How To Exercise When You’re On Holiday

While we might spend the weeks – or months for the hardcore among us – leading up to a beach holiday at the gym and carefully monitoring every calorie and carb that passes our lips, once we’re in our bikini lying on the sun lounger any thought of exercise is usually brushed aside.

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But, should we be working out when we’re away and is it as hard as we think to squeeze it in? We asked the experts for their top tips…

Start early

“Get your exercise done in the morning, so you can enjoy the rest of the day,” says fitness expert Toby Huntington-Whiteley. “When I’m on holiday I try not to worry about exercising too much as I like to give my body a break. Instead, I’ll try and do regenerative work, such a local yoga class or go for a swim before breakfast.”

Trainer Lee Mullins echos this approach, “I’m a big advocate of doing different activities from what you would do in your routine at home. For example, If you’re someone that tends to do more weight training at home, on holidays go for a swim, a hike or a bike ride. I think the change in activity is mentally and physically good for the body.”

Short and sweet

It’s safe to say that for most of us, exercising is the last thing we want to do when we’re on holiday. Head coach at Virgin Active Islington, Adonis Angelides recommends avoiding planning out several long workouts for this very reason. “It’s likely that you will end up not exercising at all. Instead, opt for short and sharp,” he says. “A 20 minute workout is perfect and you should aim for two or three per week.”

Pack your kit

“Take a skipping rope with you,” says Huntington-Whiteley. “It’s one of the best forms of cardio you can do, and you can do it anywhere.”

An exercise band is also a very good shout if the thought of skipping takes you back to your school days. “They’re light, take up minimum space, are very low in cost,” says Angelides. “Plus, there are hundreds of ways to use it to achieve a full body workout.” A band will make squats and lunges more intense, and you can also use them to improve your upper body strength with tricep and bicep curls.