| On making do. I've been traveling this summer, mostly through Europe. Carrie and I don't have access to all the accoutrements we're used to back home in the States. Not too many gyms in the Italian countryside. I didn't feel like bringing my paddle board on the plane, and they wouldn't let me take my fat tire bike as carry-on. So we make do. We go for long walks, at least 5 miles a day. We explore on foot (the best way to see any new city, by the way, is on foot). We go for swims, hikes, beach sprints, hill sprints. Whatever opportunity presents itself and looks fun, we take. Because it's not about the equipment. What matters is you, what you bring, how you approach the day, the opportunities you notice, and how you see the world. Is a hill something to be avoided or complain about, or is it something you conquer with relish and joy? Everywhere you go, there you are. You are the best piece of fitness equipment in the world. I know too many people who vacation and get worse. Unless they've got access to a state-of-the-art gym and their favorite smoothie place, they lose it. They gain weight, lose fitness, grow soft. They can't imagine physical activity without formal structure. Without half the work done for them. You've gotta take on every day like this. If you have work to do, you can't wait for the perfect conditions to arise. When I have to write, I'd love having the perfect cup of medium roast coffee and light rain pattering on the roof with the sun winking through the clouds... but I can't control the weather (yet). The work has to get done, and so I make do. You've got to make do. How do you make do? Let me know in the comment section of New and Noteworthy. | 