Many people worry about undoing all of their hard work and gaining weight whilst they are on holiday, but fear not because holiday time is actually the perfect time to get active, try fun new things and stay healthy!
City Break
If you are taking a city break this year, then pack your walking shoes! Wandering around and exploring the streets will clock up a huge amount of steps (pack your pedometer for an accurate number) and burn off lots of calories. Look for any hills around and hike to the top for a fab bottom workout, and great panoramic photos at the top!
Try out the wide variety of training shoes such as MBT’s Chung Shi’s and Fit Flops – which claim to lift your bum and reduce cellulite while you walk.
Many large hotels will have a swimming pool and even if your does not, you can often pay a small fee to use another’s facilities. Swimming is a great all over body workout – improving you heart health as well as toning your upper and lower body. Try alternating arms only and then legs only to increase the challenge.
Night time is no excuse to stop! Get your dancing shoes on and bop away all night to burn calories and work your legs while you have fun (just watch out for those hidden alcohol calories!)
Beach Holidays –
If you are lucky enough to have a beach holiday coming up, then there are many fun ways to stay healthy:
Walking on the sand gives your legs a great workout and the sand will exfoliate your feet at the same time!
Pop on a sun hat and factor 30 and then wade into the water at waist height – striding back and forth in the sea is a wonderful lower body toner and is great for your cardiovascular system too ( your heart, lungs and circulation).
The beach is the perfect place to try group activites such as frisbe, rounders or catch in the surf. You will be having fun and won’t even notice that you are exercising.
Hire a bicycle with your partner of friends and check out the scenery – you might find an even better beach a couple of miles down the road, and you can burn off lots of calories while you explore! Or if you are on the beach why not hire a pedallo and give your legs a work out while you catch some rays!
Camping holidays –
If you are camping, then the odds are that you love nature, so take a back pack and head off on some country hikes. If the weather is hot, head off before breakfast and then you can relax all day knowing that you have already achieved your healthy exercise for the day.
Check out the local area for other fun activities such as horse riding – an hour or two on a horse will soon remind you which muscles are working! Or perhaps you are near a river or lake – many holiday sites will be able to point you to water activities such as canoeing or rowing – both great fun ways to stay cool and get a great upper body workout!
And if all else fails, a quick jog first thing in the morning before everybody else rises will keep your day free for chilling out without any guilt!
Enjoy your hols!