Travel fitness: Road trip fitness gear for families

by Gadling Staff on

Traveling cross-country with kids in tow can make fitness more difficult. You can’t leave your children to take a long run, or spend an hour in a gym. But you can pack a selection of family friendly items to keep everyone healthy on the road.

The following choices will not only provide a good workout, but they have the added bonus of building memories with your family.

Playground Pump This application for your iPhone or iPod touch features 50 exercise cards designed for the playground. This is a fun way to get a full body work out while traveling. Make a pit stop at a playground and let the cards guide your routine. You are given 6 cards/exercises to perform using typical playground equipment during each workout: 2 upper body, 2 lower body and 2 abdominal cards equals a 30 minute session.

Fit deck Purchase a set or two of these exercise playing cards to carry on the road. Each 56 card fit deck has a different focus. Travel-friendly decks include body weight, yoga or the stretch deck. Each card features three fitness levels to accommodate different abilities. Shuffle and let your child become your trainer by pulling out the next exercise.Yoga paws. Traveling yoga enthusiasts will love these! Yoga paws are better than even the most travel friendly mat. Slip them on your hands and feet for solid support, padding and the ability to practice whenever and where ever you have the opportunity. Their small size allows you to carry them in your purse or glove compartment.

Jump ropes. Pack a jump rope for everyone in the family. There is no question that jumping rope provides excellent cardio. It is also a fun way to get a quick work out in with minimal space and time. Set up a timer or watch the clock while you perform intervals of high and low intensity for 15-20 minutes. You can also use the rope to perform stretches.

Sidewalk chalk. Pack a container of sidewalk chalk for quick exercise session where ever there happens to be concrete. Draw up a game of traditional game of hopscotch and play. The jumping and bending provides an excellent impromptu workout with the added bonus of being simply fun. Chalk can also be used to mark off lines for a series of suicide runs or pyramid drills. These intense conditioning exercises can even be done if you have little ones since you are basically running back and forth. Try to smile, and this exhausting exercise becomes entertainment for little ones!

Sylvie Branch is a Seed.com writer.

Contest offers ‘maybe the best trip ever’!

by Kraig Becker on

A new contest sponsored by Black Star Beer promises to give the winner one heck of a prize, sending them off on a jet setting vacation that will offer everything from outdoor adventure to an unforgettable taste of luxury.

The contest is dubbed “Maybe the Best Trip Ever“, and that seems a pretty apt description actually. The winner, and five of their closest friends, will get things started by heading to Whitefish, Montana, where they’ll not only tour the Great Northern Brewery, but also mix in some outdoor adventure as well. This stage of the trip will include hiking and camping in Glacier National Park, whitewater rafting on the Flathead River, and fly fishing with a master angler. And when they’re finished with their adventurous escape to the Montana backcountry, the group will board a private jet for Las Vegas, where they’ll relax and party poolside, while getting the VIP treatment at the Palms Casino and Resort.

The winner will also have the opportunity to practice with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. (The press release promises a professional basketball team, but we’ll have to settle for the Kings) They’ll receive a sweet HD video camera to document the entire experience, along with plenty of other swag to outfit the entire group. If all of that wasn’t enough, Black Star is throwing in another six round trip tickets to destinations of your choosing, just in case you need a vacation from your vacation.

To enter the contest, simply go to the Black Star Facebook Page and click on the banner. Who knows, maybe you’ll be sent off on the best trip ever!

Travel fitness: Packing light helps travelers stay in shape

by Gadling Staff on

A little bit of planning while you pack will help you to stay in shape and explore your destination with ease. Packing light is essential, and each of these items earns their space in your luggage. Follow the strategy outlined below and you will have an inexpensive, easy to pack, and fun way to explore a new destination that keeps you in shape while you travel.

Running Shoes: Pack a pair of running shoes, preferably trail running shoes. These may double as walking or hiking shoes during your trip.

Synthetic Running Shorts/Bottoms: Depending on the climate where you are traveling and the level of cultural appropriateness, bring either running shorts or running pants/tights. They should be made from quick-dry synthetic materials. Don’t plan on doing double duty with exercise clothing on your trip — even if you do plan to do laundry.

Running Shirts: Soccer (football to the rest of the world) jerseys make wonderful running shirts in Europe. They are a fun, useful souvenir and a nice conversation starter when you are out. Just be smart and don’t jog through the park sporting the jersey of local team’s arch rival.Sport Watch: You need a watch with a timer, but it’s likely you have one already in hand so just set the right time and go.

A Map: Yes, you will need a map of your destination!

Running Wallet: If you don’t have a good pocket, keep enough money for an emergency cab ride in the local currency, the name and location of your hotel, plus personal ID and emergency contact information with you.

