Taking a break..
It's the time for summer holidays and sometimes that means taking a break from your regular fitness. It does for me anyway as there is no way I can fit my rowing machine, 3 kids and the kitchen sink in the car!
So what do you do? Well here are a few ideas that will help you decide whether you want to rest, move or really workout! The first option is simply have a rest! Yes you heard me right, give your body a holiday and some real time to recover from all the stresses you’ve put it through in the past 6 months. It's a difficult option to choose for the athlete who trains 6 days a week,and has a massive goal set in stone that they are working towards. The feelings of guilt about not moving or getting that workout done will be difficult to ignore but its definitely an option.
The second choice is to do something but not your regular session. This could be a hike, jog, or swim, any of these will get your metabolism moving and those endorphins released. My advice would be to get it done early before your holiday activities start, then its out of the way and you can enjoy the rest of the day!
The final idea I have for you is to take equipment with you, maybe you have a TRX suspension trainer; these are great for making exercise more mobile. Clip it on to a climbing frame in a kids playground and you can have a workout finished in 20-30min. Or take some kettlebells with you (only if your travelling by car obviously!) these are great for a quick all body session combining strength and cardio, and for me my favourite piece of holiday fitness equipment. They are my preferred way of exercising whilst away and there's no gym in sight, along with bodyweight moves such as burpees - yuk - awful but so worth it in the end!
So you see you can still get your workout even whilst your away. What I would say - and yes I do have to remind myself of this - that ultimately its a holiday, a time where you spend some quality family time do don’t beat yourself up if you don’t manage a workout. Play with the kids instead, have a dip in the sea or pool or just lie back soak up the rays and let those tired muscle rest. Your only away for a short time then it's back to reality so enjoy!!