By PPT Level 3 Trainer, Sean O’Shea
For many active and health conscious individuals, travelling while staying on track to your health and fitness goals can be difficult…….. But definitely not impossible.
While holidays, special occasions and travel can seem a daunting hurdle to overcome, through careful planning and consistency, ANYONE can head away without completely de-railing their health and fitness goals.
If you’re anything like us, training isn’t all about pain and sweat. It’s actually something we enjoy and even therapeutic at times. Not to mention the COUNTLESS positive effects it has on our health (both physical and mental). For this reason, we’ve come up with 5 important points to remember next time you take a holiday. Enjoy!
- Calories Matter
The research is VERY clear in this area. If you’re eating more calories than you’re expending, you’re going to gain weight. Now bringing back a little ‘holiday baggage’ isn’t the end of the world (it’s a sign that you’ve had a good holiday), but adding multiple kilograms of unwanted fat while away will only cause you pain and disappointment when you have to come back and work it off. Make sure you remain mindful of your energy intake, and stay active to off-set some of the holiday fat gain. Which brings me to my next point…
- Exercise Daily
Remember, exercise isn’t just running on the treadmill, and slogging it out in the squat rack!
Exercise can include things like playing a game of soccer, jogging along a foreign beach, skiing, or walking rather than taking a car when you can. As a rule of thumb, it’s nice to be able to throw in some structured resistance training every 3-4 days to reduce the possibility of muscle loss. Other than this get outside, get active and enjoy other forms of ‘exercise’ that you might not usually get the chance to do. You’ll feel great for it!
- Travel with Like-minded others
Let’s face it, some people are just ASSHOLES! We all have that family member or friend that says
“Come on, just take a day off!” OR
“Why are you training anyway, you know you’re on holidays right?”
That’s when you politely say ‘Shut your face! I enjoy exercise, and I’ll do what I want’ (or something along those lines……). Side note, check out our previous blog ‘Beware the Saboteur’ covering how to deal with this
By travelling with likeminded others, you’ll get to train without getting hassled, get active with friends, and you might even score some training partners.
- Sleep Yourself Leaner
Another one backed by solid research is the link between fat gain, with stress and sleep. Those who stress a ton and sleep poorly are:
- More likely to eat additional calories
- Going to crave higher calorie ‘junk’ foods
- Binge eat
- Are less efficient at using carbs for fuel when exercising
When you’re on a holiday, you’ll get to enjoy a few sleep-ins while relaxing in a reduced stress environment! So kick your feet up, get plenty of sleep and chill out with friends and family!
- Wholeheartedly Enjoy Yourself When It Counts!
This is the big one! Eating, celebrating and spending this time with family and friends goes above and beyond the caloric value of the meal.
Deep down, we’re very communal animals! When it comes time to be a part of your community like your friends and family, enjoy yourself! Life is way too short to be the dork pulling out your Tupperware container at Christmas dinner, or neurotically entering your macros into MyFitnessPal at a wedding.
Do what you can to stay on track and health the majority of the time, then when those special times come along wholeheartedly enjoy them. Guilt-free, you have our permission! You’ll thank yourself for it later.
By taking part in ANY of the tips and ideas above, you’ll be more likely to enjoy your holiday, but do so in a way that won’t leave you disappointed when you return. Give it a go but only take on what you feel you can handle. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
If you’d like to know more about how we can help you work through your holidays, or simply achieve your fat loss goals CONTACT US HERE for more info!