How to Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday

So we have all done it. You’re are on holiday. The sun is shining, the drinks are flowing and the all-inclusive food is surrounding you wherever you look. You had all good intentions of keeping all that pre-holiday weight off, heading to the hotel gym on a daily basis and making the most of the fitness classes. But that all fell at the wayside as soon as you arrived at the hotel and decided that the most you would be doing over the next 2 weeks was walking from the pool side to the bar. After all, you’re feeling stressed out from your life back at home and you’ve come on holiday to forget all your troubles and really enjoy yourself.

But holidays don’t have to be a time to overindulge and be lazy. Yes, you want a relaxing time away in the sun, but holidays can actually be a really great time to rejuvenate. You can maintain your health and wellbeing on holiday, and return home feeling like a new person! Wanna know how? Here are some of my tips!

Sleep – holidays can be a great time to catch up on sleep. No I don’t mean lying in until midday every day, but by getting some good quality sleep in a nice comfy bed, you will feel so much better for it.

Exercise – exercise = endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. When you’re on holiday, there are lots of different types of exercise you can do, whatever your fitness level is. Perhaps a swim in the pool, or a walk around the local town? Or if you’re feeling really energetic, you might want an early morning run across the sea front and watch the sun rise. There are many different options.

Yoga and meditation – yoga is a great way to improve both your body and you mind. Improve your core strength, focus on your breathing, and switch off from the world for a little while. When you combine this with meditation, you will feel in a much better place. Why not visit a yoga school or a retreat, such as in the very beautiful Tuscany. There are a range of different locations and types of yoga to choose from to allow you to have your perfect holiday.

 

 

Eat well – it’s so important to eat well whilst you’re on holiday, making sure you nourish your body. You also need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in the sun and particularly if you’re exercising. There is so much incredible fresh, tasty food to be had worldwide, that will make you feel so much better from the inside out.

Gratitude – if you read this blog, you’ll know I’m a fan of practising gratitude (see What are you grateful for today? ). Doing so is known to improve your emotional well-being and physical health. Why not record just 3 things you’re grateful for before bed. It only needs to be in a small notepad so you don’t need to worry about it taking any room up in your case! You’ll wake up feeling much happier, and will find yourself noticing more things that make you grateful throughout the day, no matter how small they are.

Smile! – it may seem like an obvious one, but by smiling more, you feel happier. Plus, smiles are contagious, so the more people you smile at, the better everyone else will feel!

Self care – it is important to carry on with your self-care routine on holiday. Perhaps you could go for a massage. Or maybe put a face mask on? What about having a manicure or someone styling your hair for you? These are just a few little things you can do for yourself to make you feel better and a bit more pampered and taken care of. Combined with many of the other points on this list, you will feel so much better after your time away.

Switch off from social media – easier said than done, but when you’re on holiday, you need to try take a break from your busy life and that includes what all your friends are up to back at home. This is a time for you, and Facebook will still be there once you get home. Sure, you can take a few snaps of your time away to catch some of your holiday memories, but they don’t need to be uploaded to Instagram until you get back home.

Read that book you’ve not had chance to – I don’t know about you, but I rarely get time to read at home, there always seems to be too much going on. However, holidays are the perfect time for reading. And if there isn’t enough room in your case for a whole wad of books, simply add some to your Kindle and slip that in instead.

Learn a new skill – holidays can be a great time to learn a new skill. Perhaps you want to pick up the language of the country you are stopping in, or learn some new yoga poses to add to your repertoire, why not do it whilst you’re away? You might feel inspired to carry on learning once you get home.

Set and review goals – having a break from your ‘everyday life’ might allow you to put your life into perspective – are you living the life you always dreamed of? If not, what could you do this year to help you achieve it? You might want to make a dream board when you get home to help with this.

So theses are just a few things you can do on holiday to feel a bit happier and healthier. Will you be doing any of these things on your next holiday? Do you have any other tips for a rejuvenated holiday? Leave them in the comments!

Until next time…

Jean xoxo

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