Are you a family fitness enthusiast who intends to escape to the campsite as soon as possible? If yes, then here are a few inspirations to help you get the right activity plan together to keep you and your family entertained throughout your vacation.
Simply hit the trail…
Everyone deserves to escape from daily routines and have a relaxing outdoor adventure every now and again to recharge their batteries and regain their zest for life. Getting some fresh air, a dose of vitamin D, and being close to nature, is all you need to wind down, relax and feel recuperated. Sleeping under the stars is heavenly too and can help you shift the built up stress of the day job in no time at all. So do hit the trail as often as possible, but make sure you have a plan in mind…
Aim for outdoor wellness…
Far away from the hustle and bustle of city life, enjoy your time fishing, hiking and trail running. Integrating fitness goals is a good idea, even while on holiday. Walking and hiking can also help you achieve the same goals, and to make this fun for the kids to try out the new Geocaching app for Apple or Android.
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game played using GPS-enabled devices. It gives the family a fun activity to focus on, which is so great they don’t even realise they’re keeping themselves fit and healthy at the same time.
The kids might also enjoy Hula Hooping, Skipping, jump roping, or playing with a Frisbee. So remember to put these in the backpack before trekking to your destination. Even reluctant adults will join in when they find out they could burn up to 500 calories during an hour of having fun. What’s not to like?
You may also want to try and take a sports massage course. This will help you ensure your family is in top shape after any work. It will also help you have a better understanding of how muscle groups work and help you to work out better.
Go for group family fitness…
At the campsite, there are always people around to help you with a group game. Get started with kickball and challenge your camping neighbours to a friendly competition. In the evening, you could even gather around an open fire to enjoy dancing to your favourite music. Recent research in Germany has discovered that dancing is a good cardio exercise and great for your brain, encouraging it to regenerate brain cells and memory growth. It’s even more effective than visiting the gym, which is surprising, and it’s a lot cheaper too!
Try healthier options for nutrition…
Hiking to camp or entertaining a young family is exhausting so it’s important you refuel with calories and vitamins and minerals. There are a lot of great apps now that help you decide what to eat depending on where you are and what you have in your larder. For the best and most nutritious food, try to eat a rainbow. What I mean by that is, try to get a good mix of food and colours on the plate. Different nutrients give food their colour, so if the food on your plate looks like a rainbow, you’re doing a great job. However, not all camping areas have healthy food options, so it’s a good idea to bring meal-replacement shakes with you. These shakes can give you the protein and vitamins you need each day, helping you stay healthy even when you’re in a remote place.
Relax through Yoga and meditation…
A morning Yoga or meditation session after a good night’s sleep, and waking to the sound of local wildlife, is an experience in itself. Not only is it beneficial to your health but if it’s not something you do that often, it will really make your camping trip memorable.
Yoga or meditation replenishes your energy for the day ahead and makes you appreciate and connect to your surroundings. Both activities have numerous benefits, including improving metabolic rates, increasing the immune system and reducing the signs of ageing.
Learning to enjoy the simple life is key to having a great camping experience and forgetting about stress, anxiety and pressure. ‘Zen Habits’ describes this simplifying process as subtraction. We describe it as inspiration for our next trip into the wild.
“Subtraction is a beautiful process.
Prefer subtraction over addition.
Learn to be content with little, or nothing.
Realise that silence is beautiful.
Find yourself in the empty space that results.
Empty a room, and put almost nothing back except that which produces quiet.
Speak less, listen more, contemplate even more.
Walk in silence. Watch the leaves quiver, fall in silence, whisper in the wind.
Sit and do nothing. Listen to your mind make noise in the silence, and allow it to subside.
Eschew video, iPods, books, the Internet, mobile devices, social networks, and other purveyors of noise.
Be quiet, so that life may speak.”
Camping wilderness therapy…
We believe that we are all prehistorically hardwired to want to go camping and visit the wild every now and again. It’s something we simply can not ignore. Even the scientists agree the benefits of being outdoors more often are huge. It helps improve the mood as serotonin levels naturally rise when we are outdoors. Nature, it seems, possesses some magical healing power, both for the mind and soul.
Currently, going outdoors more often and immersing yourself in the beauty of nature is one of the best treatments for depression and low self-esteem in the younger generation. So put your belief in the power of nature and book you and your family a trip to the campsite. It will definitely make you feel better, and who knows what adventures you will have.
Inspired Camping in partnership with Inspired Zest For Life
