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How to Stay Healthy on Holiday

Matthew Powell

by Matthew Powell

A Body Aware Specialist

Ok, so here it is. In the spirit of honesty, integrity and that thing I preach so regularly – balance, here’s my take on what it takes to look after yourself when getting away from it all.

It all starts at home. Where are you going, why are you going and who are you going with? A little sunshine with the family or a romantic break from the hum drum with your fella or lady? Is it the body that’s tired or the mind that’s fried? Do you need to tune in, turn on, or cop out?

Is the whole point a whole lot of nothing? 
If you’re schedule is 7am-9pm, 5 days a week, with a packed Saturday of stuff too then getting on a plane to sit somewhere and recharge, re-center and just breathe for a little while might be as healthy as you need it to be. Stress isn’t just for those screaming “Buy, Buy, Buy” (or these days, “Sell, sell, sell”) in the Wall Street exchange and all too often we can be so caught up in everything that’s going on in life that we never remove ourselves to look at the big picture. 

Is it about change? 
If you’re 9-5, office based, commuter tired and routined to death then it may be about fun and activity with senses stimulated and eyes widened. Staying healthy might just mean trying new foods, drinking plenty of water, getting out and getting amongst it whilst making sure that there’s a day or two with a lie in.

Is it about family? 
Tough one this as we can easily simply relocate the craziness and noise of the family domicile to a different country. Look to ensure you are finding things to do for the kids AND yourself. If you come home needing another holiday then that’s great for the little ones but what about you? Talk to others, go heavy on TripAdvisor and, if all else fails, take a nanny!

Just the two of us? 
Variety is the spice of life here (steady on) as what one person can want from their treasured time off may be vastly different from the other. Make a list (my Lord I’m getting old) separately as to what you want out of the holiday then find the right place for the right price. If one of you wants nothing but the beach and massage but the other wants hang-gliding, sky diving and the occasional, relaxing 3 hours of tennis then frustration will take over.

9 to 5 Working Week  Couple on Holiday

So the upshot is this, to stay healthy on holiday you’ve got to know WHY you’re going. If you’re getting to the point that murder in the office is becoming a reasonable option, or worse that you can’t remember the last time you cared about anything in particular, then healthy is recharging, extracting yourself from where you are and, perhaps, just being somewhere else. If you’re healthy, happy, training hard and living pure, then healthy can be letting down your hair, staying up late, eating what you shouldn’t in a little less moderation and unlocking the shackles for a while.

Lastly, if you regularly miss breakfast, enjoy a vending machine lunch, drink gallons of coffee in the day and the equivalent in beer / wine at night, if you stay up too late and the only water you drink is whatever you let into your mouth in the shower, then why go away and do the same thing?

Balance is everything. Book it right.

 


Matthew Powell

Matthew has managed health and fitness teams and operations in 5 star resorts in the Caribbean and Middle East, run a personal training business for over 15 years and currently owns a fitness consultancy in South Wales and the West. He has worked with celebrities and some of the wealthiest men in the world whilst still keeping his hand in group exercise, teaching Indoor Cycle, Circuits, Fitness Yoga and combat based classes. Follow Matthew on twitter @mattypowell. www.quantumphysiques.co.uk
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