Most people think it is hard (or impossible) to stay in shape during the summer holidays.

I mean, how does one resist all the wonderful food, ice cream and cocktails that summer and Christmas bring?

Let me tell you something: you can – and should – enjoy all of that.

By making a few simple tweaks though, I’ll bet on you keeping (or even improving) your shape and fitness level!

Here are five easy ways to stay fit and in shape this summer:

1. Constant Easy Movement  

Image Credit: Adobe Stock by Panumas

This one is not hard, and you likely do it anyways when on holiday.

The nice thing about it is that it does not have to remotely be done with intensity to be highly effective. And it is!

I’m talking about things like:

• Walking to explore your destination
• Walking to the shops and carrying your own bags
• Taking beach walks or hikes
• Swimming or snorkeling
• Rowing a boat or kayak
• Cycling
• Easy jogging
• Playing beach games like cricket, bats, volleyball or touchies
• Going for sunrise or sunset walks
• Walking your dog(s)
• Playing with your kids
• Anything else that keeps you moving at a level that is easy to maintain

You don’t need to be moving every waking hour, but I’d say choose and do about two (or more) of the above activities on 80% of days.

It’s a fantastic way to keep your metabolism going, and just really good for blood sugar control and overall health.

If you need to take a long flight to your destination, make sure to get up during the flight. When waiting for a connecting flight – take stairs when possible and walk around! Most airports offer plenty of space for that.

2. A Quick HIIT Workout 

Image Credit: Adobe Stock by umarazak

Working out when on holiday can be a real schlep sometimes.

A lot of people won’t bother and I can understand why.

But, what if you only needed 10 minutes?

Yeah, you can absolutely do a high potency workout in 10 minutes – without equipment.

Herewith I present to you Five Workouts of Ten Minutes each to try this holiday*:

1. Beach Sprints

• Sprint for 20 seconds, jog / walk for 20 seconds.
• Repeat until 10minutes are up.

Alternatives:

• if you don’t have a beach, do the run on the road
• adjust the work (20s) to rest (20s) ratio according to your fitness level
• instead of running you can also do sprints on a bike, treadmill, rowing or swimming

Note: the sprint (work portion) should be an all out effort – it is NOT a jog at an increased pace!

2. Burpee AMRAP

• See how many reps of burpees you can do in 10minutes (AMRAP – As Many Reps/Rounds As Possible)

Alternative:

• do the step out burpee version, which is a little bit easier

Rest as much as you need to, but try keep it short as you only have 10 minutes. 

3. Double TABATA

If you don’t know what a TABATA workout is – you are about to find out 😉

You pick an exercise and do it ALL OUT for 20s. Then you rest for 10s, and repeat this 8 times for a total of 4min (well, 3:50 to be exact).

So for your 10 minute workout, you will do two Tabata Workouts – hence ‘Double TABATA’.

As you may have figure out – you will have 2 minutes to rest between each (adding 20s if you wish to keep it to the second).

Which exercises to do? 

Well, the possibilities are just about endless! Here are a few examples, but don’t stop your own creative juices from flowing:

• Squats (or squat jumps)
• Lunge jumps
• Sprints (always sprints)
• Running / speed walking up a mountain / hill
• Rowing
• Cycling
• Burpees
• Plank variations
• Plank Walkouts
• Push Ups

I’m not adding exercises using equipment, but if you have any weights, I’d add full body movements such as Thrusters, Renegade Rows, Walking Lunges, Manmakers, Snatches, Clean and Jerks, Farmer’s Carries (heavy weights needed), Push Presses, or anything else that blows your hair back.

Tip:

use a YouTube tabata timer to easily follow along.

4. Full Body AMRAP

In this example, the ‘R’ stands for ‘Rounds’. So, you will do As Many Rounds (not Reps) As Possible in 10 minutes.

Going through the list of exercises once equals one round.

Full Body HIIT sessions give you the best bounce for the ounce.

Most people don’t realise it, but it’s the most effective way to burn overall body fat – including belly fat! 

Yes that is right – core and ab workouts are NOT remotely an efficient way to get rid of the fat on your stomach!

All out, full body efforts are. Like pretty much each of the five workouts listed here.

