Summer Survival Guide!!!

All too often relaxing on holiday may also mean relaxing your efforts, with that in mind, we’ve put together some fabulous top tips to help you make the most of your holiday without spoiling all of your hard work.

For many of us holidays are an opportunities that don’t happen often enough, so the thought process can be, “I’m going to make the most of it, and have everything I can, and deal with it when I get back”

Your stomach is just like a balloon, the more you eat and drink, the bigger it gets. When you get home, often feeling gloomy and miserable because your holiday is over, and none of your clothes fit like they did, odds are you will find it so difficult not to comfort eat thereby keeping your stomach inflated!

With just a little bit of mindfulness and positivity, it’s quite easy to minimise any damage. If we were selling a holiday survival guide and tools, this is what it would look like, obviously, feel free to add any extra’s and share them in the comments!

• A Belt that is fitted!!! – Brilliant early warning tool! Try it before you go, mark which hole fits and then during your holidays, try it again, if you’re in the same as before WOOHOO!! If not, what can you do to rein it in!

• Sweeteners – Each teaspoon of sugar is 60 calories, so if you have 2 teaspoons in each beverage that’s 120 calories, times it by how ever many hot drinks you have let’s say 6 a day, that’s 720 calories! it’s an easy swap, and let’s face it, what would you rather spend those calories on!!! Also, you may use skimmed milk at home, highly unlikely you’ll get it on holiday, may be semi-skimmed if you’re lucky 1 pint skimmed milk is 190 calories, semi- skimmed is 260 calories, that’s 70 extra. A latte is usually 1/2 pt, so 45 calories each drink times 6 is 270 calories. This is often where the hidden extra calories are, so if you’re mindful you can adjust accordingly.

• Shoes you can walk in – Make time to plan some extra activity in simply by having a swim or even a cool down all involves moving, or have a wander round. All of which will help you to balance those extra calories.

• Mobile Phones – Love them or loathe them they do have an awful lot of uses. Could be you have an activity app you can use, definitely got photos, maybe take one when you arrive, and one as you leave? Maybe you’ve got some before pics you can look back on to help motivate you, or even some of where you want to be!.

• Sugar free sweets – If you’re travelling, these can save you lots of wasted calories. Haribo Tangtastics 175 g share bag has 606 calories, versus Werthers sugar free butter candies 135g bag is 392 calories, and you can suck them! Chewing sugar free gum may seem a better choice, but is still contains 2 calories each piece. It really is a no brainer, and remember it’s only because you’re bored!! A better alternative could be to take a bottle of water with you.

• Ice Cream – When it’s hot, sometimes it’s all you want, an average Magnum is 239 calories whereas a Solero has only 98 calories!! Bear in mind that to burn off a Magnum you would need to walk moderately for 130 minutes!!

• Your Membership Card – A reminder of how far you’ve come and how much you’ve achieved, a reminder of how important it is for you to continue and what will happen if you don’t. Holidays come and go, but extra mouthfuls always show!

• Positivity – Costs nothing to take with you, and won’t add to your luggage allowance!!!

As a general round up here’s a few extra tips, remember alcohol does dehydrate you, so try saving it until evening time, and drink plenty of water during the day. If there’s some favourite foods that you can’t or don’t want to go without, pace yourself! Put off having it until the last day and then you won’t be tempted again! All inclusive doesn’t mean all yours.

Finally, take some time to people watch, its quite shocking at the volume of food and amount of courses people are consuming and how little activity was done. It certainly made me more conscious and focused.

Holiday time is here again,
It doesn’t matter where or when,
When you return we’ll still be here,
Come along to your meeting, you need not fear,
We’ll give you all the help you need,
And in the end you will succeed.

jackie and sonya