Yahoo Lifestyle How To Stay Fit While You're On Holidays
If you’re... relaxing on the beach
We get it: you’re busy with that trashy novel and tropical cocktail; the thought of exercising is ruining the whole vibe. Thing is, the beach holiday is practically made for sneaky ways to keep your fitness levels up without even stepping foot into a hotel gym—or putting on shoes. To start with, walking or running on soft sand burns up to 30 per cent more kilojoules than when you’re pounding the pavement, so make a sunset stroll part of your daily routine (or lack thereof). Stepping away from the sun lounger might also mean you pack in more fun times.
“Try taking a watersports lesson for a laugh, like surfing or windsurfing,” suggests fitness expert Ellen Barrett (ellenbarrett.com). “Or just head to a watersports park — even without kids you’ll get a great workout!” Overdone it at the breakfast buffet? Personal trainer Blake Worrall-Thompson recommends a beach-based workout: “Start at the base of the water and swim 50 strokes out, 50 strokes back. Run to the top of the beach, turn around and head back to the water for 40 strokes out and 40 strokes back. Gradually work your way down to 10 strokes out, 10 strokes back with a run up the beach in between.” Now you’ve really earned that extra cocktail (or three).
If you’re… seeing the city sights
“Walk everywhere,” personal trainer Lucy Birss tells clients going on an urban escape. “It's easy, costs nothing, allows you to see the place that you're on vacation in a completely different light, and you can wear any shoes to do it.” And it makes stopping at that little boulangerie you find completely guilt-free. If you’re a runner, log onto globalrunningtours.com to find a tour guide (and workout buddy) who will literally run you through the sights, history and unofficial landmarks of the city you’re visiting. Or try tracking down the local gym, suggests Worrall-Thompson, for the kind of group fitness class that you’ll never find back home. Just consider it part of your cultural duty.
If you’re… headed to the country
It’s all about the climb: take advantage of rough landscapes and rolling hills by conquering them. Find a mountain to climb, a bush trail to hike or a lookout point to walk to. “There’s nothing better for the body than challenging it with new exercises,” Worrall-Thompson points out. “Despite the fact that 'hiking' sounds relatively easy, it'll be challenging on the body because it isn’t used to it.” If you’re staying in a small town, take advantage of the quiet roads. “Rent a bike and vow to leave the car in the driveway as much as possible,” Barrett encourages. And don’t miss out on the fresh produce that’s readily available. “Try to eat at restaurants that emphasise a farm-to-table approach. Eating in-season, fresh ingredients is all part of staying fit and healthy,” she adds.
Packable Fitness
Staying fit doesn’t mean you have to save loads of room in your suitcase for equipment.
Pocket Yoga: All you need is your phone and enough room for a downward dog: This app will give you visual and voice cues through a complete yoga practice. Just choose what type of class you’d like, plus the difficulty level and duration, then get your om on. Free, for iPhone and Android.
Stream A Workout: Forget packing your fitness DVD—the best way to catch a class for those more motivated in a group environment is with live streaming TV. All you need is a tablet or laptop, a wi-fi connection and some space to grapevine. Choose a class like you’d choose a channel and you can get sweaty with top trainers from around the world in everything from Crossfit to Zumba. We love www.fitnessondemand247.com, Gaiamtv.com and Dailyburn.com.
Nike Training Club: The trainers who designed the Nike Training Club aren’t kidding around—this app is loaded with workouts that will get you to your goal, fast. With workouts tailored to whatever you want to achieve, you’re shown how to do each exercise with photos, videos and a voiceover. It’s almost as good as a personal trainer, but without the price tag. Free, for iPhone and Android.
Resistance isn’t Futile: Leave the dumbbells at home: it’s all about the resistance band. Under $20 and more compact than your cossie, it’s the best thing for a head-to-toe sculpting session—the Nike Training Club app has a few workouts that will guide you through.
Map My Run: In Florence and want to get your 5km in? Use this ingenious GPS-based app to work out how to navigate unfamiliar streets and keep track of how you’re doing. From pace to distance and time, you can also create long-term graphs of your workouts. Free, for Android and iPhone.
