June 22, 2019
How to stay fit and healthy on holiday
Letting your hair down on holiday doesn’t mean all your fitness and health goals must go out of the window.
Many of us focus our health goals with holidays in mind, but it can be difficult to keep up the good work once we’re actually away. While you may not want to be as strict with yourself during your vacation as you would be at home, but it would be a shame to undo all the good work.
Your ability to get in a bit of exercise on your trip will depend on what type of holiday you’re enjoying. Usually, a few little efforts will be enough to maintain your fitness until you return home and to your usual regime.
Take the stairs on your cruise
Cruises are renowned for being bad for the waistline, with many opportunities onboard the ship to overindulge. A good way to counteract any effects is to take the stairs between decks instead of the lifts. These extra steps will pay off over the course of your voyage.
Explore your destination on foot
Hop-on and hop-off buses can show you a whole city in a day, but you can also cover a lot of ground on a walking tour. Whether you opt for a guided tour or one from a book that takes you around all the biggest sights, you’ll be getting in some exercise while learning more about your destination.
Take advantage of the pool
Jumping in the pool is a great way to cool off and have fun with the kids, but if you’ve got access to one where you’re staying, it can also keep you in shape. Swimming uses every muscle group in the body, allowing you to exercise all those areas you’ve been working on in the run-up to your holiday.
Use your hotel room as a gym
If you usually get your workouts done in a gym, it can seem difficult to do any training while you’re away, but you’ll be surprised what you can achieve in your hotel room. Start with single leg lunges and squats, then a few triceps dips and planks, followed by burpees and leg circles.
Yoga is another activity that requires minimal equipment, but will help to keep your body in good condition. A quick sequence, like the Sun Salutation, once a day can make all the difference, especially if you’re doing lots of walking and want to prevent aches and pains.
Eat like a local
Many of the destinations we like to travel to, such as the Mediterranean, have really healthy diets, so it’s worth embracing the local culture and joining in. If you’ve gone all-inclusive this can prove harder, so visiting local restaurants will mean you can have lots of fresh, local and healthy ingredients in your meals.
Plan your meals
One of the easiest ways to end up eating unhealthily is by being caught somewhere that has limited food options. Plan when and where you’re going to eat in advance to avoid succumbing to a calorie-loaded snack you wouldn’t have chosen among other options.
If the options look scarce, then you can always pack a picnic. Local markets are convenient places to pick up everything you need before heading out for the day. Even if you don’t take a full picnic, a few healthy snacks can tide you over until you find somewhere suitable for a full meal.
Be sensible with your alcohol intake
It’s tempting to drink far too much while on holiday, but being sensible will make you feel much better in the long-run. Pace yourself and make sure that you do some of your drinking with meals so you’re able to be active the next day.
