Lisa Raleigh shares her 10-step plan for keeping you in shape during the summer
We know the last thing you want to focus on during the summer holiday is exercise, but we also know you don’t want to feel like an unfit blob come the new year. Lisa has some great advice to help you enjoy the silly season and start the new year in great shape!
1. Over-compensate with exercise before your holiday starts
Increase your training a week before you leave so that you are working out everyday for an hour at a high intensity. This increase will balance out a few weeks of reduced activity.
2. Eat clean the week before you go on holiday
Eliminate caffeine, wheat, dairy, meat, salt, processed/refined foods and sugar and increase your water intake by 500mls a day.
3. Pack your running/training gear
If you have it with you, there is no excuse! You will get the opportunity to exercise at some point during your holiday, and not being prepared is a poor excuse for not embracing it.
4. When booking your hotel, try to find one with a gym
It might seem fanatical at the time, but trust me – after 4 days of inactivity and some overindulgence, your body will be crying to move.
5. Pack a skipping rope
It’s highly effective as it uses every muscle in the body, burning a lots of kilojoules. Just 5-10 minutes once or twice a day will go a long way towards burning off indulgent holiday foods and keeping those muscle toned.
6. Double up fitness with family time
Get active with your kids and involve quality time with fun activities.
Engage in interactive sports together. If you can, set up a volleyball or badminton net in your garden, invite your children’s friends over and enjoy hours of activity together.
Biking, swimming and spending time at the beach together are all proactive and cost-effective ways to enjoy exercise as a family.
7. Every bit counts
If you are away on holiday, take a walk and explore your surroundings. Taking the stairs instead of the lift and using your legs rather than catching a taxi can burn over 2000 kilojoules a day!
8. Step it up
Get a pedometer and track how many steps you take each day. This is a great motivator to squeeze in a few extra steps when you wouldn’t normally, as you will be able to monitor your fitness levels daily.
9. 20 minutes is all you need
This workout will keep your muscles activated throughout your holiday so when you return you don’t feel like you are starting from scratch.
Push ups X 50 reps
Dip off the edge of your bed X 50 reps
Lunges X 40 reps alternating legs
Squats X 50 reps
Ab crunches to the front and side X 30 each way
Repeat this sequence if you feel you have the strength/time and end off with a 2-minute full body stretch.
10. Intensify regular exercises for faster effects
Explosive cardio
Rather than running on a flat plane, run up stairs – the steeper the better. The fire escape stairs are perfect for this!
Explosive squats
Practise regular squats holding onto a juice bottle filled with sand lengthways with both hands. Once you have squatted and almost risen back to your full height, throw your “weight” a small distance into the air, descending again as you catch it.
Paperplate eccentric lunges
Place your right foot on a paper plate. Lunge backwards with your right leg placing a lot of pressure on the plate, holding weighted objects at your side as you do so. Keep your knees at 90 degree angles at the bottom of the movement and your back straight. The tip to really working your butt is to move slowly as you return to the start position. Drag that leg! Repeat at least 10x on each leg. And then repeat on the other side!
Written by
Lisa Raleigh
TV personality, Author, Lifestyle and Wellness Expert
www.lisaraleigh.co.za
Twitter: @LisaRaleighSA
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