vacation exercise

I apologize in advance that every post this week is about Chicago!  We had a fantastic time and I am just dying to share some of it with you!

I think one of the hardest parts about vacation is finding time to do some exercise.  BUT, with a little creativity, you can usually find a way to stay somewhat on track even while you are on vacation.  For instance, in a big city, you will often cover miles and miles walking without even realizing it.  Or, another one of my favorites is taking time to do an "active activity" like biking in a vineyard, snorkeling, or taking a running tour...

Chicago Theatre

Yes, you heard me right, Josh and I took a running tour of Chicago on the morning of our anniversary. AND, Josh was the one who found the tour and booked it!  While I was a little doubtful about the concept at first (it was 40 degrees and windy outside) it turned out to be one of the best parts of our trip.  We did a four mile tour with City Running Tours featuring the five tragic events of Chicago's history.  On the tour, we learned TONS about Chicago's history, saw things we never would have seen otherwise, and we burned off some of those extra calories we consumed every morning with the hotel bread basket.  Our tour was led by Marlin, a wonderful, knowledgable tour guide and avid marathon runner (he went straight from our tour to Des Moines, Iowa to run in his 66th marathon!)   Without even giving himself time to recover from his marathon, Marlin sent us a follow up email detailing the history we covered (including the recipe for the world's first brownie- invented in Chicago), and an entire flickr album of pictures he took on the tour....

At the Joan Miro sculpture

Sliding down the Picasso Sculpture

Chicago Skyline

Beginning of  Route 66

Bridge Opening with our tour guide Marlin

OH, and in case the idea of a running tour makes you nervous- the tours go at a variety of paces and have LOTS of frequent stops- it really is a tour that ANYONE at ANY fitness level could do.

xo,