Balancing body and mind.
As I am currently on holiday in my home town of Ipswich, I thought it apt to write about how to handle exercise and nutrition while on holiday.
Exercise
I came with intentions to use the gym and keep my workout plan going. But I soon realised this was not realistically possible, which gave me some mental anguish. This mental anguish sometimes built up into giving myself a hard time about not sticking to my plan.
But when you are away from your normal routine, you need to allow flexibility. You need to give yourself space and be kind to yourself if you fall slightly off plan.
This is probably the toughest thing for me. But a holiday is supposed to be a break. And even though I love my gym sessions back in Hong Kong. I am simply not feeling them here for whatever reason. So I have allowed myself some time away from the gym, whilst I can still bang out quick body weight routines in my hotel room.
Nutrition
One of the reasons for a holiday is to enjoy food. And I have no intention to not enjoy my food while here as there are so many places to explore.
But obviously there needs to be some kind of energy balance to avoid adding too much fat whilst away.
Which is why I turn to intermittent fasting. Or, as it used to be called, eating just once or twice a day.
This allows me to eat what I want during those meals within reason, without having to be concerned about over eating.
Conclusion
Be kind to yourself. Know you do not have many holidays, and during those times you need to have space to do the things you want to do.
If it means you can’t hit the gym. If it means you have too many fish and chips or roast beef dinners, then that’s fine. Tell yourself that’s fine, and relax your mind to enjoy the holiday.
Your home routine will return faster than you think, and anything lost will be quickly regained.