How to look after yourself while on holiday

Keeping up healthy habits during the summer can be a difficult task. Here’s how to do it.

Summer is the perfect time to disconnect from today’s frenetic pace of life and reconnect with yourself. But it’s also usually synonymous with overindulgence, chaotic schedules and dietary “cheats” which can have an extremely negative impact on physical, mental and emotional health if they go on too long. From SHA Wellness Clinic we invite you to change your mindset and use the summer to continue taking care of yourself, but in a different way than usual. If you follow the advice of our multidisciplinary team of experts, you’ll be able to enjoy your holidays without your physical, mental and emotional health suffering the consequences.

Nutrition

Let’s face it: we’re bound to overindulge. In fact, indulging in a treat from time to time is allowed, as long as it’s on an occasional basis. The problem is when the exception becomes the rule and you start abusing unhealthy alternatives such as fried foods, alcohol and sugars on a daily basis. The secret is balance. In other words, if you overindulged at lunch, make a light dinner based on fresh foods with purifying and antioxidant properties and a high water content that will keep you hydrated and help the body’s natural purification process. Cucumbers, green leafy vegetables, melon, watermelon, strawberries, apples, onions and garlic are great ways to achieve this. Our recommendation: seasonal salad and grilled fish with baked vegetables.

Exercise

Being hundreds of kilometres away from your gym and not being able to pack your dumbbells, bosu, kettlebell or mini trampoline is no excuse for forgetting about physical exercise. All you have to do is adapt your workout routine to your holiday destination. If you’re on the beach, play paddleball, take a swim, stroll along the shore or ride the waves on a surfboard. In the mountains? Go hiking, trekking or climbing. There’s an extra benefit to doing sport outdoors: reconnecting with nature. Finally, functional training is a good way to stay active on holiday because it is a well-rounded discipline that works the entire body and can be done anywhere.

Sleep

It’s normal to go to bed and get up later than usual during the holidays. Moreover, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed can affect sleep quality. This is a problem because restful sleep is a vital restorative mechanism that helps strengthen the immune system, improves cognitive abilities and mood, balances hormone levels, helps maintain a healthy weight and increases energy levels. For healthy sleep, try to have a light dinner at least two hours before going to bed, do moderate physical exercise, but never at night, avoid night-time activities in bed that make it difficult to get to sleep, such as watching TV or checking social media, and relax before going to bed by practising yoga, meditation or conscious breathing.