Staying healthy on holiday

Tara Jackson, ex-PA and holistic self-care and wellbeing coach, presents her top tips for staying healthy on holiday to mark the release of her new e-book Healthy Sunshine Holidays.

Staying healthy when you are away from home can be hard. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for work, for holidays with friends and family, or even just a short break away. It’s easy to get thrown when we are out of our normal routine and fall into habits of unhealthy eating and/or neglecting exercise.

With the summer holidays coming up, here are a few ways to help you keep on track and not completely ditch your routine.

Plan your exercise – Plan what exercise gear you will be taking with you so you don’t forget anything – trainers, tops, shorts, swimming suit, etc – whatever you wear for the activity you will be doing. Even things such as a travel yoga mat for your own exercise or perhaps some exercise DVDs to play on your laptop in your room are great items to pack.

Include family and friends while you exercise – For example, you could look for great routes for family walks and to get some sightseeing in while you’re exercising.

Download some apps – If you are a fan of apps, find some that work for you. Whether it is a food tracker, a quick workout, a yoga app, or guided meditations, they can be helpful for keeping you on track and motivated.

Have healthy snacks – Take some healthy snacks such as nuts, health bars (be on the lookout for added sugar in these), fruit, dried fruit and seeds with you so you don’t have to worry about making unhealthy choices while you’re travelling. Find out how far away the nearest supermarket is so you can stock up on healthy snacks, water and teas throughout your trip.

Be prepared for eating out – Look in to what restaurants are in the area and what their menus include, so when and if you do go out to eat you can choose somewhere with healthy food options.

Have something to keep you on track – Take an inspiring healthy book or some magazines with you to help keep you motivated.

Don’t be too hard on yourself – Remember that things may not always go to plan and don’t be too hard on yourself; you are on holiday after all.

Tara has just released an e-book called Healthy Sunshine Holidays, which is available for a discounted price of £7 (30% off) to PA Life readers.

The guide includes some tips and ideas for planning a healthy break, including staying active and eating well on holiday, motivation tips, plus organisation sheets to help set yourself up for healthy-holiday success.

There is also a bonus section on how to prevent some common holiday ailments and a few natural remedies and treatments.

It is available from bit.ly/healthysunshinehols – just enter code PALIFE to get your discount at the checkout.