How I stay fit and healthy on holidays

Travelling is one of the greatest things a person can do, but what if you’re a gym bunny or you love meal prep? When I travel, I don’t want to have to sacrifice my training routine, day to day healthy diet and importantly my waistline! Yet, I don’t want to miss out on trying traditional foods when abroad, immersing in the culture and wasting time in a hotel gym when I could be wandering around a brand-new city with so many new things to do and see….so how do I balance it all?

 

Well, it’s taken me quiet some years to try master not coming home from a holiday with a few extra pounds and I don’t mean in my suitcase! We all tend to develop this holiday mode attitude once we step foot in the airport “sure I’m on my holidays” especially towards the last few days of the trip when you realise the grey reality is near and you normally don’t eat this much bread or have dessert everyday – so you must fit as much in as possible before you leave (I used to always do this!). But then I would return home feeling like I need another holiday just to detox and train, feeling like I need to take on some miracle fasting period or only drink juices to even things out.

 

So, how about we just find that nice little line between enjoying your holiday and not feeling like crap on return? Having some limits in place really helps me when away.

 

When it comes to dinner, I usually always go for the early bird option, so I’ve finished my meal around 7:30pm to avoid late night snacking and going to bed with a full tummy and not sleeping! This makes sure I plan to go for dinner at 6pm (it means I always get walk-in availability too if I haven’t booked). This is a lot easier if you’re travelling with 1 or 2 people (bigger groups can be a little harder to coordinate earlier times) but when you can it makes a huge difference. I know when I’m on holidays I tend to buy lots of snacks (you know just in case I get stranded and hangryJ) whether it’s artisan chocolates I’ve picked up in some local store or the bag of nuts I’ve brought for the plane, I try stop snacking after dinner and know when I’m full.

 

I like to always prioritise my workouts to the morning when travelling to make sure I get it done and it’s way easier to fit into the day. When I leave it to later in the day after walking around all day I’m way less likely to do it. I know it’s tough for some people who find early training sessions hard but it’s only a short time and you can really get an amazing workout in in such a short time. I find it’s crucial when I’m travelling that I have my workouts planned (I’ve included some of the recent workouts I did when travelling). I always use a timer when training on holidays to ensure I’m doing time efficient workouts and not stalling or checking my phone, so I can leg it to breakfast and go off exploring without wasting a second!

 

I’ve also included some “in room” workouts I learned from my recent PT course, I do in case the hotel doesn’t have a gym! Going for a run in a city is the perfect way to explore and get your bearings – I did it one morning in Paris and Vienna when the streets were all to myself and it was magical – I don’t even really like running that much and they we’re probably two of my favourite runs. Just be sure to have a running partner or wait till it’s bright to keep safe and have a route planned! I do take much needed rest days when I’m travelling on days when I’m flying or have a long day exploring planned.

 

When I’m in a new place I walk everywhere. I know you might only be in a city for a short period of time and for longer treks you may need to opt for public transport or a taxi to get in all the sites you can but for all the trips to shops, dinner or close tourists spots I walk! We walked on avg. 10km a day when I was away recently which felt like nothing, in a new city or destination you’re so distracted by everything around you that I guarantee you’ll be surprised with how many KM you clock up! I use my iPhone to track my walking on holidays and it pushed me to walk most places to get the numbers up!

 

One thing I always do on trips away is drink lots of water – typically on holidays we drink much less than we do at home (unless you’re on a very hot beach!). When constantly walking around and carrying a bottle of water isn’t ideal I try to make sure in the morning I drink at least 1 litre from when I wake up, train and have breakfast. Throughout the day when I stop for breaks I always drink lots of water and track my intake to make sure I was getting at least 2/3 litres in. Water helps to energize muscles with all that walking around, keeps those bowels regular (particularly if you’re eating heavier or starchy foods then usual), also sometimes when you think your hungry your body is craving hydration- so have that water ready! It’s also vital when travelling to drink up to keep your skin hydrated from all that AC!

 

Treats? Well every country has their traditional delicacy and its part of the travelling experience to try them all! Of course, you want to try out the local desserts and ice cream. I would find it so hard if I couldn’t sample the good stuff and completely silly to say I wasn’t going to have any desserts or treats at all. I decided I would have them during the day rather than after dinner or late at night. If I wanted to pick up baklava or have some traditional Austrian strudel I would have it as a pit stop during my site seeing and in between all my walking around. Having something sweet a bit earlier in the day at noon or lunch meant I didn’t feel sluggish right before bed it also meant I had lots of water between my treat and bed time.

