It must be all that open air and the freedom of the outdoor life, but, by and large, the average touring caravan owner turns out to be a pretty fit and healthy individual.
Combine the outdoor life with a spot of cycling on the bike you’ve managed to stow in your caravan, and you can enjoy the fresh air, new sights and sounds! Great for you physically and mentally.
With your thoughts turned to the fitness benefits of cycling, you might also want to consider a whole range of activities in which you can engage while out and about with your caravan. You might even want to pay some attention to maintaining a healthy environment inside your caravan.
Let’s take a closer look at caravanning, biking, other fitness routines, and how to stay just as fit and healthy indoors as out.
Your bicycle
- it is a well-established fact that cycling helps to keep you fit – providers BMI Healthcare have listed at least ten ways in which cycling can benefit your physical and mental wellbeing;
- if you are a caravan owner, cycling can also widen the radius of your adventures and bring even more fun to your forays from the caravan site you might have chosen;
- if you are not averse to cheating just a tad, you might even consider an electronically powered bike – it might take away a lot of the effort, but just think of all that fresh air you get to enjoy;
- However, that said, an electronic bike might not be the labour-saving cop-out you might think it to be – as the website MiRider suggests, think of the electric motor offering a helping hand rather than taking over completely. You still need to pedal – just less so. You get more power with less perspiration. You can read our article Choosing an electric bike for more information;
Countryside walks
- the only investment required for keeping fit through plenty of countryside walking is in a good pair of hiking boots;
- the exercise is free, and the UK offers a whole host of caravan sites from which you can set forth in order to enjoy the country’s green and pleasant land – the Caravan and Motorhome Club even has a guide to those caravan sites likely to offer the best opportunities for walking;
Running in tune to the dawn chorus
- if you are feeling more energetic and want to do your exercise to the accompaniment of the birds’ dawn chorus, you need only don your running shoes and go for a jog around the park or venture out into the early morning countryside;
- there might not be the same rousing call to herald a new day, but running at dusk might also give a welcome endorphin boost before you tuck in at night;
- of course, there are benefits no whatever time of day you choose to run;
Wild swimming
- it has fast become something of a craze – and for good reason too – since wild swimming is free and readily found in many different lakes, rivers, and the sea;
- in an island community such as the UK, your caravan site is rarely going to be far from the sea or the rivers emptying into it – so why not join the growing band of wild swimmers;
Pilates and yoga
- pilates and yoga may be ways of keeping not only your body fit but also providing food for your mind and soul;
- just pick up your favourite mat, position it outside your caravan and breathe in the peace, tranquillity, and sheer serenity of Britain at its rural best;
Healthy interiors
- keeping yourself busy with all these fitness trips is all very well, but unlikely to be any avail if your living quarters let you down on the health front;
- keeping the interior of your caravan clean, tidy, and free of bugs is a must, of course, but there are more insidious threats to health that might slowly build up;
- chief amongst these is the mould which might take hold on the inside of your caravan as a result of poor ventilation and the presence of damp;
- left unchecked, damp and condensation may result in floors and walls simply rotting away;
- the mould that breeds in these conditions generates a pungent and unpleasant smell and carries a veritable “minefield” of risks to your health – and a recent edition of Caravan Talk lists five of the harmful effects of mould and mildew;
- regularly check, therefore, for mould, stains, or bumpy panels – especially if a tell-tale smell is also present;
- a final health and safety warning might also be sounded about fire hazards and the use of bottled gas within the confines of a touring caravan;
- fire safety precautions may not need a great deal of rehearsing – but are no less important for all that – while poorly maintained or ill-ventilated gas appliances may lead to a build-up of lethal carbon dioxide.
Have (an electric) bike, and you might well travel in style and precious little effort in helping yourself to keep fit. But there are many other ways of staying healthy while enjoying your touring caravan outings too.
Continue working on keeping yourself fit in the great outdoors, and remember that it is equally important to maintain a safe and healthy environment inside your caravan.
Further reading: Portable exercise equipment for your caravan