So for this Full Body HIIT session, you will do:

• 10 Burpees
• 15 Jumping Squats
• 20 V Ups
• 25 Jumping Jacks
• 30 Mountain Climbers (15 each leg)

See how many rounds you can do in ten minutes! Rest depends on you but again, you have got to be stingy as time is limited. 

5. Hills / Climbing

For this 10 minute workout, you need either a mountain trail, stairs, a hill, or a large step / bench / box – even a high chair will do.

Depending on which one of the above you utilise, you can choose your own intervals.

For a mountain option, I like going (running) up and resting only when I absolutely have to. But then you need to ad in extra time to come back down.

If you’re using a step / bench / chair, you can follow the same approach.

For a hill or stairs, you sprint up (20s is all out is plenty) and jog back down to repeat that for 10 minutes.

Alternatives:

• you can do the same workout on a hill with a bicycle
• do the workout carrying something heavy (if you have) for added effort

*NOTE:
Warm up for up to 5min before each workout by doing a few minutes easy jogging, cycling or something similar. Then do three to five strides at increasing pace – strides are to run about 50m – 80m at 80% speed. 

Please be sure that you have medical clearance from a medical doctor to partake in these workouts 

3. Don’t skimp on sleep 

Image Credit: Adobe Stock by Africa Studio

Sleeping as much as you want is probably at or near the top of your to-do list after a year of working hard. 

You may however find it hard to go to bed early when socialising with family and friends you haven’t seen in a while. 

Don’t worry if that happens, but you certainly don’t want to get scanty sleep this holiday. 

Inadequate sleep is a form of stress on the body, which is notorious for belly fat accumulation. Not to mention a compromised immune system! And no one wants to be sick on holiday. 

If that means that you need to take naps, then do. 

There may be happy but noisy holiday makers around you – invest in some proper earplugs so that you won’t be kept up by them. 

4. Don’t Eat Things You Are Intolerant To  

, at leastImage Credit: Adobe Stock by Pormezz

Okay, maybe I cheated a little bit with the title – this one may not be so easy if you do have a food intolerance. 

On the other hand, these days there are replacements available for most sources of gluten and dairy, at least. Understandably though, family members are not always aware and you may just give in and eat whatever is on offer. 

Why is this so important? 

When eating foods we are intolerant to, we may do a lot more damage than we realise. 

Firstly, your body responds with an inflammatory response which can linger for weeks or months on end. 

Chronic inflammation is argued to be at the root of all modern disease. 

It’s also claimed to be the main driver of obesity and diabetes. 

To top it off – with chronic inflammation comes elevated stress hormones. 

Even if you don’t feel stressed, your body will be, and chronically elevated stress hormones won’t do your health or weight (can you say belly fat?!) any favours! 

While on the topic, I read something disturbing about gluten (something I am intolerant to) from Dr. Datis Kharrazian the other day: 

The Cerebellum is extremely vulnerable to damage from gluten. 

The part of the brain called the cerebellum is extremely sensitive to gluten. ⁠
When people have antibodies to gluten, those antibodies can also bind to cerebellar tissue, signaling the immune system to attack, destroy, and remove the tissue.⁠
This is called cerebellar ataxia and can lead to poor balance, increased anxiety, sound and light sensitivity, being easily overwhelmed, and other symptoms.⁠

Reading this was just another reason for me to always say ‘no’ to gluten.

5. Don’t stress about overeating or drinking 

Image Credit: Adobe Stock by Mirko Vitali

‘Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry!

I’m sure everyone had lots of stress this year. Your holiday is not the time to be stressed, and that absolutely includes worrying about consuming a bit more than usual. 

Specially not if you followed the previous tips 80% of the time (except for number 4, which should be adhered to 100%). 

Having feelings of guilt after excessive eating or drinking will just make anything that was bad even worse. 

How you deal with feeling stuffed (I hate it) or hungover however, is something I’ll leave for you to deal with 😀 

CONCLUSION

So there is only one thing Imma be really strict about – that is to not eat things that you know your body doesn’t want.

Remember there are gluten tablets and lactaze pills for emergencies if that may help you. 

Then quite seriously – on 80% of days – you moof most of the day doing fun things, and do one 10 minute HIIT workout. And lemme tell you – you will maintain pretty impressive fitness and shape!

And last but not least – enjoy all the wonderful food and drink you want, but don’t forget to get your Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on.

Please enjoy everything responsibly and travel safely! Hope your summer holiday is festive and relaxing 🙂