8 Ways to Stay Active and Keep Exercise Interesting These Holidays! – Mitchell Pateman AEP

I am sure most of us can relate when I say sticking to an exercise routine over the holidays can be challenging. However, staying consistent with exercise is important for several reasons such as reducing your chronic disease risk, improve mental health, maintaining or improving muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. So here are some ways to break up a monotonous exercise routine and keep you enjoying your exercise over the holiday period.

  1. Exercise with a friend
    Exercising with a friend or family member can be a simple trick to help make your session more enjoyable.
  2. Take you session outdoors
    Exercising outdoors is not only good for a change of scenery, but it is great for the mental health. Try moving your session to the park or the beach for something different.
  3. Join a group session

Group sessions are great for social interaction and have been shown to allow people to work harder with less perceived effort!

  1. Try a new form of exercise
    While you are on holidays it might be a good chance to change things up. For instance, if you are on a beach holiday try going for a long swim, snorkel, or a paddle board.
  2. Try game-based exercise
    Sport is a great way to exercise and have fun at the same time, why not try getting your family and friends together for something like a game of football or tennis while on holiday.
  3. Go on a scenic walk or run
    Why not incorporate your exercise routine with seeing the sights on your holiday. Look up popular hiking tracks or bike trails and explore!
  4. Look into physical activity-based attractions while on holidays
    Many tourist locations have fun activities such as rock climbing or mountain bike tours which can be great forms of physical activity.
  5. Plan your workouts and set exercise goals
    If you intend on staying active while on holiday it is important to plan and set targets for what you wish to achieve. Remember something is better than nothing when it comes to exercise, and an effective exercise session does not need to take hours out of your day.

As always if you would like further information regarding safe and effective exercise speak with an accredited exercise physiologist.