Holiday season is almost upon us, and for some lucky people it’s already happening!
This week I was fortunate enough to get away for 5 Days with my little family to beautiful Byron Bay!
Was just perfect, any longer and I start getting a bit fidgety as I have a need to stay busy, hence why I wrote this on my flight home hehe 😂
It’s one of those questions that pops up all the time for us here at TFS.
“What training should I do?”
“How can I maintain my weight and not blow out while away?”
“How can I relax and enjoy myself while staying on track with my goals?”
They’re all legitimate questions, and something I want to discuss further but with the foundational understanding that it’s all about a healthy balance.
What I mean by that is; you should be able to relax a little, enjoy some foods you wouldn’t always have, maybe a few cheeky cocktails by the pool without being concerned, but at the same time understanding that exercise and good nutrition is a habit, a lifestyle and not something that should be pushed completely to the side whilst you’re on a 2 or 3 week holiday. Sure it's a holiday away from your usual day to day life, but not heath..
So here’s my best 9 strategies to ‘keeping it real’ whilst on holiday.
1) Get up early - 🌖 Whether it’s beating the sunrise for an early morning walk along the beach or joining in on something you wouldn’t normally do like a yoga session, it’s a great way to peacefully explore your destination. I’ve had some of my best moments enjoying that peaceful serenity before most people wake. Plus, because you’re up earlier it gives you much more time to do other activities during the day. But I’m sure we can all agree a couple of nice sleep ins or an arvo nap is always great 😴
2) Keep your workouts short and sweet - ⏳⌚️ Whilst I’m away I’ll tend to keep my workouts to 30-45min and opt for a full body strength workout or short interval session - this way I know I’m burning plenty of calories without cutting into my holiday time.
3) Mix it up each day - Do a strength based 🏋🏻session one day then an interval based 🏃🏼♀️session the next. Most hotels and resorts have some basic gym equipment or a treadmill at very least. You can mix up your interval sessions from treadmill, to running outside to a pool session.
4) Choose your ‘relax’ meal for the day - 🥞 Going for entré, main, dessert and all the extras at every meal time will almost guarantee to add a few extra kilos to your carry on for the trip home,(unless you're some kind of genetic freak) however if you are a little more conscious at 2/3 meals each day you should be able to relax and not be worried about stacking on extra holiday kilos.
5) Always choose a side of greens - 🥗 Opting for a side of greens with your meals will ensure you maintain a good intake of vitamins and minerals but the added fibre will also help you fill up without adding too many extra calories to your meals, and not to mention how delicious seasonal greens are, especially if you’re somewhere completely new.
6) Aim to move each day - On top of your more strenuous workouts while away, it’s a great idea to get our for a walking or riding tour, not only is it an awesome way to explore, it’ll increase the amount of calories you’re burning.
7) Choose a lower calorie beverage - 🥂 It’s no secret that many alcoholic drinks are packed with sugars and hidden calories, but who doesn’t like a few pina coladas while on holiday!? (Ok maybe that’s just me 🍹🙋🏼♂️) but if you’re wanting to be a little more conscious maybe opt for a lower cal drink such as Gin and diet tonic, or vodka and soda. Although alcohol still contains plenty of calories, opting for a low cal mixer will help keep the extra calories to a minimum.
8) Relax! - 💆🏼 Get a massage, do some meditation, or just chill out by the pool as much as you can, it’s a fact that being highly stressed effects your ability to burn fat due to the higher levels of cortisol in your system blocking the mobilisation of fat cells, and for many people their day to day life creates plenty of this 😨! so be sure to do what you are on holiday for, and that’s to relax! So Switch it off📲 , kick back 😌 and chill out🤙🏼! And give your system the rest it needs. ☝🏼
9) Try to remove artificial light stimulation at night -💡💻😳 Something we should all be taking on board every day, however it’s probably easier to get into this habit whilst on holiday as you’re away from the normal distractions (work, email, phone etc) so try to get into a good habit of not being glued to the TV, phone, laptop 30-60min prior to bedtime. The artificial blue light that emits from these devices confuses our brains in thinking we’re meant to still be awake and messes with the secretion of melatonin (sleep hormone) thus (over time) effecting our theta waves in our brain, cortisol and overall energy regulation), so why not try winding down by a warm light, candle light or just some good conversation with your holiday companions. 👌
Warning*⚠️ expect to have much better energy and sleep cycles 😉 Get our Free Holiday Workout guide here: www.thefitshop.com.pages.ontraport.net/merryfitmas Enjoy - Coach Brad
