time should you wish to join in—I give you Five Things I Learned Planning Our (shhhh!) FITNESS STAYcation:

1. Staycation means near home – not necessarily in it. Explore options for hotel stays in your zip code. If youre flexible about date/check-in times you can find fantastic deals at faaancy hotels. Search for swimming pools/FREE fitness facilities.  Also, dont forget to ask about upgrades (I learned a lot from this book)!

LOVING the 94607

LOVING the 94607

2. Fitness indulge. PRE-staycation brainstorm products you love. If you have a partner/family ask them, too.  What they want may surprise you (I had no idea the husband longed to stand up paddle!) Let your imagination soar & list everything from resistance bands to treadmill. Match your budget with products (dont forget ebay/craigslist!) & pick a new piece for each day of staycation. Get inventive with how you use your new purchases (or random house-finds!).

overspent

great USED finds abound if you look!

3. Divide and conquer. Ask each family member/STAYCATION-friend to plan an activity du jour (form teams if your children are young).  In summer free options abound (hiking, walking tours of your town, outdoor obstacle courses, organizing a game of kickball etc). Are you a creative-type with family/friends who aren’t? Perhaps *you* create a list of FUNoptions & use a fitness jar.

ojere

Free. Fun. Fab.

4. Do a gym-hop! Day passes aren’t cheap, but they are in comparison to a full vacation! Decide what activities youve been longing to do (rock climbing, swimming, basketball, Zumba etc.) and search for a local gym that offers it. Many facilities are large enough (mini-resorts almost) exploring them *thoroughly* is an all-day affair.

rockwall climbing anyone?

rockwall climbing anyone?

5. Eat locally. Studies show we abandon healthy eating habits on vacation. On STAYcation youre never forced to airport-dine or hit up roadside fast food!  Use these days to eat *healthier* than normal.  Visit farmers markets you’ve been vowing to see & shop for fresh, local fruits and vegetables.  Seize this opportunity to leisurely create healthy meals,  eat mindfully and enjoy being present with loved ones.

Farmer's Market edible FLOWERS?!

Farmer’s Market edible FLOWERS?!

6. Git fancy. Turn down service, room service, in-room movies—all the stuff youd never do at home during ‘real life.’ Remember, healthy living includes all things in moderation!

A chocolate getting monkey is always fancy!

chocolate + bow-tied monkey = fancy!

There you have it.

The six SURPRISE ways Im making the Tornado’s last few days before school *rock* STAYcation style.

If I’m crazy enough to attempt unshared tip number SEVEN (snag other kids on our cul-de-sac & create a day long PLAYout camp) and I live to tell the tale I shall report back….

 

  • Any additional ideas to make this SURPRISE STAYcation even better?
  • Whats your fave thing to do on an in-town vacation?

 

 

 

DiZclaimer: We did STAYcation before and it rocked (and it KILLED ME how the Tornado called it a stayvacation) but it was just the two of us. This time we’ll be three.

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Comments

  1. Love it. A staycation isn’t a staycation without fitness, sun AND fun! My favourite thing to do is go for a run along the beach in summertime, just as the sun is going down, it’s perfect.

  5. Love the turn-down service! What a great list of things to do. Enjoy it!!…and thanks for all the tips!! Now I can plan at least a DAY-cation:-)

  8. Great ideas! One thing that we do that my kids (although younger than the Tornado) love is making a ‘fort’ in the living room with blankets and eating lunch in it. It’s a good rainy day fun thing too!

    • We have had a ‘fort’ up in my 4 yr old’s room for almost two weeks now. I was going to take it down but he asked me to leave it up a little longer. It is two big sheets stretched across his room, so he sleeps under it every night.

  9. I had to go back and review my staycation post from last year. Ahhhh. I am SUCH a staycation person. I love being at home, but the husband wants to go somewhere so we are running away to the beach in a few weeks. I’m sure I’ll manage to enjoy myself!

  10. I love exploring the things to do in my area! It’s amazing how many people don’t know the things in their own backyard. When we found out the Army was moving us to Savannah, Chris and I made a pact to explore as much as possible and we are sticking with it!

  11. Hey Mizzy!
    You must be in my brain as I was whining to my friend last night about no trip this summer since I’m broke as a joke.
    I love the tip about the gym pass.
    LIFETIME!!!!!!

  14. Such a great tip about staying home and doing things you’d never do.
    We do not allow television or movies in our twins’ room, but a staycation would remove that rule.
    Really fun ideas, Miz.

  16. My idea of a fitness stay-cation would revolve around the beach. I’d have to say it would involve a morning surf session. Followed by a brunch. Followed by a surf session. Followed by a nap. Followed by an evening surf session watching the sunset. Followed by a good meal 🙂

  17. I’ve always wondered what those edible flowers tasted like!!
    I could use a staycation for like a month to explore my town and tastes.

