Every summer, my wife (who is Greek-American with many relatives in Corfu) and I pack up our three kids and head to the Greek islands. It’s a beloved family tradition and something we all look forward to, especially during the colder months of the year. It’s probably why I’m so passionate about summer being a great time of the year to reset, create new fitness goals, reconnect with yourself and train without distraction.
So yeah—I still train even though I’m far away from my gym, equipment or comfortable environment.
Why do I train on vacation? I’ll tell you that it’s definitely not because I’m trying to hit a new PR or because I’m worried about losing all my progress. To put it quite simply: I train because it keeps me grounded.
Training clears my head, makes me feel good in my body, even when everything else about the day is slower and less structured, and it reminds me that I’m alive.
If you’re someone who works hard to stay fit year-round, you might consider vacation to be “time off” from your workout routine. But I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, you’re not going to benefit from it either.
As a fitness professional, I’m the biggest proponent of a rest day—you should have 1-2 a week minimum. But taking a week off of working out in the name of boozing it up, eating whatever you want and lying around all day? Nah.
That doesn’t mean your workouts need to look the same as they do back home. You don’t need to chase intensity or stick to a rigid schedule. But movement should absolutely still be part of your day—even if it’s just 20 minutes.
Below, I’ll walk you through how I personally stay consistent while on vacation, what my workouts actually look like in Greece, and how you can keep your momentum without feeling like you’re stuck in “all or nothing” mode.
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1. Shift Your Mindset from Progress to Maintenance
Spoiler: Vacation isn’t the time to push limits. You don’t have to be worried about running at your usual speed or lifting a heavier amount of weights while you’re away. Rather, vacation is the time to preserve your momentum—to keep your body and mind in the rhythm you worked so hard creating back at home.
Movement is a huge motivating factor for keeping my mood and energy levels up, sleep dialed in, and my sanity intact. That alone is a huge reason to continue with some form of fitness even while I’m OOO.
So here’s your permission to scale things back—even a lot. If you’re clocking in just 20-30 minutes of exercise a day while you’re on vacation, you’re good.
2. Work With What You’ve Got (No Gym Required)
No, I don’t have a fancy gym setup here in Greece—and honestly, I love that. There’s something freeing about being away from machines and equipment and just getting back to the basics. I use the stunning backdrop of the Aegean or Ionian Sea as my motivation to move. When you wake up to that view, it’s hard not to want to sweat a little.
Most mornings, I’m up early before the kids, squeezing in 30-40 minutes of work while the island is still quiet. I build out a quick bodyweight circuit—something like push-ups, air squats, lunges, mountain climbers, planks, and burpees. I’ll cycle through five moves, working for 40 seconds and resting for 20. After three or four rounds I’m totally drenched, and way more energized for the rest of the days.
Other days I may “sleep in” until our little guy wakes up with the son and have an early morning pillow fight with him and my wife, Denise and then when he naps in the mid-afternoon I can get in a workout with her too — couple workouts are great anytime, but on vacation they are extra fun. I always bring my resistance bands and mini-bands with me and we have hit a few great midday workouts already on our trip this year together.
Some days I find a hill (which isn’t hard to do around here) or a long staircase and do sprints or fast stair climbs. I’ll go hard on the way up, walk down for recovery, and repeat. The last couple years our oldest son, Achilles, has joined in the fun with me on these sessions too. Hopefully our daughter, Athena, will join us this year too.once again, it’s about carving out special time together, but not overdoing it and just letting the day come to you.
I also make sure to get in some core and mobility work most mornings. Nothing crazy—just 10 to 15 minutes of done dogs, dead bugs, hollow holds, glute bridges, shoulder CARs, and hip openers. Traveling always makes me tight and I have thrown my back out once too many times doing simple things like loading heavy suitcases too quickly and turning at a sharp angle up steep stairs on a train or a tight space between rental cars. It helps keep my joints feeling good, especially with all the uneven terrain and chasing after my kids. I’m feeling really ambitious, I’ll head down to the beach and throw in some push-ups or lunges right in the sand.
3. Fuel to Feel Good, Not Just Full
Vacationing in Greece and not enjoying the food would be a crime. So yeah, I eat and enjoy every bite. But the beauty of the food here is that it’s incredibly fresh, mostly local, and naturally balanced. You don’t have to overthink it—just eat like the locals do and you’re already ahead of the game.
I try to focus on protein first—grilled fish, eggs, thick Greek yogurt. I build around that with healthy fats like olives and nuts, and whatever colorful produce is in season. Tomatoes here taste like candy, the cucumbers are crisp and full of water, the bread is fresh-baked, and don’t even get me started on the olive oil (which by the way is loaded with good-for-you fats).
I enjoy my glass of wine at dinner, but I’ve also learned that if I go too hard on the alcohol or sugar night after night, I feel it the next morning—especially when I’m trying to train. That’s just not a trade-off I’m willing to make anymore. Some days I may have a beer for lunch and other days I just drink water throughout the day.. Just like my workouts here, I go easy on the alcohol, but don’t overthink it I want a drink or a dessert.
So I eat what I love, but I also eat in a way that keeps me feeling good.
4. Remember Why You Started
I don’t train on vacation because I feel like “I have to.” I train because it helps me feel like me and because it gives me the energy I need to keep up with my three young kids and stay grounded when everything else—schedules, routines, even sleep—is a little all over the place.
It’s not about perfection, but rather about staying connected to the habits that make you feel good. If you’ve built a strong foundation with your training, there’s no reason to throw it out the second you land somewhere new. You can still enjoy the trip, loosen the reins a little, and move your body every day.
So wherever you’re heading this summer—move in a way that feels good. Eat to fuel your energy. Show up for yourself, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. Your future self—and your vacation self—will thank you for it.
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