How to manage being healthy on holiday

Do you always struggle on holiday???

Tips on how to manage your holiday Who can relate to working super hard to get that figure you want for holiday and then coming back from holiday feeling like all of your hard work is gone?? Over the years I have found myself in that exact situation. I also find myself feeling like I want to be motivated when I return and that doesn’t happen either. Over the last few years I have learnt a lot and I would now like to share with you some tips of things I do on holiday to help me stay in control. 1. Breakfast – Cooked breakfast – Try not having sausages, they are around 200-300 calories per sausage Bread – There are around 250 calories for in two slices of bread that is without the butter, bread is not bad for you, I am simply pointing out the calories you can save by not having it. Veggies – There are more than often salad selections and beans, toms, mushrooms selections….. filling your plate with these is a great way to still have a substantial brekkie but stay low on calories. Fruits – Fruits are nutritious and healthy, but if we think about it, do we really need a cooked or continental breakfast and then lots of fruit??? How about take the fruit with you and have it for a morning snack if you feel peckish, that may also help you avoid snacking on ice cream, crisps pr chocolate. Pastries – These are tasty, however they are extremely calorific and do not give you much nutrition, so eat this in small quantities if you want or fancy them. 2. Lunch Keep it as healthy as possible, relate your lunch while you are away to a similar size you have here. If you are going for the naughtier option, do you really need a burger and chips? Why not change the chips for salad? Just alone there you will save yourself around 500 calories. If you are going to eat out for lunch, pick a place that is further away, this means you will get some extra steps in 🙂 3. Dinner Realistically would you eat a 3 course meal back home every day of the week??? I suppose this all comes down to what you go on holiday for… everyone is different. I know previously I used to be like ‘ I am on holiday, I want to eat everything and as much of it as I can’. It has taken a few years but I actually understand now that holiday is a time to get away, relax, restore and refresh my body. Why laying on a sunbed eating crap all week was my thoughts of I am treating myself is beside me haha. Plate – Do you need to try every single thing that is on offer? Do you have to have 3 plates? How about you have a look at what is on offer and then decide between one or two choices, and enjoy your choice. Fill up with veggies and salads as much as possible. If you are prone to getting up a few times, take a smaller plate instead of the large dinner plates. Chips – We all love some chips on holiday don’t we…. honestly would you eat chips everyday in your normal routine? They are very calorific and most of the time on holiday we eat them out of habit or that we cannot resist the temptation. This is where you have to have a chat with yourself 😛 Dessert – There are always a delicious selection on offer….all I will say on this one is be sensible, don’t over do it and if the first spoon doesn’t taste nice, don’t eat it!!! So many of us eat something even though we don’t enjoy it, your body is not a bin, so don’t treat it like one. This will also save you some good calories. The average sweet treat/cake are around 400 calories. !! MOVE !!A big problem for most is that movement becomes at an all time low. The more you move the more calories you burn. I get it, a lot of people want to just relax, I am not saying you have to walk around or go to the hotel gym everyday. How about, when it is hot and you want to cool off, each time you get in the pool do 4-10 lengths, that is some great movement right there. Avoid taxi’s or buses and use them lovely things called legs that you have 🙂 it is great to go walking, you can see so much, breathe in the fresh air and you’re burning calories all at the same time. Hotel games and activities – A lot of hotels these days put on some sort of recreational activities, get involved, not only will you have fun, you will be moving more, did you know just standing up rather than sitting down or laying down burns more calories 😮 it is a true story trust me 😛 If you have kids this is a great thing to get involved with, have fun with them and show them that being active and/or taking part in activities is something positive. Dance – A lot of us like to go out at night or chill in a bar, dancing is very very good exercise, don’t be shy, get up, dance and have fun. Even dancing in your seat is better than you just sat there still. ( Calories will be burning ) Run, Walk or exercise – If you want to continue your daily exercise there are sooooo many things you can do. You can go for a run, walk or complete a little 10 min body weighted workout, if you have a resistance band these are great to take, you can even do it in the hotel room in the morning. If there is a gym in the hotel, check out if they do classes, or just pop down for 30 minutes enjoy a quick workout and then leave, this should also be part of your enjoyment of holiday. A lot people use time as an excuse to not exercise… on holiday you have plenty of time 😛 Alcohol – So this is probably one of the biggest problems that people hit, this along with over eating. What most people do not realise is how calorific alcohol can be and let’s face it, it is very very easy to consume. Here are a few little tips that helped me on a recent hen do I went on that was all inclusive. 1. Day drinking – I avoided day drinking as much as possible, for me this is unnecessary calories. I knew in the evening I was going to drink, so I saved it for then. Just from drinking 5 beers in the day you are consuming a good 1000 calories, cocktails are just as calorific too, so ask yourself… how much are you drinking in the day ??? 2. Choices Alcoholic drinks are calorific, however you can make small changes and save yourself a good amount of calories. Swapping beer or cocktails for spirits with low calorie mixers is a game changer. 3. Airport drinking – Now I am not being a party pooper here, I am simply offering tips. Do you really need to drink on the way to the airport and at the airport, more than likely you will fall asleep on the plane anyway. On the way to the airport at 4am in the morning I joined the girls with one Prosecco and then I didn’t have any more. I enjoyed and celebrated the start of the holiday with them and then I saved myself a good 500 calories. It all depends on your relationship with alcohol and your habits of going on holiday. A lot of this is your mindset. If you are reading this it is probably because you are making a conscious effort to be heather and improve your lifestyle, this is not something that happens quickly and there are a lot of habits that have been planted into your life, it is then all about you identifying and tackling these habits to ensure they are good. So that concludes my tips for a healthier holiday, just by making small changes you can massively impact the effect a holiday has on you. Implement and maintain all of your new healthy thoughts and decisions and take them with you, don’t leave them at home. I talked a lot aboutcalories…. the reason for this is your weight gain is CALORIES, it is as simple as that. A lot of people are negative towards calories, and counting calories but in terms of the body and how it works calories are energy. To lose fat you have to have an energy deficit, it is that simple. Most of all enjoy your holiday 🙂 Happy Summer everyone x