  18. We did a STAYcation but it fell flat :/ I am stealing your ideas, Miz.
    Especially the turn-down!!!!

  19. Love it!

    Does 3 hours away from home count? We be hiking somewhere soon 🙂

    I finally went to the Farmer’s Market. We will go back and visit new ones too. We ate locally and had a blast 🙂

  21. LOVE!!! Such amazing ideas Carla – love it all & especially the little touches like “room service”. So cute & fun!!! I want you to plan my stayvacation! 🙂

  22. Lots of local museums have free days here, you just have to look for them. We can also walk along the river and have a picnic.

  23. Love #5 the most! We have an amazing, year-round market in Vancouver that I only manage to get to during the summer time. We’ve been twice already this summer and found it easy to spend an entire day there!

    And stand up paddle boarding? I’m in!

    Have a wonderful time on your stayvacation!

  24. Y’all are going to have so much fun in these next few days before school starts back up!! I love your Fitness Staycation tips and plans. I think that we might try something similar later in the fall over a long weekend as a fun break from school!

  25. We do a staycation every year. Love your ideas and will incorporate. We have a boat and found a cheap place to dock it out.

    • you are SO NOT THE S-WORD as the child says 🙂 I had no clue how coooollllld it got in the Bay Area at night. NO SKEETERS.
      and very little meOUTDOORS either 🙂

  30. I’m fortunate to live in a resort town that is in off-season, so deals abound for hotels, spas, and restaurants. It’s fun to book a spa day and really relax, something I don’t do very often.

  31. These are awesome vacation alternative ideas. I can’t decide which is my favorite. I will settle on a top three, #4, #5 and #6. Six is an idea that I would never have thought of. A gym hop around here would be easy as almost every gym will give you a free two pass – so it is a cheap alternative as well. Love all the ideas.

  32. We used to set up the tent in the back yard and camp out – haven’t done it in this house but now that we’ve finally got a privacy fence perhaps we shall. 🙂

  34. This is such a great idea, vacationing with in your town and that too in a healthy way. Till now for me vacation meant being lazy, eat a lot and drink a lot.

    This is a great idea to enjoy and become fitter.

  36. OMG when I was younger my dad, brother, sister and I would go “hiking” around the house at night, catch fireflys and then end up in the pool house to camp out!!!!! We would eat ice cream, play a game or two and then go to bed! It was so much fun! SOOO MUCH FUN! I miss back in the day, I have so many amazing memories, I wouldn’t change them for anything!!

  37. Staycations can be so much fun. There is a lot more to do around you then you think. Go out and enjoy it all.

  38. Great list! Our family did stay home and we did a lot of group exercising-like hikes, runs and swiming…the whole family is more fit because of it 🙂

  41. Your local library, city hall or museum may be putting on local themed hikes, craft days or fun days which are usually free or cheap.

    Kite flying is always fun as is backyard camping.

  47. Woohoo! Staycation!!!! Even if you wanted to get out more you have awesome hostels “near” you like Marin and Point Reyes, then even the Bug at the gateway to Yosemite. Have fun you two!

  48. There is so much you can do close to home! And yes it’s great for the wallet! 🙂

    We tend to overlook the interesting spots in our own area, but they’re just as interesting!

    Every summer we plant the tent in the backyard, have a campfire, watch shooting stars and then sleep in our sleeping bags… so much fun! We do it for many nights.

  52. I love to travel but there are really times that I prefer near my home. I always feel secured when I’m there. Truly, there’s no place like home. 🙂

  53. My husband and I are doing a staycation in October for our 5 year anniversary. we wanted to go on a trip but its just not going to happen. So we are taking the entire week off from work and doing local things we have been putting off since having our 1-year old (she will be in daycare!). We will be going rock climbing and paddleboard surfing to stay active. I like the idea of “gym hopping” though!

  56. We have a cottage an hours drive from home and have many staycations there all year round. Some of our fav activities include: treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, hiking (usually referred to as adventures by the kids), swimming, bike riding, tubing behind the boat, fishing, canoeing, cooking over the fire.
    Staycations can be fun all year round too. Some fav winter activities include: building snowmen and forts, snowshoeing, skiing, tobogganing, ice fishing, bon fires, snow machining.

  60. Love this! Your daughter has so much personality! I love the idea of turning down the beds and eating locally! We often do staycations by trying somethng touristy we haven’t yet done! 7 years in the cuty and we still have so much to do!

  62. Some hotels in Maldives do offer summer 3-7 day stay-in deals with free breakfast buffet and use of swimming pool, spas and gym facilities. It’s a sort of a rare I’m-spoiling-myself-and-family spree when you can get up from bed and head straight for a hot breakfast served with a smile, not caring if the bed’s made up or not because you know the chambermaid’s going to fix it for you.

  63. Wow, awesome tips for staying home and having fun in my own back yard.
    It’s so easy to overlook the interesting spots surrounding us.
    Before the summer is over I’ll plan my own staycation. Thanks!

  64. This is great! You’re only limited by your imagination. Goes to show that staying fit can follow you anywhere if you use your mind and a little creativity.

  66. I think this is a great idea! This would be also be a good way to stay active all summer by planning an activity for one day a week rather than compacting it into a shorter span. I’ll have to try this 🙂

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