Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
We may all have different ideas on what makes a memorable and enjoyable holiday. They are such precious times because we look forward to them for so long and we put in a considerable amount of time and effort into planning for them. A recent chat among like-minded ladies revealed the fact that, because we invest so much time into keeping fit in-between holidays, we now feel we want to stay as active as possible even on holiday. This is such good news.
Wherever your holiday destination may be, it would be good to know in advance if there are some good walking routes in the area. On a recent cruise it was great to find that the top deck had a good-length walking platform and I committed myself to a 30-minute steady walk every day just before getting ready for the evening. That suited me perfectly and although there were excellent gym facilities on board, I prefer to leave that out whilst on holiday. Finding what suits us is very important as then we are more likely to stick to it.
One of my daughters (in her mid-forties) goes away with the intention of doing absolutely nothing but relaxing on her well-earned holidays, setting aside her usual gruelling (my word – not hers!) fitness regime. Her sister is the complete opposite, as she sets out to create a number of exercise challenges for the duration of the holiday, worried that the excessive eating and drinking will ruin her body forever!
I think I take a more balanced approach as I believe in ‘moderation in all things’. There will inevitably be extra consumption of food and drink, which I thoroughly enjoy, so I try to be as active as I can each day in the hopes of offsetting it to some degree. The intention is to then sort it out when I get home. Look out next week for the 'Holiday Binge Corrector' Programme!
How to be Active on Holiday
Walking
Nothing beats a regular daily walk, which we hope is now one of your good exercise habits. The beauty of keeping it up on holiday is that you are somewhere different with hopefully some beautiful scenery around you to enjoy. First thing in the morning or early in the evening is best if you are somewhere hot and it can be even more motivating if you can persuade your fellow holidaymakers to join you.
A 30-minute walk at a steady pace will burn 5 calories per minute – but if you add more 'oomph' to your walk, you can expect to significantly up the calorie spend of course. Also walking on sand or wading through shallow water increases the calorie expenditure by a significant 20% - it’s always good to know these things!
Swimming
Quite often swimming is not something on your activity list whilst at home but having the facility of a lovely pool in a holiday setting is a different thing altogether. A daily swim will be great for maintaining your fitness. Even messing around in the pool with young children is hard physical work! You should also find that the larger hotels offer Aqua Aerobics so as soon as you hear the music start, get jumping in that pool!
Cycling
I noticed on our recent break in Devon that there were opportunities for cycling around in that beautiful countryside. There were also some Electric Bikes which were absolutely necessary for getting up some of the steep hills! Great fun!
Holiday Exercise Snacking
If you are taking regular walks but there is no facility to do any strength training then doing 'exercise snacking' is a great way to keep up some effective strength work. My 'go-to' is always press-ups on a work surface, or dressing table perhaps, and some 'Sit to Stands' from a sturdy chair. One of my regular class members committed to doing the 'Hundred' from Pilates every day to keep her core strong. She even sent me a picture to prove it!
DIY Toning Band Workout
The easiest item to help you stay in shape on holiday is to take your Toning Band with you in your suitcase. It takes so little room yet provides you with your very own portable gym. Hopefully you can remember some of the exercises we suggest on the website and you can practise them in your room or on the beach!
Choose an 'Activity' Holiday
There is so much choice from lots of different holiday companies who are now offering activity holidays. Some are just one activity such as walking, but many offer a great mix of activities so you may get the chance to try one you have not done before. If you are a singleton, they are so good as you will meet like-minded people and stay fit and healthy at the same time. What could be better?
My social group of close friends went on a cycling holiday to France 12 years ago which was expertly organised. All our worldly goods were in just 2 panniers hooked on the back of the bike, so packing for a whole week was a bit of a challenge and we travelled from one bed and breakfast to the next each day. We are just about to re-ignite the trip as we all loved it so much and plan to go again next year. I am totally impressed that the 8 of us are still fit and able enough to do it all these years later as most of us are in our seventies having had several joint replacements!
So, on a final note, take care if, like me, you are in the older age group. If I sit around too much, on holiday or not, my joints seriously stiffen up, my back begins to ache and the body generally starts to complain, so make it a rule to move regularly despite being on holiday (just like we expect you to do at home). Do what you like to do... but make it as physical as you can!
