No Time to Exercise in Costa Rica? That’s bananas!
The number one reason given for not working out is “not enough time.” In this world of Pura Vida, it’s hard to believe, but when I talk to people about their lack fitness mixed with the desire for better health, they still cite “time” as an obstacle. That… and bordom with getting the workout done.
The latest trend in Fitness Science is pushing the intensity higher to shorten the time needed for workout out, but trends fade with the seasons, and some of us can’t cram an hour of intensity into 7 minutes without medical supervision anyway.
For the rest of us here is one you can do at the fitness center, on the beach, or on the block, which doesn’t step on your time much, and will be done before you know it.
It’s Friday and my wife and I have a full day of activities to accomplish, as we have just closed on a business purchase, and the morning is getting away from us quickly. But we don’t want to skip our workout either.
We roll into Tamarindo Fitness center later than usual, minds completely distracted, save the plan baking in my head to make sure we both sweat it all out this morning.
As my wife pulls our things out of the backpack, workout towel, water bottles, and such, I lay down the rules for our game today. Since I know she loathes the daily routine I am not surprised that she actually excited for this plan.
- At no point for any reason is either of us to stop moving for the next 35 minutes.
- We will be performing 5-minute intervals of exercises so both of us need to stay focused.
- The rotation will go in this order: cardio, resistance, cardio, resistance, cardio.
Weight selection will be restricted to bodyweight, dumbbells or machines so there is no time wasted with loading plates onto a bar or looking for clips. This workout could be as simple as 5 minute intervals of running on the beach, with 5-minute calisthenics in-between runs.
Since today I don’t have the details of the workout planned in advance, I tell Cristina that I will be thinking of exercises during our cardio section, but it would be easier if we had some combinations worked out in advance.
The beauty of this workout is the schedule flexibility inherent. Each round of resistance exercises can be different from the last. Repetition ranges can be set on the fly. I recommend higher reps, lower, or no-weight selections, and paired or round-robin exercise combinations if equipment is used so the sweat and blood keep flowing.
For our workout today we are sticking to predominantly upper-body moves but one could train the entire body in one workout. Because the weight selections are light we can even work muscles just worked the day before… trust me, it’s okay. [Side note: If you are reading Muscle and Fiction magazine for fitness advice may I suggest you reconsider that source based on the cover alone. Just a thought….]
Here is what we did but keep in mind rule number one. As long as you are not doing movements that hurt in a bad way, understanding that there is pain that is good, then keep moving and you are still in the game.
- Five minutes on the bikes. Why? They were available.
- [Core with upper body] Windmill-pushups, back-extensions – pull-ups.
- Five minutes on the ellipticals. Again, open.
- [All upper body] Shoulder-raises, bicep-curls, dips – round robin.
- Five minutes on the bikes.
- Chest-fly machine and Trip-pushdowns – back and forth.
- Five minutes on the Treadmills: walk/run.
Finish strong. You will be emotionally fired up afterwards, more so if you really dig the last five minutes, so push yourself in the last 5 minutes to 70% perceived intensity.
I can’t stress enough that your exercise selections are only as important as the intensity you put into them and the availability of the equipment. For most of us our own bodies are always available. If your own body is not available, email me, I want to discuss.
In just under 40 minutes Cristina and I are out of the gym, on our way to our post workout meal, the shower, and the rest of our busy day in Costa Rica. I am starving but I will take care not to overeat. Even better, the time has passed quickly, broken into five-minute intervals, each a race against the clock not to waste any time. I feel great!
What business are we running you ask? That’s a whole different article… stay tuned and keep moving.
Pura Vida and Pura Fitness.
Written by VIP Member Damon Mitchell who spent over 10 years in the fitness industry before he moved to Costa Rica in search of a better work/life balance. Currently he lives in Playa Tamarindo in Guanacaste, where he and his wife Cristina are owner-operators of Pizza&Co pizza express, located in Plaza Conchal 2.
Daily, Damon runs on the beach or works out at Tamarindo Fitness Center, keeping fit by doing a combination of old-school weight lifting, calisthenics, TRX, stability ball work and just about anything he can do to create new and fun exercises. Most recently he is learning to surf.
You can email Damon here if there is anything specific about staying fit and healthy in Costa Rica you would like him to cover in his next article.
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No Time to Exercise in Costa Rica? That’s bananas!
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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