When I jetted off on holiday in October, I got chatting to a stranger sat next to me on my flight. Upon learning what I do for a living, she innocently asked, “Oh, so will you be training whilst you’re on holiday?”. I responded with a laugh, a firm “no”, and the further thoughts below. Here’s why I, as a personal trainer, generally don’t train when I’m on holiday…
All bodies need breaks
Taking time out from exercise tends to freak people out. They obsess over the fallacy that they’ll “fall off the wagon” and “not get back into it” or “lose progress”. The latter is particularly incorrect – you didn’t make progress in a week or two, so you’re also not going to lose it all in the same period of time. If your exercise routine is well-established, and you’re committed to attending PT sessions or group fitness classes, you have a plan to return to.
We should all be taking days off each week anyway, having a week off is just an extension of that. Your body needs the hard reset that this offers, and having had a decent rest, you’ll probably feel a lot better once you do go back to training. Had you also considered the vague possibility that you’ll miss it? Only one way to find out…
Everyone deserves to relax and enjoy themselves
More importantly than the physiology of taking a break from progressive overload, there’s the bonus that we, as human beings, are all entitled to enjoy our lives. Alright, some of us like training some of the time (anyone who says they love it every single day should be regarded with suspicion – we aren’t machines), but for the majority of us, training isn’t our entire life. We have things outside of the gym or training environment that we like to do.
Such as sitting on the beach with a drink in one hand and an ice cream in the other whilst we chat to our best friend and people watch.
If exercise is genuinely part of relaxing for you, and you don’t need a week off at the moment, go ahead and train whilst you’re away. When I travel on business, I tend to train, as it helps me to maintain a sense of personal space and time. But when I’m on holiday, I’m on holiday.
Travel often involves activity
For the vast majority of able-bodied people, travel naturally involves at least a little activity. Airports and other transport hubs tend to be large buildings. So you cover a decent distance transiting through them. When you arrive at your destination, you have to do the same again, and often more when navigating a public transport system.
It may then be the case that you “flop” having flown, but not all trips involve sitting on a beach or beside a pool all day. And even those ones involve ambling around a resort to source food. City breaks in particular are high in activity – walking between sites, making your way to that must-try restaurant, bar-hopping, or wandering around taking pictures at the coolest spots. I find that I cover a huge distance when I’m exploring somewhere new, because I’m doing just that!
And yes, as one friend put it, there are regular stops for cake, or ice cream, or local delicacies. But the majority of us don’t walk all day during our average schedule, so to be on the move from the moment we leave our accommodation in the morning until we return later in the day is worthy of being broken up.
This is all without having considered that you might try other activities whilst away. Cycling, kayaking, horse riding, sailing, and visiting water parks are popular activities in many destinations, and there are far more options besides. It’s rare that you’ll spend an entire week sat spectacularly still.
Did I train whilst away on holiday?
Not this time. I didn’t feel the need, or urge. I was far too busy catching up with a friend who I’d been separated from for five years. We walked lots whilst catching up. We laughed even more. And we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The gym was waiting for me when I got home, and I was ready to go back to it. You will be too.