“If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.” – Brain Candy Website
If only the above quote were true it would be a lot easier to stay fit and healthy when the holidays come around. If you live in the UK then you will know that today is a bank holiday which means many people will be off for days out to see their families, visit the zoo or go to a theme park. Whilst there is nothing wrong with taking time to relax and enjoy the day off work, bank holidays do often cause people to stray from their normally very good eating and exercise habits. One bad day is not going to destroy your fitness regime but on the flip side it is helpful to minimise the impact a bank holiday might have. That is why today I have come up with ‘The Free Fitness Tips Bank Holiday Action Plan’.
1) TRY AND FIT IN SOME EXERCISE DURING THE DAY:- If you are going for a day at the zoo or a theme park then this will not be a big issue. On these sorts of trips you generally do a lot of walking which will allow you to enjoy a number of cardiovascular benefits and burn a decent number of calories. In fact you will probably do more walking than you would on a regular work day in the office.
However, if you are visiting your relatives it is often a different story. Most family visits involve lots of sitting around and talking which is great for catching up with family members who you have not spoken to for a while but not so great for your fitness plan. There are two main ways to squeeze in some physical activity on days like these. First, you can get up early and go for a jog or hit the gym before you make your trip. Alternatively, you can suggest a physical activity that the whole family can enjoy. This could include a family walk, a team game such as soccer or even a multi-player game of Wii fit.
2) PREPARE HEALTHY FOOD WHERE POSSIBLE:- If you are making a long trip this bank holiday then you will probably be snacking on the way or maybe even stopping for lunch. Packing a selection of healthy foods such as vitamin rich fruits and vegetables will ensure that you eat healthy foods on your travels. Plus, it will help you avoid unhealthy, high calorie foods such as chocolate, crisps, chips and burgers that are found in the majority of service stations.
3) RESIST TEMPTING FOODS:- If you go to the zoo or a theme park this bank holiday then tempting foods are all around. No matter where you look there will always be candy floss, chips, burgers, hot dogs or other tempting foods on sale. If you visit your relatives then this creates similar problems as in most cases you will be constantly offered cakes, cookies and chocolates by your host.
So how do you resist these tempting foods? Well if you are on a trip away following tip number two and preparing your food can play a big part. If you already have your lunch with you and ready to eat there is no reason to purchase extra food from these vendors. However, if you are visiting relatives it is going to be a bit tougher. It is not very polite to bring your own food and eat that instead of what your family has prepared. Instead you will need to exercise some willpower and learn to say no to tempting treats. By all means allow yourself to have a slice of cake or a piece of chocolate but just make sure that the one treat does not turn into an all out binging session.
4) DON’T WORRY IF IT DOESN’T GO TO PLAN:- Ultimately, bank holidays are a one off and in fitness terms at least do not represent a normal day. Whilst it is nice to be able to do some exercise and eat reasonably healthy on these days, it is not a disaster if this does not happen. No matter how well you plan, sometimes these plans fail. For example, you could get up early to go jogging and find the roads are too icy to jog safely. You might find that despite your best intentions you end up overindulging on unhealthy foods. You could try and organise a family game of soccer only for everyone to insist that you stay indoors and watch a film.
Whatever happens it is not going to spell the end of your fitness regime. One off day is a minor obstacle at the most. Ultimately, the bank holiday is a time for you to relax and enjoy your day off work. If your fitness plan suffers in the process simply write it off as a bad day and prepare to get back into your regime of healthy eating and regular exercise tomorrow.
I hope you found the above bank holiday action plan useful. Days like today are usually a difficult time for exercising or eating healthy but hopefully the above tips make it a little easier for you.
What do you guys think about this bank holiday action plan? Have you got any additional tips you would like to add to the list? Do you agree with making bank holiday plans or do you prefer to treat them as a day off from your fitness plan? Let me know by commenting at the bottom of this post.
Sources:
Brain Candy Website
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If you enjoyed this article you might also like my ebook Lose Weight for the Holidays. In this ebook I discuss how a three pronged attack can be used to help you stay healthy and keep excess body fat at bay during the various holiday periods that arise throughout the year:
