How could this be? We were on an island further south than Florida in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

As I came to learn this is one of the reasons why Hawaii is considered by many the closest thing to paradise. The temperate climate is a result of the trade winds always blowing across the island keeping things cool and comfortable. Temperature ranges from low 70’s to 80’s year round and no major weather systems colliding and causing severe weather patterns. Add to this, according to camping brochures there are no mosquitoes, poisonous snakes, or poison ivy.

Even the plant life that grows abundantly all over the islands seem to bloom with colorful flowers naturally, as if to thank God for being allowed the privilege to exist here.

The ocean at times seems to barely have a ripple--not wanting to distort the incredible view of the coral and tropical aquarium fish below.

This is where my family and myself spent two glorious weeks hopping from island to island. There were seven of us, not unlike the Grizwalds (Chevy Chase movie) on vacation. There was a lot to see and do. But it was also tempting to kick back and sit by the beach drinking Mai-Tais, letting the cool ocean water gently lap at our feet and eating to our hearts content.

Sounds familiar? Many people spend their vacation this way. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but how many of us return from vacation thinking—“back to square one, now I have to start over with my exercise program.” Or worse yet, deciding to give up on exercise! It doesn’t have to be this way.

The key to avoiding this pitfall is to stay on the go when you are away from your daily regimen of exercise. All vacations need to be active as well as relaxing. Maintaining some level of fitness—even if it’s not the same extend as your normal routine should be a priority.

In our case this was easy to do. These islands provided an exercise opportunity at every stop. In Honolulu, there was surfing at Waikiki Beach—with lessons from a 60 something year old Hawaiian native. We climbed to the top of Diamond Head volcano—a physically challenging climb of uneven rocky paths, 271 steps, tunnels, a dark spiral staircase and crawling through unlit bunkers. We were led by my almost-4 year old son Steven who had unlimited energy and a flashlight!

On the Big Island, the active volcano presents many levels of hikes through desolate areas left behind from the lava flows, including a four-mile hike to an active lava flow that reaches the ocean below in a hydromagmatic explosion of steam and rock.

One of the more spectacular vistas was the sunrise on Haleakala--a 10,000-ft dormant volcano on Maui. We booked a sunrise bicycle ride with Mountain Riders Bike Tours which begun with a pick up at our hotel at 2am. At the top of the volcano after the sunrise we were given our bikes—and descended for 38 miles to the beach below. Coasting all the way down wasn’t much of a challenge but it was breathtaking.

Getting up early wasn’t difficult because of the time change and since we stayed in hotels by the ocean we would occasionally walk or jog at the beach before breakfast. Spending 30 minutes to an hour in the fitness center also provided panoramas of the waterfalls and beaches surrounding the hotels.

Staying this active on vacation kept us feeling refreshed, and prevented that overstuffed feeling and being detached from our normal routine. Returning to our regular exercise program was relatively easy and prevented that de-motivated feeling of beginning again.