Finding a way to exercise is not always easy especially since we have been traveling around the nation for the past three years in our RV. Gyms at campgrounds, state or national parks, are few and far between. So we came up with a way to work out and do weight training anywhere – Gym or no Gym.
Cardio and camping go together like peanut butter and jelly. A hike in the woods, brisk walk on a beach or quick bike ride through a nearby scenic city district checks off your cardio for the day plus some of your site seeing. We are always somewhere scenic begging to be explored.
My inner history buff gets excited when we walk the paths of great people of history like Martin Luther King, Jr.
One of my favorites is barefoot beach walking. The sand really works your legs and you feel a wonderful sense of being grounded to the earth after walking barefoot.
Cardio is fun and easy to do in the out doors. Weight training and calisthenics, however, is another story. So why bother? Why not just go for your hike or your bike ride and call it? As we age our metabolism slows. Keeping our muscle mass helps to keep our metabolism stable and burns fat. According to Health Magazine June 2017, heading into Peri-menopause our muscles will naturally get weaker. Don’t use ‘em you lose ‘em. As bones become more brittle if we do not have muscles to hold ourselves up we have a recipe for broken wrists, angles, hips. How many 50 something women have you seen with broken bones lately? You probably know someone recovering right now. Keeping our muscles strong is one way to avoid injury. Avoiding injury keeps us on the trail!
When we are stronger, all of our favorite activities such as hiking and biking are easier. Even making the bed is less strenuous the more muscle mass you have.
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Here are a few great exercises that can be done with no gym and no equipment?
Daily essential exercises are squats and lunges: 3 sets of 10 each and crunches 3 sets of 20. Yes, squats and lunges are simple and basic and not easy but they are among the most effective exercises known. So suck it up. You are in a wonderful environment enjoying yourself. Imagine how much more you will enjoy yourself the more you feel good physically. Find a beautiful view to look at while you are squatting and lunging.
One of the fun things about working out in new environments all the time is looking for new and creative ways to get your muscles worked out. Firewood can make excellent weights especially since the park rangers had pre-cut this for us. At Rickwood Caverns State Park near Birmingham, Alabama the campground consists of only nine camp spots and lots of large rock formations. One lady had named the one next to her camper Terry because it looked like a pterodactyl. When she invited me over to meet Terry I assumed she meant was her husband. It turned out to be an amusing comedy of errors when I called her husband Terry and she announced that no he was Bill and this is Terry, pointing at the rock. My imagination could not see the pterodactyl she saw. But she seemed comforted by her imaginary friend. So I bid Terry farewell and returned to my real life David.
One of these rock formations that sort of looked like a flat backed turtle made for the perfect box jumping spot. Box jumps seem simplistic. You see small children jumping on everything. However, for me, it is surprisingly difficult. It requires balance, strength and courage. So be careful and have someone with you who knows how to box jump so as to avoid injury or a posted face plant video of a middle aged women trying to jump.
The basics of a box jump is to keep your feet moving at the same time. This is not obvious and takes practice. As soon as you are air born pick up you knees to your chest. This works your abs. Make a soft landing into a squat working those quads. We did it! We have jumped on an “unnamed” flat backed prehistoric turtle’s back. Now do it 9 more times.
Coming from San Diego we were used to working out in city parks. The out doors are filled with folks keeping fit. But traveling around the rest of the country not so much, especially in the South. We got a few looks and curious commentaries. But after meeting “Terry”, I figured if they thought I was nuts I would fit right in around there. Just maybe we would influence someone to a higher level of fitness to balance out all that fried chicken that is consumed in the South. This is not a cliche. It is literally hard to find a restaurant where you can order anything other than fried chicken in Mid South or the Deep South.
So you see how essential your work out is. The more you work out and stay fit the more you can enjoy the local fare. The better you feel. The more trails and museums you can explore. These are the immediate benefits. Studies show that we will have less stress and a longer life the less fat we have and the more muscle we gain as we age.
Let us hear from you and how you have had fun with your new random place workout.
