As your vacation looms, you may find yourself growing more and more anxious about what this may mean to your workout progress. You’ve been hitting the gym week in and week out without skipping a beat, but now that you’re going to be away for a week or two, you wonder if you’ll be able to stick with it.

There’s no reason you can’t maintain some degree of workout schedule while on vacation as long as you make it a priority.

Let’s look at a few quick tips to know and remember to help make your summer holiday workout stick.

Check Your Expectations

First, be sure that your expectations are realistic. Will you continue to make progress like you did while in your home gym during the vacation? Probably not. Few people will devote as much time and attention to their workouts during this time.

And that’s fine! Remember the goal should be to maintain your current fitness so that you can pick back up where you left off when you return home. If that becomes your expectation, you’ll find yourself growing less frustrated with the process.

Call Ahead

Next, be sure to call ahead to any hotel or resort you are staying at to see what type of equipment is available. While you generally won’t get a full scale gym, if you can find a hotel that does offer some fitness equipment, this will make getting in those sessions a bit easier.

And if they don’t offer anything by way of equipment, this just means you have to plan accordingly. Don’t let it make you give up entirely.

Bring A Resistance Band

In the case there is no equipment at the hotel you are staying at, consider investing in a resistance band to bring. These can easily tuck away into your suitcase and since they come in a variety of different resistance levels, they’ll be perfect for challenging your muscles and keeping you on track.

You can perform almost all the same exercises with a resistance band that you can with a set of dumbbells, so this makes it easy to stay on track with a similar style workout to what you would do at home.

Wake Up 20 Minutes Earlier

Finally, prioritize! Chances are, as your days fill up while away on holidays, your workout will be the last thing on your mind. Make a commitment to get up 20 minutes earlier and get in a quick and fast paced workout.

If you keep the intensity high, you really don’t need much more than 20 minutes to challenge your body and burn a couple calories in the process. By doing so, you can then go about your day, feeling great that you’ve already done something positive for your health.

So plan ahead and don’t let that holiday put an end to your workout routine. With a few smart strategies, you can easily stay fit and carry on right back where you left off upon returning home.

[Image via Getty]