Unique Ways of Staying Active On The Road
Being Married To A Gym May Not Be Ideal For The Average RVer, So How Do You Get That One Or 2-Hr Work Out In? Here Are Fun Activities That Do The Job
Hiking. Mountain climbing. Cycling....It seems like there are endless possibilities for RV'ers looking to stay active. But not every RV owner is a fitness fiend or adrenaline junkie. For some, the RV lifestyle is about relaxation, escaping from it all, sight-seeing, bonding with family...
But even the most laid back RV'ers might be looking for a fun and innovative way to stay active. So we've compiled a list of ideas for all different types of travelers. Whether you're a retired couple looking to break a sweat, or a solo traveler hoping to exercise in a group, we have you covered.
1) PARK PROGRAMS
Carvers Creek State Park in Spring Lake, North Carolina is beyond scenic, with luscious fields of green grass that stretch for miles surrounded by trail-filled forests. So image the relaxing sensation of losing yourself in a yoga session right in the front lawn. This is made possible with “Fitness in the Park with Karen,” an official yoga class at the park led by an instructor.
And many parks all across the nation have their own fitness courses throughout the year, which very often include hiking tours. The Connecticut Audubon Society frequently offers wildlife tracking hikes, which allows guests to not only meander through the park's scenic trails, but learn about native wildlife. Visitors explore over 100 caves in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, a two mile hike in a mystifying environment like no other. In Carvers Creek State Park, the next recreational event you can attend is the 2 Mile Nature Hike. Along the trek led by a Park Ranger, you can explore the park's 200-year old longleaf pine trees with Red Cockaded Woodpecker cavities, the recently drained millpond, and numerous native species to the Sandhills. Photographers can take full advantage of this sufficient exercise while also grabbing some unique shots.
2) CITY TOURS
One of the wonders of RV'ing is exploring the cities you pass through, not only seeing new places but experiencing them. One of the best ways to see important historic sites, exciting new businesses, and delicious eateries without the getting lost aspect (unless that's your kind of thing) is taking a tour. And it's become a new trend to take a tour while cycling or running, killing two birds with one stone in the process.
City Running Tours offers “sweat and sightseeing simultaneously” in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto, Washington DC and more. All levels of runners are welcome to sightsee at their own pace, and even the most inexperienced runners may forget how tired they are when they see Chicago's Cloud Gate or Seattle's Space Needle just up ahead.
As “sightrunning” grows in popularity, more and more cities have incorporated the unique exercise into their usual sight-seeing routines. And many cities overseas have also adopted this exciting sight-seeing experience to their repertoire as well.
3) MUSEUM TOURS
Traveling to New York? If so, you may want to join the Met Workout, a 45 minute exercise class inside the museum which includes walking, arm pumping and squats. The two mile route stops at around 13 pieces of art. Similar to running tours outside, the Met Workout allows participants to get in their workout but also explore museums they would have seen while passing through New York.
“Though we are classically trained dancers, and not aerobics instructors or exercise fanatics,” said founders Monica Bill Barnes & Company, “we spend a lot of time being physical and finding unique ways to use the space around us. We've always loved the idea that physical activity can open us up to perceive things in different ways, which is why we wanted to make the experience of visiting a museum even more special.”
4) LARPing
LARPing – which stands for Live Action Role Playing – used to be seen as sort of a “geek activity,” associated with Dungeons & Dragons. But whether you enjoy dragons and orcs or not is completely irrelevant to the fun that can be had while running through a field with a fake sword. And many historical sites have began to adopt LARPing as a fun, engaging and informative way to show guests just how it was during certain wars.
One “living museum” that has added LARPing to their activities is Old Sturbridge Village, in Massachusetts. During this special event, the Village is transformed into a military camp from the time of the Revolutionary War. Nearly 1,000 soldiers portray British, Irish, Spanish, Scottish, French and Colonial troops, setting up sites throughout the Village grounds amidst the 1800s buildings.
Mock battles and skirmishes allow the role players to run, march and reenact combat, all while dressing and talking from the time period. It's an exhilarating and non-traditional way to get in a workout. And many historical sites around the nation host their own military re-enactments throughout the year.
5) GEOCACHING
Hiking is one thing. But treasure hunting? Now that's something totally different. Geocaching can be done anywhere by anyone all over the world. So no matter where you're traveling, it's possible to find a hidden treasure along a hiking trail or in a scenic park.
Geocachers place a small waterproof container with a logbook and pen somewhere for an adventurous person to find. Many containers also include items to trade, which can be toys, buttons, coins or trinkets. It's an exciting way to find out how many people have walked down the same trail as you, where they are from, and even see what item they left behind for you to find.
Thomas Veilleux is an avid geocacher who has participated in the growing outdoor recreational activity for years. He first got into it when his children were younger, hoping it would be a fun way to get them to enjoy hiking a bit more.
“They loved the scavenger hunt aspect,” he said. “I think it hooked them on hiking – the natural beauty and exercise.”
One of the most interesting finds for Veilleux was a geo coin that had traveled across the United States from cache to cache, by other geocachers who had kept “moving it in an easterly direction” through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and so on. It just shows the true scale of geocaching, and the connection you can have with other adventurers and RV'ers, just by finding the same coin they may have come across days earlier.
6) DANCING
When you hear “music festival” the Burning Man or Warped Tour may come to mind. But one of the beautiful things about traveling is discovering the unique events that are happening in one particular part of the country. For instance, take the alt-rock music and arts festival that takes place annually in the heart of Downtown Dallas, called the Homegrown Festival. Or maybe celebrate the one-of-a-kind culture in New Orleans at the annual Jazz Fest.
Music festivals are a chance to experience what makes a destination truly special, from the local music scene to food selection you may never see anywhere else. And they're also a great way to get in exercise by letting go and dancing. Dancing burns around 450 calories an hour, but you won't even notice that a few hours have gone by with the bass vibrating your body and the passionate voices of fans screaming along to lyrics wafting in the night sky above you.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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