Holidays are, and should be, a chance to ‘get away from it all’. Which can mean escape from that high protein diet and OCD gym routine n’ all. We tend to feel like the new cuisine, atmosphere, and the sheer amount of cheap wine is reason enough to indulge. It’s a once off, after all. What harm can it do?
The problem is, the slope of indulgence is a dramatic incline, and one that’s difficult to traverse back up. One ice cream a day soon turns into two, especially when you don’t immediately notice the physical effects. We get a sense that we’re impervious to our fatty friends, and that a week on a cheese-n-pasta enriched diet is simply a minor pothole we’ll bounce back out of, without any extra padding on our midriffs.
On top of the rabid consumption is the activities we tend to consider holiday-friendly. More often than not, lying on the beach reading those books that have been forlornly collecting dust on the shelf is the most appealing part of the trip. We luxuriate in the beauty of doing nothing. This, as well, sets out routines into reverse, meaning that getting back on the treadmill two weeks later will likely come as a massively unwelcome shock.
So what to do when all you want is a break without the bulge?
One of the best options is to make your trip as active as you possibly can. Yes, eat carbonara for breakfast if you want to, but go for a swim before you then hit the deckchairs. Alternatively, look up active things to do where you’re staying, or better yet – make sure your holiday destination has a host of things to do that don’t simply involve 12 days of frazzling on the beach.
If you take this list of things to do in Tunisia from HolidayCheck as an example, you’ll see that most sun-holiday activities actually revolve around something physical; parasailing, horse-riding, quad biking and so on. Even if you’re not exerting those muscles in a sweat-drenching work out, doing something active will mean your mind is less likely to want to spend the rest of the holiday lazing around on the beach, scoffing waffle cones all day.
Another good way to keep to your routine while you’re away is to follow the kind of patterns you would at home; eat healthily for breakfast and lunch, and then let loose more for dinner. All inclusive holidays are enemy number one in this situation, but you’ll feel better for exercising restraint. Nobody feels like jumping in for an energetic paddle if they’ve weighed themselves down with the full English option that morning.
Finally – don’t cave to peer pressure. When everyone else is going all out and having that second dessert or bottle of wine, it doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. Often we go too far when attempting to enjoy ourselves, and it’s all for nothing: we feel much worse in the morning and didn’t actually have a better time than if we’d stopped half way.
Do you have any sure fire ways to resist all-out indulgence on holiday? Let us know!
Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/8679484/Honey-have-you-packed-the-Holiday-Fat-Map.html
http://fatburningman.com/how-to-survive-the-holidays-without-gaining-weight/
http://allabouthealth.org.uk/articles/how-stay-slim-holiday
