Holiday exercises
It’s holiday time.Time to down tools, walk out of the office and not think about anything except tan-lines and where to get the next glass of sangria.
The problem is, if you are anything like me, two days into your relaxing holiday, the muscles start to twitch, the legs feel full of energy and you know you are beginning to miss your daily work out. It’s time for holiday exercises!
If this is you, then never fear, there are workouts that you can do which will keep the muscles working, the blood pumping and the cortisone levels nicely balanced, without needing to set foot in a gym.
Of course, you might get some odd looks when you are doing your exercises but you know, at the end of the holiday, you won’t feel as if you have let everything go to pot.
Take the plunge
The first activity that is perfect for keeping fit but also perfectly fitting for holiday exercises is swimming. You might be the only person determinedly doing lengths of the swimming pool while everyone else is lounging around the pool’s edge but 30 minutes of hard swimming each morning will keep you in shape. You can also get others involved with an energetic game of water polo.
Explore the area
You only need to pack a pair of trainers and one set of gym kit to give yourself access to some good workouts. Going for a run is a great way to export the local area. While your partner or friends lay on the beach go for a gentle amble run around the local area to suss out where you can all go for drinks and food later.
Get beach fit
A tougher workout can be had on the beach itself. Go down to the beach in the early morning and do a sprint session on the sand. If there are dunes, so much the better, add some sprints up the dunes for a lung-busting workout.
You can also do a bit of barefoot running on the beach. Be careful with this one. If your feet have been encased in shoes all your adult life, then don’t launch into a long run or hard sprints with no shoes. Instead, just get used to feeling your feet move differently as you gently jog on the sand.
Rocking the circuits
If there are rocks on the beach, you can also do a adapted weights session. Add various lifting moves to a sequence that includes push-ups, press-ups, lunges, squats and burpees. You will soon find that you are creatively using different sized rocks for a great all-over work out.
Here is a sample workout of some holiday exercises, we would love to hear your own variations:
Jog for five minutes along the beach.
5 x each of following: push-up to down dog; deep squats; lunges; burpees
Jog for five minutes, adding side-steps, skipping, hopping on each leg.
10 x each of the following: push ups, tap each shoulder between each one; tuck jumps; jumping lunges; squat thrusts
Mark out a 10, 15 and 20 metre line in the sand – sprint to each line three times with jog back recovery.
20 x each: mountain climber; star-jumps; one-legged squat thrusts (alternate legs).
Repeat whole sequence twice more.
