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How to stay fit on your summer vacation – Metro US

How to stay fit on your summer vacation

If you’re running away from your stress this summer vacation, fitness enthusiastBrian Ripka says you might as well run to stay fit while you’re at it.

The 47-year-old founded RIPPED Fitness in 2014,a SoulCycle for runners that specializes in a high-intensity workout combining time on the treadmill with bootcamp routines. The first location opened in Rye Brook, NY and the next one is set to open in NYC this fall.

But what should people do to stay fit when they don’t have access to a gym or their favorite fitness class? We spoke with Ripka, who happens to be son of celebrity jeweler JudithRipka, to get his summer-holiday exercise recommendations.

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What are some exercises people can do to stay fit on vacation?

When I travel I’m always looking for a golf course to run on. If you just go the length of the golf course, you’ve got a good run in. So if you’re in the Hamptons or at other summer destinations, you’re probably near a trail path or a beach — those are all great places to run. In the hotel room I do something called 10x10x10. First, jog in place for 30 seconds to warm up the body and the mind. Then count to yourself through 30, and when you get to 30, you say, “Let’s go!” You do 10 jumping jacks, then get into pushup position, take a deep inhale and exhale, and do 10 pushups. Next you hold, inhale and exhale, and do 10 mountain climbers. After you do 10x10x10, pop up and do that three times and that’s one set. You do three sets of it, then go out and hit the beach.

Why are these good exercises to do while on vacation?

I used to travel 100 plus days a year for my job, so between work and vacation I spent half the year away from my gym. I needed to figure out a way to get a full workout in without any access to gym equipment. The 10x10x10 workout is great because it really gets your heart rate up. You get in a good sweat and it doesn’t take more than 20-25 minutes.

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Why are trails and beaches the best place to run?

When I travel, I don’t run on road anymore. I think it’s too tough on the body — the knees, the joints, the back — so an easy one is to run on the beach. The golf course and trails are also soft on the body.The impact of running on concrete rattles the joints. … It’s runner’s suicide, really. At some point, it will catch up to you, and it caught up to me, so I found running on soft ground is perfect.​

What’s a fitness tip that everyone should live by?

Most important is consistency and staying power. So many people seem to lack the ability to stay. They let one bad day turn into two or three, and they end up forgetting what they aspired to do in the first place. That’s really where I see the fallout. It’s OK to take a day off, it’s not the end of the world, but you’ve gotta get back to work.