6 HEALTHY HOLIDAY HABITS YOU SHOULD TAKE HOME WITH YOU

The Healthy Holiday Habits You Should Maintain Everyday

That post holiday glow is something I just wish I could bottle. It’s not just the sun kissed skin and general removal of otherwise engraved frown lines. It’s something more than that. Holidays leave me feeling well, healthy, and like my body has been topped up with goodness. And yes, the sun has an awful lot to do with that of course (I am a sunshine worshipper through and through) but there are a couple of other holiday habits that I think help create this magic holiday formula, and best of all, a lot of them can be carried on back home with just a little conscious effort.

6 HEALTHY HOLIDAY HABITS YOU SHOULD TAKE HOME WITH YOU

Plenty of Water

Lets start with water. I’m the absolute worst person at remembering to drink water day to day. Its funny how my body can’t let me forget my daily coffee or two, but water sadly can get left to the way side far tok often. Yet on holiday, this all changes. Somehow i guzzle back bottles of water like no tomorrow, most the time because it’s simply there. Water is like magic juice, your body, skin and mind just love it, and so getting enough water is a must … and not just on holiday! Grab yourself a nice water bottle that you can top up each day & carry on you at all times. You’ll be surprised how much more you drink when it’s there.

Walk Everywhere

Cars, tubes, taxi’s, buses … as long as it requires no energy or effort, i’ll take it. We over rely on transport in the UK (and around the world I’m sure too), it’s easy, reliable (sometimes) and effortless. We hop on and off daily without a second thought as to a more healthy alternative. But don’t you find on holiday you just seem to walk everywhere? I recently invested in a fitbit (i seriously need to get my butt in gear and this felt like the reality shock I needed) and it’s amazing how much more active i’ve been on holiday despite spending most days lounging on the sea front. And the reason why, walking! I for one will be trying to get a little more walking into my daily routine when i’m back home, whether that’s through going the scenic route or swapping out public transport for a more active route to work.

Fresh Food

I’m a foodie for sure, but just like everyone, when busy life takes over I too find myself going to easy (less healthy) meal options and ditching that freshly made salad for that snack on the go. But on holiday, half the joy is in tasting and enjoying locally produced, fresh, healthy, organic food. A simple rocket salad with pomegranate and avocado was my daily lunch in Zakynthos. Its so simple there’s no excuse not to carry on this tradition back home.

SPF Moisture

You want to know my terrible guilty secret? 99.9% of the year I don’t body moisturise. Good lord I hear you cry. Theres just something about moist skin and rushing to get dressed each morning that doesn’t do it for me (do you know what I mean?). But on holiday, well i’m lathered up multiple times each day to keep my skin protected and hydrated, and not just moisturised, totally SPF covered too. Despite the fact sunshine is a myth in the UK, it’s still really important to use SPF & keep your skin hydrated … so this is one holiday habit I am going to try my hardest to maintain once I land back on home soil.

Reading Time

Whilst maintaining my human rotisserie on holiday, I am also quite talented at getting thorough a book or 6. I can spend the entire day rotating myself and turning pages of whatever novel i’ve got stuck into with absolutely no problems. Yet in the UK I just can’t seem to start a book and finish it. Any spare time I have seems to be taken with emails, errands and just the day to day grind. But I know full well how relaxing and therapeutic reading is for me, so If i’m not ditching the tube for walking (see point 2) then it’s about time I put that commute to some good use. Even a couple of pages before bed allows you to unwind and switch off from work. Challenge yourself to read a book a month & see how you get on.

Proper Rest

Now every holiday is different, but on a good summer holiday I am guaranteed to be in bed by 11pm most nights (old right). Theres just something about the sunshine that makes me wake up early, and feel the need to sleep early too. This habit is something I just wish I could carry on back home (at home I end up working until late & then struggling to wake up each morning). A solid 8 hours of sleep makes waking up at 7am so much easier to handle, and more than that waking to day light and sunshine naturally makes the whole morning struggle so much easier. Set yourself a goal of bed by 10pm (even if you read a book until 1030pm) and make sure you get 8 hours sleep, you’ll feel so much more refreshed than a restless 5-6 hours. Another little trick I try and take back from holiday is leaving my curtains slightly ajar so I get a little sunshine leak in at sunrise  to wake me a little more naturally  and effectively than normal (anything to recreate that holiday vibe).

So there you have it, 6 super simple, but super healthy holiday habits that we all have on holiday, that we should all work a little harder to maintain when the holiday is over and normality returns. I for one am going to be working super hard to ensure I drink enough water and maintain my walking each day (10k a day is my goal), as for 8 hours sleep, just try and stop me.

Do you have any holiday habits you try and maintain day to day? Have these points inspired you to look after yourself a little more than normal, or are you already a master of healthy living? I’d love to know if you have any other tips and recommendations too?