Here’s to happy, healthy holidays!

Holidays can often mean a holiday from healthy living. Unfortunately, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Your body will still remember the consequences of everything you eat, drink and do (or not do), even if the details remain foggy in your mind.
But you don’t have to suffer a post-holiday health hangover and find your pleasure giving way to pain when you return home and jump on the scales. Here, Sally Symonds, Fitness Expert at www.rescu.com.au, shares her top tips to help ensure that your holidays are both happy…and healthy:
1. Try to get in tip-top shape before you go – If you’re feeling trim and terrific when you leave for your holiday not only will you look super fabulous in your bikini, you’ll also be much more likely to maintain your healthier habits while you’re away (because you’ll remember all the hard work that went into getting fit in the first place!)
2. Choose your accommodation carefully – Pick a hotel with a gym, pool, tennis court, or one that’s near scenic tracks for walking or running. Some hotels even provide guests with the option of booking fit or workout rooms, which have their own fitness equipment – so you can exercise in your pyjamas if you want to!

Alternatively, many of the most effective exercises (such as squats, lunges, planks and push-ups) require very little space and no equipment other than your own body weight (or suitcase if you’re particularly strong).

3. Integrate some healthy experiences into your trip – Pre-book a hiking tour, bridge climb or other adventure activity that ensures you’ll keep active while having fun when you’re away – bonus!

4. Before indulging in extra eats and drinks, always ask yourself, “is it worth it?” – Sometimes it is, but often it’s not. Trying new foods and local delicacies is surely one of the most enjoyable aspects of travel, and you can still taste test and stay healthy – just be mindful of how much you eat. You’ll enjoy a few select morsels much more if you don’t overdo it and end up regretting your indulgences afterwards.

5. Choose your alcoholic drinks wisely – Remember that free drinks aren’t free of calories! You don’t have to avoid alcohol all together, but try substituting a calorie-laden tipple with healthier alternatives, and stick to one or two drinks at a sitting. Swap sugary soft drink mixers for soda water and lime, or choose a low-carb beer brand . Also consider walking a few laps of the swim-up bar with your cocktail in hand, and you won’t feel quite so guilty when you drink it!

Keen to kick-start your health? Well holidays can actually be one of the best times to lose weight because you’re less stressed, so your body produces less cortisol, the fat-storing stress hormone.

Holidays can also mean more time to exercise and more opportunities to exercise in different ways (which enhances the body’s neuromuscular stimulation, making your exercise more effective). And you can take advantage of having healthy food prepared for you – fruit salad always tastes nicer when someone else has done all the chopping and dicing!