All your pre holiday fitness regimen – those strength exercises to get a beach body, the low carbohydrate diet and the weight training to fit into summer clothes – will come to a naught if you equate holidays with bingeing. Bingeing without any holiday workouts, that is.
Fitting workouts into a holiday may sound like a big ask, but without a fitness plan for the vacation, getting back into the earlier groove might seem like an impossible task; what with the calorie overdose from eating all those exotic dishes.
A few simple steps will help you rock your fitness boat, holiday or otherwise.
Workout, No Matter Where You Are
Working out should become a habit, rather a routine that cannot be shaken simply because you are not in your familiar surroundings. Being armed with quick exercise routines that can be practised in the confines of the hotel room or in the open air in a park will help you stay up to the mark on your fitness goal. While yoga enthusiasts simply require a mat or even soft grass in the park to get through the day’s quota of workout, a quick jog, some skipping exercises or floor workouts can also be done without having to seek specific equipment for your holiday schedule.
Plan A Workout
Planning ahead will keep you ahead of your fitness goal. Most hotels in popular destinations have a gym or an exercise room to cater to guests like you. If not, make a check of the facilities around the hotel, before you book, to see if there are any parks or walking/running trails or if there are any dedicated gyms in the vicinity that are open to guests or are available for short plans. Do not be rigid about your workout plans, as you may not be able to duplicate your exercise regime in a new place. Fix a time, either in the morning or late evening, so as to not let your workout plans interfere with sightseeing or other vacation pursuits
Warm Up: As usual, start with a short warm up session, one that could be easily achieved by walking up and down the stairs in your hotel.
Circuit Workout: Most fitness gurus suggest circuit workouts that include body-weight squats (20), push-ups (10), lunges (10 each leg), dumbbell rows (10), plank (15 seconds) and jumping jacks (30), followed by some stretches to flex your muscles. Certain basic bodyweight circuit exercises are effective in your fitness motives as well as weight management. While it is preferable to consult a doctor before undertaking any rigorous circuit training programmes, a basic holiday planner that requires you to repeat every set, depending on the time and your skill level, would not be difficult to handle.
Squats: Do bodyweight squats for 30 to 60 seconds. Squats are just right to work all your muscles in the lower body and are not difficult to weave into your circuit. To make it more effective, you could intersperse a squat jump or hold every movement for strength – 5 counts going down, 5 counts to hold the squat down and 5 counts up.
Lunges: Maintain a staggered stance, with knees bent, and lunge forward so that the knees are at about 90-degree angles. Keep repeating, stepping forward into a lunge with the right foot, followed by the left. Lunges are effective for all major muscles in your lower body. However, it may not be suitable if you have knee pain or if the lunge is not executed right. Ensure that your eyes are straight ahead and your upper body is vertical. For extra strength, you could follow the routine mentioned in squats, by holding every movement for a count of 5.
Push-ups: Push-ups are a part of most exercise regimes, but, for the holidays, you could incorporate a more complex set, like push-ups with side planks or with an object to raise one hand while the other is on the floor. For a change in the intensity of your workout, you could also alternate your regular push-ups by doing push-ups on your knees.
Walk, Jog or Go Trekking: When your exercise options are limited, find avenues to go on a brisk walk or go trekking at some of the nature endowed destination in your itinerary. Besides, circuit training routine is recommended only 2 to 3 times a week; it is not advisable on consecutive days, so go on take a walk on the other days…
