Staying in Shape, Eating Right Is Easy at Luxury Vacation Rentals
January 31, 2007. Getting enough exercise and eating healthy can be difficult when you're at home, but doing so while traveling can seem absolutely impossible. Peter Greenberg, a road warrior and author of "The Traveler's Diet," understands the trouble. He wrote a column on the topic for Forbes Traveler and MSNBC.com.
Greenberg says he travels more than 300 of 365 days per year. When he tipped the scales at the doctor's office at nearly 290 pounds, he decided something had to change. He consulted dieticians, doctors and fitness trainers to create an on-the-road plan, and loss 42 pounds in eight months.
Pretty impressive.
Greenberg's advice would be especially easy to incorporate while staying at a luxury vacation rental. By renting a place with a kitchen, you can avoid buying high-calorie, high-fat meals of oversized proportions. But, of course, eating out is one of the best parts of traveling for many people – how can you stay in East Tennessee vacation rentals, for example, without sampling some barbecue and corn bread? Set a limit for how many times you can ignore the calories and fat content, and stick to the plan.
In addition to watching one's diet, Greenberg also stresses the need to exercise while traveling. This can be easier than many people think. Take the stairs. Swim a few laps in the pool. Or, instead of cruising around in a car, go for a walk or ride a bicycle. Martha's Vineyard, for example, has a bicycle path that connects many of the villages and luxury vacation rentals, and several shops rent bikes.
Finally, Greenberg emphasizes the role of a good night's sleep. There's no shame in going to bed early and waking up late when you're on vacation – you live by alarm clock the other 50 weeks out of the year, so why not give yourself a break?
