I had a gorgeous (and very hot) week in Scotland last week. Holiday season has definitely started and I have lots of clients currently trying to balance their training goals with their holiday plans.
Training on holiday is a question I’ve been discussing with my client’s a fair bit.
Do you, or should you train on holiday?
As a firm believer that life is for enjoyment, I’m not a coach that will ever force my clients to stick to their plans on holiday. The only caveat to this being if their goals are so time sensitive and important that they can’t afford to take time off. But this is rare and in 99% of cases a holiday should feel like a holiday.
However, as I’ve got older I’ve found myself seeking out more opportunities to be active on holiday. Continuing to be active makes me feel good, gets me in a positive headspace and actually adds to my holiday experience rather than taking away from it.
Staying active still has the same benefits for your mental and physical healthy on holiday as it does at home, so unless you really don’t enjoy it (in which case take a break) why would you stop doing something that you know makes you feel so good.
That doesn’t mean you’ll find me in the local gym doing my usual workouts and recording every rep. But, I may check out the gym for a workout if I fancy it or more likely, I’ll be doing a hike, swim, or run in my new environment (or dancing the night away).
Going for a run in a new City or down by the beach is such a great way to explore a new place. Huge added bonus...you also get some quality time to yourself!
But only do it if you enjoy it. If you don’t and being active on holiday is not your idea of a holiday, then take a break.
Last week my husband did a short HIIT workout most mornings (mostly to negate all the beers) and usually I would have joined him because I do feel better when I move my body first thing. However, we already had some nice walks planned (at six months pregnant I really don’t need to walk far to feel like I’m working out) and I was conscious that my body needed a bit of a break, so I favoured more gentle movement and gave myself a rest.
Nutrition wise, I love my food and am not one for overly restrictive dieting eating so I will eat what I want on holiday but again, I’m also aware of what makes me feel good. I know I feel so much better when I’m eating fruit and vegetables and drinking enough water so this doesn’t stop when I’m away but, it also doesn’t mean I restrict myself in terms of volume, alcohol or less ‘healthy’ options.
Long story short, whether you choose to stick to your training and nutrition on holiday is a personal choice so you have to decide what’s right for you. You have to weigh up whether what you’re doing will add to your holiday experience or will take away from it. How important it is for you to continue making progress whilst you’re away? Most goals will wait and having diet and training breaks is really not be the end of the world if you are fairly consistent the rest of the time!
Bx