Running is one of the most efficient methods of exercise and it doesn’t require any specialized equipment or a specific location. If you are not a runner this routine works equally well for walkers. Even if your hotel does have a gym, ditch it. The great outdoors awaits!

Study your map for a nearby location where you can easily run or walk. Public parks, river paths, beaches, lakes, and old railway tracks (in the US) usually offer a great venue. If you are unsure about the safely or appropriateness of an area, check with your hotel. Plan a simple route and estimate how long it will take you. Ideally, you will be able to travel in a single direction and turn around at a landmark or when a certain amount of time has passed.

Warm up by walking to your route’s start, stretch, start your timer and head out. At your halfway time mark, head for home. A cool down followed by a few push-ups and sit-ups go a long way to keeping you fit on travel.

Plan your run for a beautiful time of day. An early morning or late evening run offers a unique on-the-ground view of a new area. New terrain will keep your eyes and your feet interested and engaged. You may even make a new acquaintance or two! Running can help you appreciate a new area and keep you fit while you are away from home.

Heather Thomas is a Seed.com writer.

12-year old climbs highest point in all 50 states in record time

by Kraig Becker on

12-year old Matt Moniz of Boulder, Colorado will have quite a tale to share with his friends when he returns to school this fall. While most kids his age spend the summer relaxing and doing as little work as possible, Matt, along with his father Mike, launched their 50 in 50 in 50 expedition. The plan was to reach the highest point in all 50 states, in 50 days or less, and on July 16th, they completed their quest, reaching the summit of the 13,796-foot tall Mauna Kea in Hawaii, setting a new record for completing the high points in the process. The previous record for the fastest time to reach the highest point in all 50 states was 45 day, 19 hours, and 2 minutes, set by climber Mike Haugen back in 2008. Matt and his dad completed that same feat in just 43 days, 2 hours, and 8 minutes.

America’s high points vary greatly in altitude, with some being quite easy to reach, while others involving true mountaineering skills. The lowest of the high points is Britton Hill, which is located in Florida and stands just 345 feet above sea level. The highest is of course Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali, which is found in Alaska and stands 20,320 feet in height. Other peaks of note include Mt. Whitney, which is the highest point in California at 14,494 feet and Mt. Rainier, which stands at 14,411 feet and is the tallest mountain in the state of Washington.

Matt’s climbing resume is quickly becoming a very impressive one. Not only has he now completed the 50 high points, he has also climbed Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Elbrus, the highest peaks in Africa, South America, and Europe respectively. He has also made the trek to Everest Base Camp as well, and with the completion of Denali, he now has four of the Seven Summits under his belt. Not bad for a young man who hasn’t even entered junior high yet.

[Photo credit: Matt Moniz]

Yellowstone visitors provoke bison, pay price

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week, it was reported by a number of sources, including the National Park Service themselves, that an unnamed woman and her friend were attacked by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. The story was that the pair were passing through a parking lot near Old Faithful when they wandered too close to a bison, who became agitated and attacked, slamming into the woman and sending her soaring end-over-end into the air. The woman and her friend, we were told, were lucky to walk away with minor injuries. But, as often is the case with these kinds of stories, there is more here than meets the eye.

It turns out that the woman in the story is 49-year old Kathy Hayes of Utah, and the man accompanying her was her brother-in-law. The two did indeed come across a bison, as the original tale went, but once the full video was released, it told another side of the story.

As you can see below in the video that comes our way courtesy of CNN, Hayes and her companion did spot a bison in the parking lot, and then proceeded to approach it on their own, getting as close as 10 yards. Park regulations prohibit visitors from coming within 25 yards of bison or elk for obvious reasons. (FYI: Safe distance for a bear or wolf is 100 yards.) While playing the video, watch very closely. On one of the close-ups of the bison, you can see that someone throws a stick at the animal, striking it in the hind quarters, which immediately sends it into an agitated state. The beast then turns on the two humans invading its turf, and the video becomes a mix of the Blair Witch Project meets Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom as Hayes scrambles to get out of the way while still holding the camera, which dutifully goes on recording the proceedings.

After tossing her into the air like a rag doll, the bison does wander off and leaves Hayes and her companion alone. She ended up suffering just some severe bumps and bruises, but is honestly lucky to have come away alive. Her brother-in-law wasn’t quite so lucky however, as he ended up suffering a broken shoulder, as well as injuries to his hand and foot, but as the park service press release stated “He was not injured by the bison.” In other words, he hurt himself while scrambling to get out of the way of the creature he provoked.

Where I come from, that’s known as Karma.

[Photo credit: J. Schmidt]