Pilates on Vacation: Part 1 Travel Friendly Exercises

It’s officially summer, and that means vacation season! While we may be having major FOMO hearing about all the incredible destinations you’ll be visiting, we still want to help you keep your body feeling great. We compiled our top 10 travel-friendly exercises, perfect for doing at the beach, in the park, or wherever else you may roam.

Bridges

Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Weight your tailbone heavy into the ground and take an inhale. On your exhale, draw your navel into your spine and press your feet into the floor. Starting with your tailbone, roll your spine up one vertebrae at a time until your hips are lifted.Pause at the top to inhale, then exhale and roll down through the spine one vertebrae at a time. Do 10.

Toe and Heel Dips

Bring your legs into a tabletop position, keeping a 90 degree angle at your hips and knees. On an inhale, lower your right leg towards the floor with your toes pointed. Keep your abdominals engaged. Lower the leg as close to the floor as possible without letting your lower back take over. On an exhale, engage your low abdominals to pull the leg back into tabletop position. Repeat with the left leg. Do 10 sets.

Upper ab curls

Interlace your fingers behind your head. Lift your elbows slightly off the ground so your shoulders can slide away from your ears. On an exhale, nod your chin into your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Inhale to lower back down. Do 10 sets.

Double leg stretch

Float your legs into a tabletop position and lift into an upper ab curl. Reach your hands to the outside of your ankles. On an inhale, extend your arms and legs away from each other. On an exhale, pull your legs back into a tabletop position, sweeping your arms out to the sides and back down towards your ankles. Keep your head and chest lifted the entire time as you do 10 sets.

Criss Cross

With your fingers interlaced behind your head, float your legs into a table top position. On a sharp exhale, extend your left leg long, twisting through your abdominals so your right elbow reaches towards the left knee. Inhale back to center, then exhale to twist the opposite direction on a sharp exhale. Do 10 sets.

Side Lying Obliques

Lay on your right side with your legs slightly in front of your hips, resting your head on your right arm. Draw the right side of your waist away from the floor, pulling your navel towards your spine. On an exhale, draw your inner thighs together and lift both legs a few inches off the ground. On an inhale, lower the legs down to tap the floor, but don’t rest them down. Repeat 10 times, then switch to the other side.

Clamshells

Laying on your right side, bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Draw the right side of your waist away from the floor, checking to see that your hips are stacked one on top of the other. Keeping your feet glued together, lift your left knee as high as you can on an exhale without letting your left hip roll back. Lower on an inhale, then repeat 10 times.

Cat / cow

Set yourself up on your knees and palms with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Draw your navel up towards your spine to find a neutral alignment. Think of pressing your palms into the floor to avoid sinking into your shoulders.

On an inhale, lengthen the crown of your head and your tailbone towards the ceiling, reaching your sternum forward. On an exhale, round your spine into a cat back, reaching the crown of your head and your tailbone down towards the floor. Repeat for 10 sets.

Plank

From your cat/cow position, extend your legs behind you. (You can either stay on your palms or lower onto your forearms if your wrists need a break.) Engage your legs, pulling your quadriceps away from your kneecaps. Keep some space between your shoulder blades while simultaneously lengthening your sternum forward. Hold for 5 breaths, take a break, then hold for 5 more.

Baby swan

Lay on your stomach with your palms planted flat by your shoulders. Engage your abdominals so your pubic bone presses into the floor. Press the tops of your feet into the floor, then inhale and float your forehead and chest slightly off the floor. Exhale to lower down. Repeat 5-10 times, lifting gradually higher with each repetition.

Next time you’re in class, ask your instructor any questions you may have. And let us know how you do!