“GOING ON HOLIDAY? 
TAKE YOUR FITNESS WITH YOU!”

You are off on your holiday.  Finally!  Are you sure you have packed everything you need?  I mean have you packed your “fitness” too?

It’s really quite simple.  All you need to pack is a plan of how you are going to stay fit and in shape while you are on holiday, even if it’s for a short break away from your regular fitness regime and routine.

The trick is to plan for short and simple workouts.  Over-ambitious plans are never practical and usually impede the frequency of working out during the holiday.  The initial burst of determination, usually peters out as the holiday advances.  Remember the goal here is to maintain your fitness.  A mini version is given below:   

The Mini Version – A simple schedule;
Day 1:   Settle in; explore the city/place, probably involving lots of walking around.
Day 2:  10 -15 mins of floor exercises in your room, wherever you are.
  12 repetitions of plain lunges per leg (works the lower body)
  12 pushups (on knees for women) (works the upper body)
  20 stomach crunches (works the core)
  Repeat cycle 2 or 3 times. Rest 1 min between cycles,
Day 3:  20 mins cardio workout in the gym, if available.   For a decent workout, pace yourself where you are breathing comfortably hard which is considered moderate intensity or 70-80% of your maximum heart rate (calculation:  deduct your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate).
Day 4:  Rest & Enjoy
Day 5:  2-3 cycles of floor exercises
Day 6: Lots of walking, climbing stairs whenever possible, or the cardio workout
Day 7: Rest and Enjoy

Or another simple way:
Daily, first thing in the morning, do 10-20 Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskars (yoga exercise).  This is an amazing way to work your heart and all your joints and muscles.  Build up the number you can achieve.  Amazing workout!

You will notice, the above example features in 2 structured sessions of cardio and 2 of strength muscle conditioning exercises leaving abundant time for you to enjoy your holiday, guilt free and full of energy!

You can use readily available tools in your room, be it a 5-star, a budget hotel, or a family home, to do the exercises exampled above or any others you plan to do.  You can use a towel for all your floor exercises, water bottles for arm and shoulder exercises, and a chair to do single let lifts (for thighs) or tricep dips (for upper arm)

Remember this:
Pack your trainers that will serve as good walking shoes too.  Breathe normally during the workout.  Maintain good posture and technique.  Quality versus quantity, I always say.   Stretch afterwards.  Stay well hydrated during the day.

Going on a Cruise?
If you’ve been on a cruise before, then you know that you have a myriad of facilities at your disposal.  From my experience, most reputable cruise liners have a well equipped gym, with personal trainers on board, 2 maybe 3 pools, an aerobics/yoga studio and of course, the walking path on the top deck, surrounded by an exhilarating view of the glorious blue sea!

I suggest, prior to getting on board, you search the info on their website, so that on the 1st day, you can explore the facilities, and fix a tentative schedule incorporating the variety of facilities right at the start.  Book in early for any classes of interest, even dance classes.  Trust me, they get filled up fast.  Remember too, that the amazing array of food and goodies that cruise liners are famous for are available 24 hours of the day, a temptation not to be underestimated!  Know this and guard yourself.  Try to plan your workout, walk/jog/run, swim or class first thing in the morning and then you are done to freely enjoy the rest of the day!

Going to many Places?
No problem!  Even if you are going to be moving from place to place every 2 or 3 days, you can still manage the mini version easily as much as possible.  Don’t fret!  Any time is better than zero!

A Room with only a view and no Gym!
So there is no gym nearby.  No sweat!  Doing just the floor exercises will adequately keep you well maintained and toned during your holiday.

In this case, take advantage of the good weather, which I am sure will be better than in Dubai at this time of the year, and walk, walk, walk, everywhere possible.

Amazing Adventurers!
If you are going camping, trekking, skiing, rafting, mountain climbing or on any other awesome adventure, what can I say?  You’ve already packed your plan!  Be safe and have a great time.

Happy Holidays everyone and return home fit and fine!

Jyoti Anand
Canadian Certified Personal Trainer, Ontario Fitness Instructor, Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach
Managing Director
Shape Express 
Email: shapex30@eim.ae

 

You can find us at:
Jumeirah – Jumaira Plaza, (Opp Village Mall), Beach Road.  Tel:  3499066
Bur Dubai – Centerpoint Mall, 1st Flr, (next to New Bur Juman), Tel:  3516141

  We are open:
Sun – Thu: 7 am to 9 pm / Fri: 8 am to 2 pm / Sat: 8 am to 8 pm.
Visit us at:  www.shapex30.com