As you arrive at the airport there is always something you think you have forgotten. Let the cat out? Check. Unplugged the TV? Check. Packed the Kid’s Suncream? Check. Packed an anorak and suitable concealing clothing? Check.
I just got back from my ‘RnR’ there this week. And it was just that – a time to unwind and spend quality time with the family.
However, it was clear that with just about every couple we met the fear of gaining weight was still there in the forefront of their minds despite being surrounded by beautiful, relaxing and calming surroundings.
I am not surprised. It is fuelled by the whole calories in/calories out MYTH that equates sloth and overeating as the FASTEST way to gain weight. You know ‘Do little and eat a lot and you will gain weight’.
These are symptoms of a deeper underlying cause of disrupted body chemistry from the lack of nourishment and movement NOT the cause.
I felt sorry for these individuals. No matter where they went, no matter what they did they felt fat.
There are some practical strategies you can deploy though to ensure that you can do to stay healthy, fit and vibrant on holiday.
My favourite strategy was doing nothing! If you are use to running around like a mad-man all day every day then this is the time to calm the senses and do nothing for a week. Hormonally, you are giving your stress hormones a chance to come back down to where they should be and not caught in wild pandemonium 24/7.
If you are eating at the buffet get breakfast right. Load up on some eggs or some fresh oily fish, a salad and throw in an avocado that you bought from the supermarket if they don’t have it. Wash it down with some mint tea and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and you will be set for the day and not taking a trip down the blood sugar roller coaster-ride that forces you to crave the breads, sweets and ice-creams.
One lady who was complaining about her weight and her child having 5 ice-creams before ‘feeling sick’ and coming down with some ‘strange vomiting bug’ always loaded up on the pastries and full Irish every morning.
There is a link between what you eat and how you feel, emotionally and physically. Why would you want to feel stink on your holiday??
Another reason for the large amount of olive oil (and no it wont make you fat – the breads, cereals, pastries and sweets do that) is for protecting your skin from sun exposure. A large dose of Vitamin C, fish oil 2 weeks before and olive oil during your holiday will ensure that you don’t get sunburnt with your skin ending up looking like corrugated cardboard.
Another good habit is to stay hydrated. Make sure you have a bottle of water with you all of the time. You should be doing this anyway but it is essential. You will be exposed to toxins that your body isn’t used to and despite your best efforts you need to keep the detoxification channels running like the River Liffey and not like a muck-stream.
Try and get a litre of water inside you before you leave in the morning. The more dehydrated you are the more likely you are to retain fluid.
Cycle your carb intake too. Stick to veggies, fats and proteins on two days and then have your dessert and ice-creams on day 3. Do you need a dessert every day? Not really. Skip the bread basket too. Carbs add to the bloat.
We were very lucky with the location of our hotel this holiday as everything was in walking distance and the promenade was beautiful. We must have racked up the ‘walk-miles’ and this can only help.
First thing in the morning and last thing at night (to get the kids sleepy) were great occasions to get some quality down time and also to get moving for an hour each time. If you rack this up over the course of the week and it can add up to a lot.
For all you gym junkies out there I used the time to crank out some beach sprints first thing in the morning alongside a circuit of TRX Exercises which is a neat little device that turns a lonely old palm tree into a gym. This was followed with a dip in the sea.
All in all it just goes to show that you need strategies over fads to get where you need to go.
John Lark is a fat loss specialist. Go to his web site www.john-lark.com and download his free report on ‘5 Most Effective Ways of Burning Fat’ or call 01-5052131.
