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Take a Break from the City Chaos and Plan a Health & Fitness Holiday
Living and working in the city can easily enough become chaotic and take a toll on our health and wellbeing. We are all living these fast paced lives without even taking a second to stop and look round. Many of us find it hard to take the time to slow down, focus on ourselves and let our bodies and minds relax and recover and it is no wonder with traffic jams, train delays, crowds and long hours at work. We can easily become overworked, overwhelmed and stressed and neglect to take the time out for ourselves. Over time, this can have a negative impact on our bodies and mental health so it is crucial that we make the ‘me’ time happen.
HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR ME
There are a number of ways to relax, the trick is to make the time for yourself. For example you could:
Park the car further than normal and walk
Never eat your lunch at your desk – take the time to sit in a park and unwind
Spend at least 10 minutes a day meditating and you can do this as you walk
Get up a little earlier and watch the sunrise
Make time for exercise
Learn to turn off work when you get home. For many these days this isn’t possible with mobile phones, messages and emails, but there needs to be a strong line between home and work
As well as trying to incorporate some ‘me’ time in our everyday lives there are other ways to relax and unwind and planning a holiday is one of the best ways to do this. Most of us plan a trip to Europe or maybe an escape to a tropical island to soak up the sun, sand and cocktails but have you ever planned to take a Health & Fitness Holiday? I’m not talking about joining a guru on some hippy retreat because these days there are a whole range of fantastic health and fitness travel options as well as the usual spas and yoga retreats.
If you do some research you will find plenty of great health and wellness packages that are designed to do just this - help you relax, unwind, detox, de-stress and really focus on YOU.
It can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right wellness holiday, there are so many options, locations and packages available it can be hard to decide one that is right for you. When it comes down to it, you need to decide what you are hoping to achieve from this holiday and what your main goals are. If you are aiming to achieve physical and emotional wellbeing on the holiday, a yoga retreat would be a great option. If you are looking to improve your fitness levels and implement a healthier lifestyle, one of the fitness retreats would be perfect. Maybe you would like to improve your tennis, golf or other sporting skills? The options are endless when it comes to taking a holiday that focuses on a healthier and more relaxed you.
MY TOP TIPS FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS TRAVEL GOALS
Firstly, jot them down on a piece of paper and make sure your goals are realistic.
Secondly, break these down into smaller tasks that will help you achieve them. For example - if my goal was to lose 5kg, that would be my main goal. Then I would break this down into tasks that I can do day by day that will help to achieve it - exercise 3 times a week, cut down take out food to once a week, increase water intake to 2L per day etc. These tasks are achievable and will help me to get to that overall goal. If you don’t think you can accomplish the little tasks each week, your goal may not be realistic and you may find it hard to commit to, so I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep our goals realistic and achievable.
Think ahead about what sort of food will be available on your fitness holiday; it’s a bit pointless going to get fit and healthy if you are going to be eating unhealthy food.
Take some resistance bands for stretching on long flights
Plan your holiday so that you also get to enjoy some sightseeing and the local culture.
CHOOSING A DESTINATION
Now, it’s time to decide your location! With an extensive (and I mean extensive) list of spectacular destinations to choose from you may find it hard to pick just one! With destinations all over the world, including the Caribbean, Africa & The Indian Ocean, Europe, The Americas, Australasia, Asia and the Middle East you are truly spoilt for choice. It comes down to personal preference. If you enjoy walking in nature, or swimming in the ocean, choose a destination that caters for this. Even though the main focus of your holiday is for health and wellness, you should pick a place that you will truly enjoy spending time in. It will highly increase the value of your time off.
You may choose to stay in Australia for a health and fitness holiday, after all we have fantastic weather, amazing beaches and we Aussies love being outdoors.
HEALTH & FITNESS TRAVEL IDEAS
Detox and weight loss. These holidays are perfect for getting your body back in shape and especially to help prevent illness.
Bootcamps. Excellent for those who want to get their fitness levels up.
Yoga retreats. A great way to start to learn about yoga or for those who want to take their practice to a higher level.
Ayurveda retreats. Perfect to rejuvenate and for those who have bee suffering from an illness.
Medical i.e. stop smoking, sleep enhancement, post illness recovery
Sports and adventure i.e. cycling, skiing, golf, tennis water sports etc
Surfing holidays.
TRAVEL TIPS
Take out travel insurance before you leave. If you are planning to do things like water sports, hang gliding etc make sure that your policy will cover you for these activities.
Respect the local laws and customs of the country you are visiting, it’s best to do a little research before your trip to understand what could be offensive in some countries and could land you in trouble.
Visit your doctor before you travel and get appropriate vaccinations.
Leave copies of your travel documents with a relative or friend.
Ensure your passport is valid and you have a visa if necessary.
Give your itinerary to someone
Make sure you have the number of the local Consulate in case of emergency.
Don’t take risks when travelling
Grace is a Personal Trainer at Bondi Beach and a contributor to Sydney Chic, find out more at www.gracecarrpt.com
