12 Tips to Stay Fit When Your Normal Schedule is Disrupted
Holidays, trips away, and events such as Christmas and Easter can disrupt you training or weight loss program and may threaten to undo all your hard work. Don’t let festive seasons and events ruin your plans.
Research has shown that the average person gains from 0.8 - 1.5kg (1- 5 lb) over Christmas or other holiday periods.
Many people are shocked at what the bathroom scales tell them about the consequences of a business trip or vacation away from home.
Research studies have shown that midway through January, most people will have already broken their New Year's resolutions to get fitter, and to lose more weight.
There is no need to be silly about it and disrupt you celebration, work or enjoyment but some careful planning and some simple rules and tips can stop the holiday overload from happening to you.
This article provides some simple and effective tips for staying on track to meet your long term goals.
Twelve Tips to Stop Gaining Weight on Holidays
1) Choose your Opportunities
Go for it and enjoy yourself. Simply choose a day here or there for doing some exercise and cutting back on the excesses, even consider a day of fast. A little restraint won’t spoil your fun, enjoyment or social engagement. May use of the opportunities you have for NOT eating.
2) Work out using Exercises when Away from the Gym
If you can't get to the gym, try some simply old-fashioned exercises to keep in shape Try a series of 10 minute sessions of 10 squats, 5 push-ups and 15 sit-ups, perhaps twice a day.
If you are well organised you can build these sessions into your routine before you go away. This will make them more familiar to you over the holiday period. They can be easily squeezed into any tight schedule.
3) Stay as Active as You Can
Keeping fit is not restricted to structured exercise and standard routines. You can stay active by swimming with your friend and colleague. Go walking and bike riding. Be flexible and adaptable and use whatever facilities and opportunities are available. Focus on being active and enjoying yourself doing it. Apply a balanced approach between work and play.
4) Use a Skipping Rope
There are some fabulous skipping ropes available now, some of which have weighted handles. They can easily be slipped into a travel bag, and you can always skip in your room. Skipping rope exercises are very effective and high intensity exercises that should be part of most fitness regimes. Once again, build skipping sessions into your routine before you go away so it will be familiar to you.
5) Work out Anyway you Can
There are lots of ways of getting exercise - walking, jogging, climbing up and down stairs. Don't use the lifts as brisk walking and running up stairs can be a very intensive work-out. Try running 500 stairs within a six-minute period and do several repetitions to see how demanding it can be.
6) It is OK to Practice Some Eating Restraint
You don't have to over indulge during the 'Silly Season', when on holidays or at various business functions. There are subtle ways of doing this without offending anyone. It is simply a matter of small portion sizes and eating things slowly. Buffets offer a lot of choices - simply make healthier choices and use a small plate.
7) Develop Work-Outs that are Really Challenging
Find a local park, or area nearby to walk or jog in, hopefully with a hill. Develop a program with enough intensity to match your home program. For example, sprint 60-100 meters up a hill, then do 10 push-ups, 12 body weight squats, and 8 sit-ups. Walk down, and repeat for a number of times. Develop a program before you go and be adaptable. If there is no gym, use the pool or climb stairs.
8) Stop Postponing and Saying "You will Get Back to Your Restraint after Returning"
Many people say: "To hell with it, pass the second serving of pudding and custard, I'll get back to my fitness and weight loss routine when I return to my normal routine. But why wait, why postpone, why have to start again after taking two steps backwards? You can keep on track with some simple actions which are really just common sense and exerting some control.
9) Don't Forget your Principles for Diet and Exercise
Stick to your rules about eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and low fat and high protein meals. If you have a huge lunch, skip dinner all together is imply have a piece of fruit. If you have a huge dinner, just have a very light breakfast and lunch the next day. Keep away from the fried and fat laden foods, sweets and desserts. Exercise restraint and moderation.
10) Match Your Work Rate to Your Food Consumption
Although it won't burn off all those extra calories, it is still worthwhile increasing you work rate and duration to match your extra food consumption.
11) Make a Plan, Monitor Progress and Keep on Track
Make a plan for the exercise and diet you want to maintain over the holidays or while you are away. Do some preparations beforehand by introducing non-gym exercises before you go. Keep monitoring your weight and fitness levels while you are away. Make use of smartphone health tracking devices.
12) Enjoy Yourself
Above all, make sure that whatever diet or exercise program you choose, it is a lot of fun and does not stop you from enjoying yourself.