healthy holidays
Greg Stark, founder, director and trainer, Better Being a holiday is an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and allow your body to regenerate. cortisol is our body’s response to stress. incorporating recovery strategies to allow our body to reduce its levels of cortisol is imperative to good function. Having a massage, leisurely swim, yoga or meditation are great methods of reducing the impact of your built up stress and allow for optimal recovery. Move, but keep the heart rate below 60 per cent of its capacity. Deep abdominal breathing during exercise helps to slow heart rate and decrease stress hormones in the body, enhancing mood.
BUFFET BLOWOUT RISK: LOW Don’t let your holiday dash your hard work. We asked leading health experts to share their vacation strategies in a suitcase-friendly format you can take past customs
Nikola Ellis,
international yoga teacher, Adore Yoga running yoga holidays at resorts, i’m always being tempted by the buffet and poolside cocktails, and use a simple daily 5-minute mindfulness practice to keep me in shape – morning practice makes it easier to make the right choices during the day.
Laura Minford, health counsellor and manager, Urban Remedy Before you even hit the restaurant, ask yourself what you want to eat, then simply ask the waiter what they have that’s fresh and healthy and close to what you feel like eating. that way you won’t be tempted by the menu or buffet.
Dr Peter Dingle, author
-Jo Sharp, PT, SharpMoves Fitness
Take Control and Realise Your Potential to avoid overeating and have more energy to play on your holiday, start each meal with a salad, and end with a piece of fruit (especially tropical fruits rich in enzymes). Women’s Health & Fitness
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Did you know you can do a complete exercise program using coconuts? Incorporate this tropical fruit into bicep curls, crunches, and front and side raises. You can also do push-ups and planks balancing on coconuts (taking care that they’re secure and won’t roll out from under you), and even coconut squats and shoulder presses.
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Dr Joe Kosterich, GP and
author, drjoe.net.au
Enjoy new and different foods whilst limiting portions, particularly at the buffet. Have small serves of different foods – quality rather than quantity.
www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au
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Daniel Munda y, outdoor PT and fat loss specialist, DPM Performance
Eat whatever you want to, but only if you nail a 15 to 20 minute fat-blasting workout just beforehand. and to qualify, it must get your heart rate up high, and leave you puffed.
Christine Cronau, author Great Health is A
Piece Of Cake
you can splurge with the buffet and stay in shape, you just need to know what to splurge on. number one is, you need to eat fat. it is physiologically impossible for fat to make us fat (which is why farmers fatten cows with grain), whereas reducing and eliminating fat from our diet actually makes us fatter!
Rhiannon Lovell, exercise and wellness coach, Emit Fitness twenty minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise a day will help keep your mind clear, body strong, digestion running and organs healthy, but forget the gym. try 20 minutes of beach sprints, water running (all resorts have pools!), stair climbing (fire stairs or outside stairs), or find a lookout and run up the hill a few times.
Natalie Carter, PT, New
Outlook Fitness
Use your suitcase as part of your resistance workout when holidaying – it makes a great weight! perform squats, overhead presses and lunge twists while holding your suitcase or carry-on case. you can make the load heavier or lighter by adding or removing items.
YOU TRY iT!
Nikola Ellis’ ‘eat well’ mindfulness practice
founder, Carman’s
sit comfortably and take five deep breaths. as you inhale, sweep your arms up by your sides, bringing your palms together overhead. as you exhale, bring the palms down together to your chest.
Why pay $20 for breakfast, not to mention all of those over-priced snacks, when you could take a box or two of muesli bars with you on your next trip? throw one into your backpack for when you head to the beach or hit the sights. it’s a simple way to enjoy a healthy meal or snack for under $1 each.
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With your eyes closed, set an intention for the day. Make it positive and healthy (for example, “i will feel my very best today”, “i am bubbling with energy”, or “i make only healthy food choices”. repeat your intention to yourself five times.
Natalie Taylor, executive master personal trainer, Taylored Fitness
Claire Obeid, holistic
health and wellness coach, The Wellness Project instead of totally depriving yourself, because part of holidays is to relax and enjoy, try to ‘crowd out’ those indulgent meals/desserts/biscuits by filling up on delicious, nutritious options – think fresh fruit in tropical destinations, breakfast smoothies at hotels, and locally-caught seafood. also, after a meal, leave the table for 15 to 20 minutes and you’ll probably find your mind and stomach catch up and you’ll feel too full for dessert.
put flaxseed oil in your cosmetic case and have three teaspoons a day to stay healthy on the inside and look healthy on the outside thanks to abundant flavonoids and good omega-3 fats. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and hormone blockers, which can help you reach a healthy weight goal
pHotograpHy: tHinkstock
founder KX Pilates add strawberries to your champagne! the added vitamin c in your diet will combat any fatigue from partying the night before, give your immune system a boost and get you ready to tackle those post holiday blues when you arrive home!
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a room with a kitchen or at least a fridge and do a supermarket shop for fresh food as soon as you arrive. search online for a restaurant that is a good option for a healthy meal so you can avoid the desperat ion of trekking from establishment to establishment when you’re already tired and hungry and can’t come to agreement on where to eat. 3. TAKE SOME ‘GO TO’ SNACKS if POSSibLE. think protein powder or
bars, or portions of nuts... particularly if you’re travelling for business and will be stuck inside a venue for extended periods, at the mercy of catering and tempting muffins and bowls of sweets.
Dr Nader Malik, dentist,
5. SChEDuLE SOME ACTivE ACTiviTiES bEfORE yOu LEAvE. actually book
keeping your smile strong and healthy is just as important for summer as a flat stomach! i recommend eating three key ‘greens’ – kiwi fruit, as one supplies 100 per cent of your daily vitamin D intake and will help protect your gums; celery, which is ideal for preventing cavities, and green tea to prevent plaque and bad breath.
them so you’re committed. Holidays are a great opportunity to try adventurous new things. now you’ve locked and loaded the adrenaline pumping component, it’s time to make a conscious effort to walk wherever possible – you’ll see so much at a slower pace and holidays are also a great opportunity to step down a gear and truly appreciate all the beauty around you.
Happy Teeth
accredited practising dietitian and author
Ensure your lunch and dinner plate is half filled with vegetables, raw or cooked. applied at restaurants, cafes, and at the buffet table, this simple rule controls kilojoules and boosts nutrition.
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must-dos’, not vague goals that are too easy to let slip on holidays, such as how frequently you will exercise and your strategies when eating out. For example: lunch in and dinner out, 1 serving at the buffet where you prioritize salad and veggie room on the plate, making a restaurant booking to avoid excess nibbling and pre dinner drinks while waiting for a table, dessert or wine.
or find someone who can put one together for you. there really is a lot you can do with zero or minimal props but if you don’t have it sorted prior to the trip the odds of it happening are near non-existent.
Nicole Senior,
www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au
1. SET yOuR STANDARDS PRiOR TO LEAviNG. standards are the ‘absolutely
4. PREPARE A 15-20 MiNuTE hOTEL ROOM bODy wEiGhT wORKOuT
and reduce the risk of many diseases.
Aaron Smith,
avoid stacking on the kay-gees on holiday by sticking to the six ps! as Brian tracy says, ‘proper prior planning prevents poor performance’.
2. SOuRCE SOME hEALThy EATiNG OPTiONS iN ADvANCE. if possible, get
Carolyn Creswell,
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Kate Galli, NLP practitioner and body coach, Mindset for Transformation
Women’s Health & Fitness
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