7 Tips for Staying Fit While on Holiday

Taking a well-deserved break, seeing new parts of the world, and getting the opportunity to do things that you would never ordinarily get to do – going on a holiday is hands down one of the best ways to both broaden your horizons and improve your mental well-being.

With this in mind, holidays provide us with the chance to let our hair down, have a few drinks, and eat some delicious foods. Unfortunately, this can at times come with unwanted weight gain, and some associated declines in fitness – potentially leaving you in worse physical shape than when you first left.

But holidays don’t have to result in any negative health implications – in fact, by implementing the tips outlined in this article I would argue that you can get even more enjoyment on your holiday while maintaining your fitness easily and efficiently.

All it takes is a little bit of ‘smart’ work.

Explore the Local Area by Bike

Hiring a bike will offer a fantastic way of transportation that allows you to actually see the city in its entirety, rather than just visiting your hotel and the normal tourist hotspots. Rather than taking cabs from location to location (or going with those awful tour buses), riding a bike will allow you to explore a city and all it has to offer – getting you off the beaten track and into some exciting new places.

As a bonus, riding a bike is a fantastic form of exercise – allowing you to burn a heap of energy and maintain a good solid base of fitness throughout the duration of your holiday – all while seeing more of the city than you would have normally.

I should add that you don’t have to feel obligated to ride every single day, but if you do happen to have a few days where you want to see locations within close proximity to your hotel, then it is a great way to see the city and get some exercise in too.

Try out Some Unique Tours

Most holiday destinations have certain tour options that we just can’t find at home – and these often offer a great means of exercise as well as a unique travel experience.

By choosing to undertake a hiking tour, a zip line tour, a kayaking tour, or even a Segway tour, we will provide ourselves the chance to see a new location in a somewhat interesting light – while also experiencing something that we may never get the opportunity to do at home.

And the bonus? These often require a bit of hard work too – keeping us fit and healthy in the process.

Avoid the Hotel Breakfast Buffet

This tip is actually two-fold – while it is extremely convenient to stay in your hotel and eat at the breakfast buffet, this is a sure-fire way to overeat (which can lead to unwanted and unnecessary weight gain).

A much better option is to choose a breakfast café within walking distance and eat there.

In doing so we get to start our day with a small walk, greatly reduce our likelihood of overeating, and get to try some of the local cuisine. As a result, eating our breakfast at an external location offers a great way to try new things and keep fit in the process.

While at it, make sure that you are not only ordering food that comes straight out of a fryer. Try to choose something that is delicious but also keeps your body in good shape!

And as a bonus, I can guarantee the food will be soooo much better (and healthier) than what you will get in your hotel!

Let Your Hair down on a Night Out

This may sound counterintuitive, particularly as most people consider alcohol to be a very easy way to reduce fitness and gain some unwanted weight, but hear me out first.

When you go out at night, feel free to have a few drinks, then proceed to let your hair down and hit up some bars and night clubs – both of which give you a great opportunity to dance.

Dancing is an excellent form of exercise that burns a heap of calories and is obviously great fun as well. As a bonus, this will also give us the chance to check out all the unique and cool bars in the area.

Go for an Early Morning Swim

In my personal opinion, going for an early morning swim is one the absolute best way to start your day. It is extremely refreshing and relaxing at the same time, and you often leave the water feeling ready to tackle a day full of exploring.

By either hitting up the hotel pool or the local beach, you get to make the most of your location and start your day on a high note – while getting your metabolism fired up for the coming day.

Don’t Be Afraid to Check out the Local Gyms

Now this tip applies to those who enjoy training in the gym at home. Exercise offers a great way to release endorphins, relax the body, and keep you feeling happy – so if you actually enjoy working out (which many people do), then don’t be afraid the go to one of the local gyms in the area for a casual visit.

This will give you the chance to get some exercise in, potentially try out some new exercise equipment, and burn some energy.

With this, I would recommend that you opt for full body training sessions performed in a circuit like fashion, as this offers a great way to burn a heap of energy in a short amount of time.

Enjoy the Local Protein

Our last tip actually refers to eating right. Eating local cuisine is a great way to try new things and enjoy some foods that you wouldn’t normally eat. But we recommend eating meals that are built around a large source of protein (think poultry, fish, and red meat).

These foods are often delicious, extremely filling, and have the highest thermic effect of all foods (meaning they actually require a chunk of energy to break down and digest), making them a great option to avoid overeating and reduce our daily energy intake in the process.

And as a bonus? They are normally delicious!

Heading on holiday doesn’t mean your fitness has to take a hit. By implementing the tips outlined in this article you can see new parts of the city, experience new things, and taste some delicious new foods – all while burning calories and getting in some exercise.

And most of all, enjoy your holiday!

Contributor: Demmy James

is a fitness professional who believes in motivating people towards their personal health and fitness goals.