How to have a healthy, fun holiday

Following on from the post yesterday about good Pre-Holiday Routines and making the most of your leave from work, you should now have some tips on how to arrive at your destination feeling in control and ready for a relaxing break.

At this point many people put all their health and wellbeing concerns on hold – they’re on holiday after all! Time to eat and drink what you want but - there's a downside to this. It can leave you feeling fed up about how you feel and look after the holiday and before you know it, you'll be making plans for the new diet and gym regime before you've even landed.

Here are 3 simple strategies for healthy holiday balance that will allow you to make the most of your time off and also ease your return when the trip is over.

1. Decide at the beginning of your holiday how much exercise or activity is acceptable, realistic or desirable. Even if you decide to do something every few days that could be enough to help you feel as though you stayed on track with your wellbeing and this makes the return home easier.

2. Devise some food strategies that will allow you to indulge a bit and enjoy your vacation without leaving you feeling that you lose all self-control and acquire some extra unwanted baggage about your person to deal with when you get home. Make a plan for breakfast, lunch and / or dinner and for any healthy snacks between meals. Decide also how much alcohol you feel is appropriate to drink while on holiday. Remember, most excess holiday calories come from the alcohol. Setting out your limits in advance makes decisions in bars and restaurants much easier.

3. Manage your expectations with your work. Decide at the beginning of your holiday if you’ll be leaving your phone and Blackberry off or if you’ll be checking them. If you plan to stay in contact with the office, set times and days to do this or you’ll just be thinking about work all the time which defeats the purpose of being away.


photograph by naama (flickr)