Burn on the Go: Whether you’re shimmying up a storm in a salsa club, pounding the city pavements or feeling your thighs on the hiking trail, there’s one seriously motivating tool that will track just how hard you’re working: a heart rate monitor. Score one for under $100 and wear it (a strap around your chest “speaks” to a watch on your wrist) to see how many kilojoules you burn beating your boyfriend at tennis. Aim for 1675-2000 kilojoules a day for a solid effort.
Find Your Ultimate Fitcation
If fitness—and fun—are your holiday goals, try these unique trips around the world.
Escape Haven
Billed as an all-women luxury surf retreat, Escape Haven Byron Bay offers week-long wellbeing programs that include organic gourmet meals, yoga, meditation, stand-up paddle boarding and surfing. With sumptuous accommodation between the beach and the rainforest, it’s the perfect place to go if you want to swap your harried commuter look for a hot hippy chick vibe. www.escapehaven.com.
The Ranch at Malibu
A celebrity favourite, this award-winning retreat doesn’t mess around when it comes to reaching serious health and fitness goals. The immersive luxury bootcamp will see you spending four to five hours hiking every day, plus ab and core work, weights, daily group yoga sessions and, yes, private afternoon massages. The food is all organic and vegetarian, and the location, nestled in the Malibu mountains, is spectacular. The best part? A daily nap is mandatory. www.theranchmalibu.com.
Chicabrava
Practice your Spanish and your surfing skills at this female-only surf camp in the gorgeous village of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua. Stay in the serene, open-air retreat with stunning views of the coastline, have massages or just chill by the pool. www.chicabrava.com.
Gwinganna
One of the original luxe wellbeing resorts, it still has a reputation as the best, with luxe eco-accommodation, extensive health and wellbeing analysis and top-tier spa treatments. The biggest draw? The lifestyle seminars hosted by renowned experts. www.gwinganna.com.
What A Nutritionist Eats On Holiday
We asked dietician and nutritionist Susie Burrell to show us her food diary from a recent day in Hawaii.
8am: Grab a skim latte + blueberry bagel from Starbucks on the way to our walk to Diamond Head
11am: Head to The Cheesecake Factory for brunch, eat half a chicken sandwich + soup of the day. Beach time!
4pm: Walk 40 minutes to Ala Moana outlet mall, and grab a Light Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks + high protein Luna Bar
6pm: Walk back to the bar for drinks (two berry mojitos) and share edamame, sliders and rice paper rolls for a light dinner
10pm: Share an Oreo cheesecake slice between three people for dessert
Susie’s Fit-losophy
• To me, holidays actually represent a time to lose weight as I have full control over the day, my food and can exercise more than I usually have time to.
• I take all my food on planes and only eat if it is a meal time.
• As I tend to eat more snacks I have a light breakfast (no buffets!), like a Starbucks coffee and maybe some fruit or a bagel. Then I usually only have one large meal—that leaves kilojoules for holiday indulgences such as extra drinks and snacks.
• For brunch, I always go for eggs or omelettes, and for dinner I opt for the large salads or burgers and bar snacks, but my meals are always shared.
• I always find a supermarket to stock up on snacks like nut bars and vegie sticks for little snacks through the day.
(Don’t) Feel The Burn
These fun holiday activities smash a surprising number of kilojoules per half hour*
Throwing a Frisbee = 469
Horse riding = 623
Beach volleyball = 1180
Kayaking = 778
Snorkelling = 778
Burning up the dance floor = 858
Hiking = 933
Mucking around in the pool = 933
Tennis = 1,088
Bicycling = 1,247
Building a sand castle = 209
Gardening = 699
Playing with your pet = 778
A spot of DIY = 699
Walking along the beach = 992
Based on a 70 kilo woman
The Hotel Room Workout
Personal trainer Blake Worrall-Thompson (www.ministryofwellbeing.com) shares his fat-burning circuit—all you need is 20 minutes and your own body weight.
PART ONE
Thirty seconds of step ups (find an indoor or outdoor step for this)
Ten seconds rest
Thirty seconds of push-ups
Ten seconds break
Thirty seconds of alternating lunges
Ten seconds break
Thirty seconds of sit-ups
Rinse and repeat three times
PART TWO
Thirty seconds of step ups (find an indoor or outdoor step for this)
Ten seconds rest
Thirty seconds of holding a plank
Ten seconds rest
Thirty seconds worth of squats
Ten seconds rest
Thirty seconds of tricep pushups
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