Staying healthy on holiday
What is the first thing you think of when someone mentions the word holiday? Is it travelling overseas? Having fun? Time with family? Relaxation (maybe not so much if spending time with family..)? or Yummy food and drinks? I am sure one or more of these points would be at the forefront of your mind when thinking about having some time off. On the other hand, sticking with a structured meal plan and looking for ways to keep active and workout probably don’t rate too highly, which to be honest is completely normal.
Most people see holidays as a time to break away from their usual day to day routines and step away from the rat race for a bit. It can be a great time to recharge the batteries and try something different for a little while. It also tends to be a time when we forego our usual eating and physical activity habits, in favour of more relaxing and pleasurable activities. While there is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying some downtime, there are some things we can do to look after our health while we relax.
Practice mindful eating and drinking
Holidays can be a wonderful time to enjoy food and drink that we wouldn’t typically have day to day. This is doubly so when travelling interstate or overseas to places we have never been and experiencing cuisines that are different to what we normally eat. It can be very easy to overeat, or to eat at different times to what our body is used to. On occasion, there is nothing wrong with this, but doing it consistently can throw our body out of whack, lead to unwanted weight gain and make us feel tired and possibly a bit sick.
Practicing some mindful eating and drinking techniques can help to counteract this. One simple tactic to employ can be slowing down when you eat and paying attention to when you feel full. This also allows you to savour and enjoy what you are eating even more and helps to prevent overeating – reducing the uncomfortable feeling of being too full and bloated. Other tactic to employ is trying to eat at roughly the same times of day you normally would when not on holiday. This can help to keep your energy levels consistent and prevent you from getting ravenously hungry. Admittedly, this can get tricky to manage when travelling across different time zones, so don’t stress too much if you don’t get this down exactly. Instead, listen to your hunger cues and keep the same amount of time between meals as if you were eating normally.
The final mindful tactic is to make a point of drinking water. People often forgo water in favour of alcohol or soft drinks when on holiday, which can lead to dehydration and unwanted weight gain. Drinking a glass of water whenever you eat and/or drink can help prevent these unwanted effects and help you to stay in good health for your time away.
Find ways to move and exercise when you can
I am all in favour of laying down by a pool and doing nothing when on holiday, but it is still important for our health to try and do some physical activity when we can. If you don’t really want to work up a sweat, maybe try doing some yoga or a nature walk to help ground you or go for a leisurely swim in the ocean or in a pool, or even go for a walking tour around the city/town you are staying in and see the sights. If you do want to work out, go for it. Try out some different gyms or do some bodyweight workouts, or depending on when you are, you can even go for a run or a bike ride. It all counts towards maintaining and improving your physical health, plus the feel-good hormones that are released when exercising will add to the enjoyment of your holiday.
Have some perspective
A one or two day holiday where you splurge on food and drink and enjoy time with loved ones won’t do much (if anything) to your health and wellbeing. However, overeating and not moving enough for several weeks at a time can impact the healthy habits you have worked hard to put in place throughout the year (it can also leave a sizeable hole in your wallet).
Try to keep everything in perspective, don’t beat yourself up for having a much-needed break, but do make sure you take steps to look after your health and wellbeing, particularly on an extended holiday. It will make it much easier to come back into your normal routine and your body will thank you for it.
