Staying healthy when you are on holiday can be hard. It doesn't matter whether it's a holiday with friends and family or even just a short break away from home. It's all too easy to get thrown when we are out of our normal routine as you ditch your healthy habits and indulge a little bit too much as you feel you need a break from your routine, and that you deserve it! Often you do, and you should absolutely treat yourself and making the most of your break. But it's often too easy to enjoy endless buffets of fatty foods and sugar-filled drinks, whilst doing little or no exercise.
With the summer holidays coming up, a little bit of planning ahead will enable you to be prepared, have an outline to focus on and leave you more time to enjoy your holiday. Here are a few suggestions to help you.
Plan your exercise
•Plan what exercise gear you will be taking with you so you don't forget anything - trainers, tops, shorts, swimming suit etc whatever you wear for the activity you will be doing. Even things such as a travel yoga mat for your own exercise or perhaps some exercise DVD's to do on your laptop in your room.
Include family and friends while you exercise
•You could look for great routes for family walks and to get some sightseeing in while you're exercising. You could also plan to do fun activities together which you may not have done before, for example snorkeling, or surfboard yoga. Have a look and research what might be available.
Download some apps
•If you are a fan of apps find some that work for you. Whether it is a food tracker, a quick workout, a yoga app or guided meditations, they can be helpful for keeping you on track and motivated, or even for a bit of alone time.
Have healthy snacks
•Take some healthy snacks such as nuts, health bars (be on the lookout for added sugar in these), fruit, dried fruit and seeds with you so you don't have to worry about making unhealthy choices while you're travelling. Find out how far away the nearest supermarket is so you can stock up on healthy snacks, water and teas for your room.
Be prepared for eating out
•Look in to what restaurants are in the area and what their menus include, so if and when you do go out to eat you can choose somewhere with healthy food options.
Have something to keep you on track
•Take an inspiring healthy book or some magazines with you to help keep you motivated. Or perhaps you could journal daily about your progress and how you are feeling, to help keep yourself accountable.
Don't be too hard on yourself
•Remember that things may not always go to plan and don't be too hard on yourself if they don't. Also make sure to give yourself some down time and treats occasionally - you are on holiday after all!
Tara Jackson has just released an e-book on 'Healthy Sunshine Holidays' available for £10 from http://bit.ly/healthysunshinehols. She is offering it to Huffington Post readers for £7 (up to 31 May 2017) - just use the code HUFFINGTON at the checkout.
The guide includes additional tips and ideas for planning a healthy break, including staying active and eating well on holiday, motivation tips, plus organisation sheets to help set yourself up for healthy-holiday success. There is also a bonus section on how to prevent some common holiday ailments and a few natural remedies and treatments.
Tara Jackson is a holistic self-care and wellbeing coach who is on a mission to help busy people, who put everything else above themselves, discover how important self-care is, (within a healthy lifestyle) so that they can live a life that they love. For more information please see www.tarajackson.co.uk.