For most of us, the summer holidays normally mean time off work, spending extra time with family, and being out and about more. It is very easy to become distracted from our health and fitness over this time. While we encourage people to enjoy the time they have off, we also want to make sure that they stay on track as much as possible while on holidays, so they don't move into the new year feeling like they are back at square one.
By doing a few simple things on a daily and weekly basis, we can allow ourselves to maintain a high level of fitness, and begin the new year feeling strong:
Getting up and going for a walk with the family: This is a great way to cross the cardio off for the day, and taking the family along too, makes it a lot more enjoyable. Going to places you normally wouldn't get to during the year allows you to tick some of those bucket list areas that you've been wanting to do for a while.
If you are not going away for a holiday, get your PT sessions done as normal. This will keep your muscle mass up, ensuring your metabolism stays high around the clock. It will also let you check in with your Personal Trainer on a regular basis to help you set some strong goals during this time.
If you are going away, keep in touch with your Personal Trainer, as we can give you plenty of ideas to keep you busy, and even suggest healthier variants for meals, whether it be foods or drinks.
Drinking plenty of water: It is very easy to become dehydrated over the summer months, especially with outdoor activities, and severe dehydration can lead towards health issues. As a rule, we should be drinking a minimum of 2L of water per day, and adding 1L per hour of exercise. If you are spending the day in the sun, make sure you have plenty of water with you.
Eating plenty of greens: Filling our bodies with vitamins and minerals will help our bodies stay fit and healthy. Keeping our immune systems strong is important over this period as we generally consume more alcoholic drinks and eat higher carb and high fat foods, while exercising less than normal.
Minimizing alcoholic drinks: Restricting alcoholic drinks to special occasions or family events only, will let us enjoy those drinks more, while keeping them to a minimum. Of course, Christmas day is an exception to this rule.
Planning events to keep busy and out of the house: Planning outdoor activities is a great way to spend some time with friends and/or family. Prepare your lunch and take it with you, this will save you money and time trying to find somewhere to eat, and you know exactly what you'll be having.
Using your food diary as much as possible while on holiday will give your Personal Trainer a clear view of what you're consuming on a daily basis. This will benefit both parties as we will be able to give you feedback and where you can improve.
As mentioned before, we want everyone to enjoy the time they have off, these are just some simple things to keep ourselves accountable to our health goals.
If you are unsure of what you can do over the summer holidays to keep yourself on track, have a chat with your Personal Trainer and we guarantee we can give you some great ideas.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
