I’m often asked about exercising on holiday and the best exercise to do when you are away, so I thought I’d answer these questions as I overlook open fields in the Vendee region of France.
I personally believe that holidays are for holidaying and should be a break away from your normal routine. I’m not saying to do nothing on holiday but to have a change; for example, I teach advanced spinning and rpm sessions every week. However, I will not be seeking out classes to participate in while I’m here, although I will go out for regular bike rides around the local area and my mother-in-law has informed me that I’m on fresh bread and croissant collection duty in the mornings (about a 4 mile round trip). Judging by the size of the spider I’ve just seen I think they’ll also be a bit of screaming and running away! We’ll be taking some long walks, some swimming in the sea and I’m going to set up a badminton net as soon as the rain calms down (apparently it’s going to be hot tomorrow). I will also be trying chi gung while here in peaceful surroundings.
When we were last away with friends, I played tennis, table-tennis, beach volleyball, I swam in the sea every day and laid some serious moves down on the dance floor for a couple of hours every night. The only time I do structured exercise on holiday is when I’m training with a specific purpose, I ran and swam a lot in Portugal last summer because I was competing in a triathlon shortly after our return. I just made sure that I was sensible about the time of day I went out and the amount of fluids I was taking in. If you are going to a hot country and will be participating in structured exercise like running, the best time to go is early in the morning, before the temperature starts picking up and the traffic starts getting busy. This meant in Portugal I was heading out for a run around 7am and it was already getting hot then, it also means you can’t afford to drink to much alcohol the night before, avoiding further dehydration.
I know trainers that still try to maintain their training programmes while on holiday and they encourage their clients to do the same. Many modern hotels now have fantastic fitness facilities which make this easier to do. They are often air conditioned making the time of day you exercise less important. However, you also need to remember that holidays are for spending quality time away with your family and getting a little rest and relaxation. Recovery is a massive part of achieving your goals and as the old adage goes ‘a change is as good as a rest’.
If you really feel that you can’t miss your workouts on holiday, keep them short, and intense; interval circuit sessions that can be completed in less than 20 minutes are really effective if you know what you’re doing (if you would like more information on this email darren@achieve.me.uk). This way you don’t miss out on time spent with your friends and family chilling out.
In my experience it isn’t the lack of exercise on holiday that stops you reaching your goals, but the abundance of extra calories. I will tackle this subject in my next post but for now I’m going to go and have an ice cold Kronenbourg and help my in-laws prepare dinner.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren Checkley
I personally believe that holidays are for holidaying and should be a break away from your normal routine. I’m not saying to do nothing on holiday but to have a change; for example, I teach advanced spinning and rpm sessions every week. However, I will not be seeking out classes to participate in while I’m here, although I will go out for regular bike rides around the local area and my mother-in-law has informed me that I’m on fresh bread and croissant collection duty in the mornings (about a 4 mile round trip). Judging by the size of the spider I’ve just seen I think they’ll also be a bit of screaming and running away! We’ll be taking some long walks, some swimming in the sea and I’m going to set up a badminton net as soon as the rain calms down (apparently it’s going to be hot tomorrow). I will also be trying chi gung while here in peaceful surroundings.
When we were last away with friends, I played tennis, table-tennis, beach volleyball, I swam in the sea every day and laid some serious moves down on the dance floor for a couple of hours every night. The only time I do structured exercise on holiday is when I’m training with a specific purpose, I ran and swam a lot in Portugal last summer because I was competing in a triathlon shortly after our return. I just made sure that I was sensible about the time of day I went out and the amount of fluids I was taking in. If you are going to a hot country and will be participating in structured exercise like running, the best time to go is early in the morning, before the temperature starts picking up and the traffic starts getting busy. This meant in Portugal I was heading out for a run around 7am and it was already getting hot then, it also means you can’t afford to drink to much alcohol the night before, avoiding further dehydration.
I know trainers that still try to maintain their training programmes while on holiday and they encourage their clients to do the same. Many modern hotels now have fantastic fitness facilities which make this easier to do. They are often air conditioned making the time of day you exercise less important. However, you also need to remember that holidays are for spending quality time away with your family and getting a little rest and relaxation. Recovery is a massive part of achieving your goals and as the old adage goes ‘a change is as good as a rest’.
If you really feel that you can’t miss your workouts on holiday, keep them short, and intense; interval circuit sessions that can be completed in less than 20 minutes are really effective if you know what you’re doing (if you would like more information on this email darren@achieve.me.uk). This way you don’t miss out on time spent with your friends and family chilling out.
In my experience it isn’t the lack of exercise on holiday that stops you reaching your goals, but the abundance of extra calories. I will tackle this subject in my next post but for now I’m going to go and have an ice cold Kronenbourg and help my in-laws prepare dinner.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren Checkley
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1 comment:
fantastic insights into your holiday habits, whilst at the same time some plain simple facts about training and diet that does not overpower the reader with too much science. keep the facts coming. my brain is like a sponge.
Raj Basra.
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