Travelling often means taking a break from your fitness routine. It also involves a lot of eating and some serious cocktail sampling. While gaining weight on holidays is common, it’s possible to enjoy yourself without coming home heavier. Here are some tips that will make sure the only extra weight you bring back is in your luggage.

1. Stay active

Although it’s great to spend time relaxing in the sun, try to make the most out of opportunities to be active. Rather than just laying by the water, go swimming or snorkeling. Explore the local surrounds by going for a run or walk. Hike the hills to capture the full view of the land or to watch the sunset. It was good for me having an active partner who always wanted to play beach soccer, walk along the sand or explore new parts of the island. Encourage your friends to be active and have fun in the sun.

2. Indulge when its worth it, but not every meal

Pick a meal each day that you are going to indulge in rather than overdoing it at every meal. For example, lunches for me were light and usually consisted of salads and/or fish. I would save myself for dinner which was normally a more indulgent meal. When I saw something that I really wanted to try I did so without guilt, because I knew I hadn’t overdone it during the day.

3. Stay hydrated

Make sure you stay hydrated by constantly sipping on water, particularly if you’re heading to a warm location. Dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger, and if alcohol is in the mix you’re probably more dehydrated then you think. Keep the fluids up to help aid digestion, stay hydrated and eat only when you are actually hungry.

4. Watch your alcohol intake

I’m not a big drinker but I do like some wine and a few cocktails when travelling. Despite wanting  a cocktail every hour (particularly when I first arrived) I tried to keep it to one or two per day and never straight after one another. I also asked for no sugar as they were already laden with fruit juices and I didn’t need the added sugar on top. I didn’t really drink during the day, but if I did I then held off from drinking at night and stuck to sparkling water with lime instead. I maxed out at two glasses of wine at dinner and made sure to have water in between. Be mindful of the amount you are having and remember that alcohol is empty kilojoules.

5. If you are going to train make it count

I loved training on holidays because I have the freedom to fit it in whenever I want. However, I didn’t want to waste precious exploring time so I made sure to make every session count. I kept it short and sweet, heavy when I could and if there was no weights available I opted for a HIIT style workout using body weight and speed drills.

6. Walk everywhere

I stepped at least 15,000 steps a day, sometimes up to 25,000! Exploring the new cities or places on foot was the best way to see everything and experience the culture first hand. Take a pair of comfy shoes to walk in as blisters on holidays are no fun.

7. Get your sleep in

Sounds easy enough, but if you’re a bit of a party animal you might need to make a conscious effort to get at least seven hours of sleep per day. Holidays are the perfect time to relax and unwind and good quality sleep is the best way to let your body recover from any stresses you have back home. Sleep in where possible, especially if you stayed up a little later than usual.

8. Have a goal for when you get back

The best way to hold yourself accountable is to have a goal or plan for when you get back. I knew I was starting a new training program only days after returning and I didn’t want to let my coach down by having gone backwards while on holiday. Thus when I trained I made it count and I kept as close to my nutrition goals as I could.

About the person who wrote this

Veronica Wallington

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Veronica (better known as Vee) is the founder and head trainer of V8 Group Training. Her background in fitness stems from an early age training and competing as a professional athlete for distance running, of which she excelled to be in top ranking in the world for various distances. Vee’s passion for fitness and healthy living although heavily influenced from her athletic pursuits and commitments has been broadened and she now enjoys working with the everyday person in achieving their fitness, weightless, and healthy living goals.