winter active vacation

Healthy on the Road :: Active, Relax, Repeat

healthy travel + active and relaxed vacation[trip style = active]

{Editor's Note: Below is Leah's (our healthy on the road contributor) account of a recent active weekend away. What I love about her winter wonderland escape is the mixture of activity and relaxation, and as you'll read, this was the perfect refresher.}

A Call to Play With a frozen lake right outside our front door and a gorgeous mountain minutes away, the call to play was clear. I just returned home from a long weekend away with aching muscles and a deep sense of satisfaction. My short getaway to Smithers, a small town in northern BC, had it all: great friends, delicious meals, late nights and lazy mornings. However, there was one thing we did every day which made these luxuries all the more enjoyable, we were physically active. Looking at the light, fluffy snow I simply could not wait to get out there!

New Recruit to Trip Style = Active I would like to point out that our friend, who only recently moved to Smithers on account of her husband’s job, was somewhat new to physical activity, and therefore unsure of how much fun {and rewarding} it would be. Personal reservations aside, our gracious hostess had everything set-up and planned so that we could make the most of our short time together. We drove from the airport directly to the sports shop to rent our cross-country gear. Before the first day was over we had already enjoyed a ski around the lake and a lazy afternoon catching up over coffee!

Pro{Active} Decisions It can be hard to make pro{active} decisions when lounging on vacation is so darn appealing, but the fact that we planned in advance to cross-country ski twice and downhill once, provided us with just enough of a schedule to make things happen. It was the perfect mix of winter-inspired activity followed by an exercised-induced relaxation.

A Good Dose of Balance I can honestly say that I have never returned home from a short getaway feeling so refreshed. My muscles were worked, my mind was rested, and my spirit was lifted. What’s even cooler is the fact that our newly active friend loved every moment of it too---even the tougher aerobic challenges left her beaming with satisfaction at the end of the day. That’s what a good dose of balance will do!

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

[photo by @tripstyler]