Happy and Healthy Holidays

We all want to let our hair down and unwind on holiday – but how do you do this without coming home feeling bloated, shattered and needing serious detoxification support?!

Holiday is a time to let loose, so why not try some of these tips to keep feeling good both whilst you are away and when you return?

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Of course, we should drink more water in hot temperatures, but an often-forgotten factor of hydration involves replacing lost electrolytes. Minerals like sodium and chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium get lost through our sweat, and need to be replaced. A little sea salt (rather than table salt, which just contains sodium and chloride) can be easily added to food to help replace these.

2. Take it all in your stride!

One of the wonderful things about holiday is the freedom from the schedules and time pressures we face in regular life. This makes it a perfect opportunity to take leisurely walks, along the beach front, to explore the sights etc.

Bonus points if you take a walk after lunch or dinner– moving your body after a meal can help to support insulin and blood sugar control – great for weight management and sustained energy levels.

3. Skip the snacks!

A change of scenery and pace can be a great opportunity to ditch some familiar, yet not-so-healthy habits. Allowing mealtimes to be more of an event (sitting in a nice restaurant or café) rather than a grabbing a quick sandwich at the desk or eating dinner in front of the TV) encourages mindful eating and a greater feeling of satisfaction after your meal. Less boredom and stress may also make you less inclined to snack between meals. Make the most of this pattern, and see how you get on! If it works for you, try and keep it up when you get home.

4. Try something new or pick up something old

Whether it’s with the kids, with your partner, friends or on your own – a holiday can be a great time to try something new and active! Paddle boarding or surfing can be fun water activities, and if you don’t fancy walking all the time, why not hire a push bike?

5. Have a sober or light day…

Whether you are going down the all inclusive route or not, it’s easy to lose track of alcohol units whilst you are on holiday. By all means, enjoy your wine, beer or cocktails, but consider how much you feel you really need to unwind or let your hair down? As well as alternating your alcoholic drinks with water, consider one or two days without any alcohol, or even just try skipping the day drinks and having less evening drinks.

6. Look after your tummy.

A dodgy tummy isn’t fun at the best of times, and it’s especially unwelcome when on holiday! Unfortunately a number of factors can increase the likelihood of travellers diarrohea so there are some precautions you can take in addition to drinking from bottled water etc. Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast supplement that can protect against traveller’s diarrhoea both as a preventative measure and treatment. Enterosgel is also useful to pack in case of diarrhoea. Generally speaking, with an acute gastrointestinal infection, it’s a case of “better out than in”, but the compounds in this can help to bind to bacterial toxins in the gut.

7. Feed your mind

Sunbathing is always a good time to read and it’s great to get absorbed in a good book, which is great for relaxation. For many of us, once we get back to reality books slowly get replaced by the TV screen. Why not set aside some wind down reading time for when you get home?

And if personal development is on the agenda, then the change of scenery and interruption to the regular routine can be a great opportunity to really take in a self help book and planning to make positive changes to your day to day life when you get home can be a great way to get rid of the post-holiday blues!

Whether you’re having a staycation, travelling far afield or just taking some downtime this summer - enjoy, relax and stay healthy! x

Happy and Healthy Holidays

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