 

P.S. Have extra of what you like on the last day! Balance is so important.

 

DISCLAIMER: I’m in no way saying you shouldn’t enjoy your holiday, eat what you want and take a break from training. This post is about my way of finding a balance on holidays. I love eating out when away and trying new foods especially desserts but I also like having a balance and keeping up with my training so hopefully this post will be useful to those of you who like that too!

 

My Workouts 

 

Leg Day Workout

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 of each set

 

Set 1

• Goblet squat (I used a 16kg kettlebell)
• Leg curl (I used the rower but a swiss ball works here too)

 

 

Set 2

• Over head walking lunges (I used 10-15kg plate with straight arms)
• Stiff leg dead lifts/ good mornings using a barbell

 

Step 3

• Weighted step ups (8-10kg dumbbells)
• Curtsy lunge (8-12kg kettlebell)

 

Core Finisher

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 3

• Pike using rower or exercise ball
• Russian twist with 6-8kg weight
• Crunches

 

 

Upper Body Workout

 

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 of each set

 

Set 1

• Push ups
• Lat Pull down

 

Set 2

• Chest/bench press
• Plank shoulder touches (keep that bum steady)

 

Set 3

• Dips using a bench
• Straight arm plank with ankle taps

 

Meta Finisher

• Burpees
• Push treadmill (switch treadmill off and run holding onto front panel)

 

Core finisher

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 3

 

• 1 min strict plank
• Bicycle twist (20 each side)
• Toe taps (20 each side)

 

Upper Body

 

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 of each set

 

Set 1 

• Negative push ups
• Chest press (get heavier each round)

 

Set 2

• GHR with kettle bell row
• Clean and press using a barbell

 

Set 3

• Push ups
• Close grip lay pull down (heavier each round) `

 

Finisher

• Row for 200 Metres x4 times with 30 seconds’ rest in-between each round

 

 

Full body Workout

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 of each set

 

Set 1 

• Overhead walking lunges (10-15kg plate)
• Side step ups with weight (10kg dumbbells)

 

Set 2 

• Renegade row (8kg dumbbells)
• Squat press (8 KG dumbbells)

 

Set 3

• Bear crawl
• Shoulder press on knees (7-8 kg dumbbells)

 

Set 4 

• Band walks
• Glute bridge off bench with band, make sure to push out your knees at the top to work the band

 

Full Body Workout

 

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 of each set

 

Set 1 

• Bike (hard resistance)
• Push ups (on or off knees or bench)

 

Set 2

• Squat jumps (hit bum off treadmill every time (or just something low like a step)
• Dips off bench or step

 

Set 3

• Reverse crawl
• Hammer curls using Swiss ball

 

Set 4 

• Weighted Russian twists
• Knee tucks using swiss ball

 

 

My Leg Band Workout

 

Time: 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 4 rounds each set

 

Set 1

• Seated to squat jumps (put bench low on one side for depth) also using a band try push your knees out on the pump up!
• Side Band walks
• Push ups on floor or off bench

 

Set 2

• Swiss ball leg curl with band push out knees
• Swiss ball plank on elbows out and in
• Squat low pushing knee out and drive up (16KG- KB)

 

In the room Workout

Time: 45 on and 15 seconds off (1-minute break in between rounds)

Rounds: 5 (you can alter this depending on your fitness level)

 

Option 1

• Push ups (on /off knees)
• Split squat with jump (use a stable chair or edge of bed)
• Mountain climbers
• Bear crawls of the length of the room (may need to do 3-4 lengths depending on size of room)
• Broad jump with shuffle back

 

Option 2

• Dips (using a stable chair)
• Burpees
• Reverse bear crawl
• Squat kicks (alternating legs)
• Plank jacks

 

Option 3

• Squat jumps (get low- maybe use a target like a low seat or suitcase to touch your bum off every time)
• Plank walk outs
• Reverse burpee with jump
• Toe taps (maybe off a step in the room or suitcase)
• Bicycle crunches (bent or straight leg)