Fitness On Holiday?!
Have you got a holiday booked?
We all love a good holiday.
But they can have a big impact on our health, fitness and results.
Today I’m going to share some top tips and best practices on how to navigate your health and fitness around your holidays!
But first…
We need to frame the following conversation the right way.
What makes for a successful holiday?
How we view / think about a holiday is going to determine whether or not the following advice is useful to you or not.
To me…
A holiday is a break from everyday life.
A chance to, relax, perhaps experience different cultures, foods, sights and make memories
It might be a DREAM holiday abroad… Or a long weekend at the seaside.
Overall… I believe a holiday should function to benefit our mental and physical health.
A holiday, for me, is NOT a break from caring about my Health & Fitness.
Of course… there is a balance to be struck here.
A holiday doesn’t have to be a Fitness retreat… But it’s also not an opportunity to neglect our Health & Fitness completely.
With that said…
My Wife and I recently went on holiday and I was able to reflect on this topic in detail…
I often refrain from using myself as an example as I’d rather share client experiences, but there were a few things I wanted to share from our recent holiday experience that may resonate with you for a future holiday of your own.
NUTRITION BEST PRACTICES
1. Making the better choice.
I always enjoy relaxing with a few drinks on holiday.
But I am also aware that the calories can really start to add up, especially in beers.
Although I really enjoy a beer… I also enjoy a gin, which contains fewer calories.
So I chose gin as my main alcoholic drink for this particular break and instead, enjoyed the occasional beer when out for dinner (which made the beer that much more special)
In a very similar way to choosing a low calorie alcoholic drink, this principle can be applied to food too.
The first night, we went out for dinner.
I was torn between the chicken pie, or the burger.
I knew I’d enjoy both!
But the Chicken Pie was considerably less calories than the burger, so that’s what I had.
This isn’t about always choosing the lowest calorie option and depriving yourself of enjoyment…
It’s about making the better choices.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, it was delicious and I didn’t regret my choice.
Had I really fancied the burger… I’d have also enjoyed that with no regrets.
My advice is to make the best choice, but don’t compromise your enjoyment.
There is a balance.
2. Keeping Protein High
I’ve discussed the benefits of protein many times on the podcast, particularly episode 32.
One main benefit is that high-protein foods make you feel more full, which helps to stop over-consumption and therefore tends to help keep your overall calorie intake lower.
Also, high protein foods are delicious! So this is a win, win.
For this trip we made a conscious effort to bring some high protein foods with us.
- Protein powder to make shakes.
- Packs of ham and topside beef to snack on.
- Protein yogurts for a sweet treat.
This broke up the desire to reach for biscuits, chocolates and crisps all the time.
Although I did eat a considerable amount of BBQ pringles!
3. Sharing
Another simple strategy I often use is ‘sharing’ food.
If Cody and I are at a restaurant, we’ll share the desert.
For most people this is going to half the calorie content.
… For me… it more than halves it!!
WARNING: Depending on the relationship dynamics between the people you are on holiday with, this can spark arguments.
Training!
I have a pretty clear opinion on this..
I encourage everyone to train, exercise and / or move on holiday!
2 polarising client experiences I often think of in regards to ‘holiday training’ are of:
A client who did train on holiday
And a client who didn’t.
The client who didn’t train, still thoroughly enjoyed their holiday, but by the time they got home they had really fallen out of their training routine.
Their motivation was low and this caused their progress to stall for quite some time until they finally managed to get their mojo back.
On the other hand…
I asked the other client who was going on holiday if they were going to take their training clothes… and they said they “weren’t sure whether to train or not”.
In the end they did train, every single morning.
That person not only came back even MORE motivated to train than before they left.
They said that they felt great every morning and that it let them feel that they could relax and enjoy the rest of the day.
Never once has a client told me that they regretted a workout on holiday… But the opposite is often true.
Best Practices
I trained every day I was away too.
I often recommend training in the morning… this tends to leave you feeling good all day.
We didn’t have a gym available… so I took a resistance band and 2 dumbbells. But even just bodyweight exercises can do the trick. (If you’re not sure what to do, YouTube is full of home workouts.)
Keep the workouts short. Only 15 - 20 minutes long.
On top of resistance training…
Stretching and taking opportunities to walk, move and be active make for a better holiday!
Training isn’t just good for our bodies… it’s great for our mental health too.
When we train we release endorphins that make us feel good, lift our mood and make us more enjoyable company for those who are with us!
It doesn’t have to be much… But for all of those reasons… I absolutely encourage everyone to do something!
Lifestyle Factors
The term ‘lifestyle factors’ encapsulates a lot of things.
I often use it to refer to EVERYTHING else that is going to have an impact on our health, fitness and wellness.
A list of things you could consider prioritising for your next holiday is:
Staying hydrated (especially in hotter countries)
Getting in the sun for a vitamin D top up
Focusing on getting restful sleep and plenty of it
Journaling and taking some time for reflection
Spending quality time with loved ones
And reducing stress as much as possible by:
unplugging and reducing screen time
Being in nature
Laughing with friends and family
Exercising
Booking a massage
… Anything that is going to contribute to you FEELING better!
In Summary
A well executed holiday can be POSITIVE for your overall health and fitness.
It’s not about having an extreme approach, whether that’s obsessing over your health and fitness results to the point you feel guilty and overly-restricted… or abandoning all care and eating everything in sight whilst lying down for 10 hours a day.
By following some of the best practices I shared on
Nutrition
Training
Lifestyle
A holiday can be both more enjoyable and a catalyst for even better results in the future!
Yours in coaching,
Harry