It’s much easier to perform well and look after yourself when at home because you have supplements, the right food and your environment set up around you to do the right things. However, when you go away on holiday, your choices are limited, and it’s inevitable that you are going to expose yourself to more toxins than you usually would.
I was reflecting on this with my Coach, and she helped shift my perspective when she said to me:
“so there are going to be some aspects of your holiday that are not going to be as healthy as you would like but are there going to be other aspects of the holiday which are going to be good for you?”
I reflected on this and the wellness benefits of a holiday for me are:
1. Ability to switch off from the day-to-day
2. Let my body rest and have as much sleep as it needs
3. Spend time with family and friends
4. Top up my Vitamin D levels
5. Walk in bare feet and swim in the sea
6. Catch up on reading
7. Increase movement by walking and swimming
Whilst on holiday I stop my morning routine, cycle off my supplements, minimise high-intensity exercise and give my body a rest. It’s the only time of the year that I eat off-piste, and I drink much more alcohol. I don’t completely go off the rails, I stay sensible and here are some of the strategies I used in a recent holiday to Egypt, where it is was 40 degrees Celsius most days.
Eating & Drinking – In a resort, your food choices are limited, and it’s not possible to eat as clean as you would typically do. It’s best not to stress over your food options but to enjoy yourself, don’t eat anything that will make you ill but don’t stress yourself out because you can’t eat as clean as you would typically do. My eating routine was broadly:
1. Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee – yes, we travel with coffee and MCT oil2.
2. Lunch: Salad with fish
3. Dinner: Mainly fish based, lean meat and vegetables
I’m quite open that I drink alcohol and I drink more while on holiday but I do still limit the amount of beer I drink and lean towards white wine and gin and tonics to offset the toxic load. I avoid slimline tonics and accept the sugar load for a couple of weeks.
Social Media – Many people use holiday time to have a detox from social media, but I’m the opposite. I rarely find the time to comment and engage in social media conversations, so when on holiday I have more time to participate. I don’t ever check work emails while on holiday because there is little I can do, and I let the team get on with things and make their own decisions.
Movement – I take the opportunity to move more. Movement is always much higher when I’m on holiday because I’m not tied to a desk, and there is more opportunity to play with the kids, go swimming in the pool or snorkelling in the sea. I will still go to the gym and do some high intensity interval training on a cross-trainer, but I only do this occasionally. Holidays for me are a great time to give my body a rest.
Massages – God, I love massages, and it’s quite some experience when you have them most days. While on holiday in Egypt over a 10 day period, I will have around five massages. The first massage is pretty uncomfortable because I can feel the tension in my body but the second to fifth massages are amazing. I’d highly recommend having multiple massages.
In summary, when you go on holiday make sure you enjoy yourself and park any thoughts about how you are going to eat super clean and remain in ketosis. Focus on the benefits of being on holiday, and you can come back to eating and drinking clean when you return home. I’m not advocating going off the rails for two weeks because you will probably make yourself ill.