With it now being September, a lot of you will have presumably had your summer holidays by this point. If so, you will have hopefully got plenty out of your time away (even if, owing to cost or practical pressures, it might have been more a case of spending time away from your desk, than the UK).
Whatever the situation for you, there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you might have overdone it a touch on some of the classic holiday indulgences. You know what we mean – things like snacking left, right and centre, or snoozing the hours away in a holiday resort instead of staying committed to the fitness routine to which you’re accustomed at home.
Well, presuming you are now back at home (or whatever ‘home’ now is in today’s world of widespread remote working), you might be appreciative of a few tips to help you get back into a fitness groove. Below are some of our suggestions.
Don’t feel guilty about what you did on holiday
Once you’ve returned from your vacation, it’s time to consider your vacation as being ‘in the past’ – because it is.
Even if you didn’t exercise at all on your break, or ate too much unhealthy food, your return is the perfect moment to declare a ‘clean slate’ and refuse to carry those negative feelings any further. In fact, it gives you a great opportunity to begin measuring your results as you get started on a new fitness journey (or a fresh chapter of your existing one).
Get moving again, even if things aren’t perfect at first
There’s a saying that “anything worth doing is worth doing badly at first” – and here at Hybryd, we certainly believe that when it comes to exercise.
Obviously, if you had a reasonably physically active break, this advice won’t apply so much to you – but if you did simply “slob out” on your holiday, now is the time to get moving again, so that you can start burning those accumulated calories.
That said, if you’ve just spent a few days or a week doing almost nothing on the exercise front, it’s probably a good idea to avoid all vigorous exercise for your first week or so back home.
Low-intensity exercises, such as walking, swimming, and cycling on an exercise bike, could be great for easing yourself back in, with a target of about 30 to 60 minutes’ exercise a day. You can then gradually work up the intensity of your fitness activities after that first week.
Put together a fitness plan and schedule
Just in case the advice we’ve given so far might have given the impression that the key to post-holiday exercise success is simply to ‘take things easy’, we thought we would also emphasise the importance of being deliberate with your approach to exercise. That, at the very least, means deciding on a plan.
Whether you’re trying to get back into a previous fitness routine, or you’re coming up with something entirely new, whatever you decide needs to be informed by your current health, age, diet, goals, and other variables.
Your schedule and the amount of free time you have will also be a great influence, of course. So, it’s a good idea to take the time now to research the fitness classes near you, and to consider which ones would suit your exercise objectives, at the same time as conceivably fitting in well with your other life commitments. Remember that online ‘on-demand’ fitness classes are widespread these days, so it’s not necessarily a case of only looking for classes that might be held in traditional brick-and-mortar premises.
And of course, you shouldn’t forget that you will likely stand a better chance of remaining committed to a particular physical activity in the long term, if it is one you genuinely enjoy. That might mean putting regular gym visits in the diary, or cycling to work, or even taking on something quirkier like a dance class. The choice is yours.
Finally, another choice you will have to make, is where to purchase your fitness attire. If you like the idea of purchasing high-quality, but also affordable workout clothing online from an independent British brand, the Hybryd range of vests, tees, joggers, shorts, and other essentials could be well worth exploring – especially given the free UK delivery we also provide on all orders.
