"Rest" Stops

No, we didn't stop and exercise here.
I think it's actually a hotel or something.

So when we’re on a road trip, exercise gets tricky. No familiar gyms or running routes—plus, I can never figure out why sitting on my ass all day watching stuff out the window makes me so tired and unmotivated. (The Lobster does most of the driving, so I can’t even claim it’s the driving that makes me weary).

Nonetheless, I get extra cranky if I don’t find a way do something. So I have to at least try...

Exercise usually comes in the form of:

1. Hiking if trails are available. This is my favorite. Hooray for pretty trails!

2. Visits to local gyms. (Bonus for campers: nicer showers than you find at campgrounds!)

3. Running outside (but not on pavement; due to crappy knees. So dirt paths or sandy beaches must be located.)

4. Wandering the aisles of unfamiliar grocery stores in search of suddenly scarce items (what, no natural peanut butter, just Jiff and Skippy??!!)

5. Walking around malls and parking lots (it takes a LOT of laps to get in a few miles.)

6. Trying to avoid tripping over the cat (great for balance!)

One of her favorite spots--right in front of the bathroom.

and finally,

7. Rest stop calisthenics.

The new wrinkle for this trip? Since we bought a few toys to try to do more “functional fitness,” we’ve been doing a bit more of the last one, rest stop calisthenics. Just five or ten minutes here and there; not a complete workout, but enough activity to get the blood pumping and cross a few exercises off our list.

Some observations:

1. There is no reason that exercising at rest stops should feel weird. It’s HEALTHY. But no one else seems to do it.

2. You can somewhat reduce the Dork Factor if you bring along a few items of “equipment.” Note: everyone else may still think you’re a dork, but internally, you feel more “official.” We’ve got stretchy bands and a jump rope and a kettlebell. Why does this reduce subjective dorkitude? No idea, but it does! I used to just do push-ups and jumping jacks and would feel awfully self-conscious.

3. Having someone else to exercise with also makes you feel less like a weirdo.

4. A pair of gardening gloves comes in handy for push-ups or burpees in parking lots.

5. I’ve apparently been mispronouncing “calisthenics” my entire life! Spell-check informs me there’s no “t” in front of “ics.” I always thought it was cal-i-sthen-Tics, not cal-i-sthen-Nics. I find this news quite disturbing.

6. I totally suck at jumping rope. Little kids jump rope all the time, how hard could it be? But dang, I’m totally lame at it and it’s frustrating!

One, two, three..

Oh crap, not again!

(Alert readers may notice I jump rope so badly I can make an entire lakes flee in disgust.)

Does anyone else feel silly exercising out of context? Have any tips for exercising while traveling?