“What do I do now?”

This is the question my students ask me at this time of year and the answer, as is the case most of the time when it comes to questions related to physical exercise, is “it depends”. If we are talking about athletes with a competition coming up after the holidays, I give them a specific plan so that they can continue the work they have done up until that point. If we are talking about the majority of students who do not have competitive goals or athletes who are far from the competition period, my answer is “stay active”.

And by staying active, I don’t mean going for a walk after sitting for 2 hours in the hotel restaurant eating half of the buffet. In fact, going for a walk is a positive thing, but not enough for those who practice regular, guided physical exercise. I suggest that you take advantage of your vacation time to escape the rigid planning that you normally do at the training center you frequent. Rent a bike to get around the location you chose for your vacation, do some SUP, swim, run, do short circuits, etc. If you choose a hotel with a gym and do CrossFit, try some weight training. If you train at a gym the rest of the year, try doing short WODs with simple exercises. Escape a little from the routine you have the rest of the year, but don’t lose the habit of doing regular exercise. I have the 3-day rule, which means never going 3 days in a row without doing physical exercise. On the one hand, it will minimize the “damage” caused by an increase in calorie intake that normally occurs during this period, and on the other hand, it will allow you to return to your training routine and make it simpler.

Don’t let your training interfere with your family’s holiday plans. There are two times of the day when I recommend training during your holidays to prevent this from happening. For those who prefer to get up early and are used to training in the morning, the time before breakfast is the best time because you can still have breakfast with your family and plan the rest of the day without having to commit to training. For those who sleep in a little longer, the end of the afternoon when you are usually bored from being at the beach or pool but still have some time before dinner is the best time to fill your training. And if the place you choose for your holiday doesn’t have a gym, it’s easy. Nowadays there is super portable equipment that takes up little space, such as elastic bands, suspension training straps, skipping ropes, etc., which you can easily take with you and which allow you to have a huge number of different exercise possibilities and routines so that you can “stay active” and work on different motor skills during your holidays.

Happy training and happy holidays

Joel Marques

Personal Trainer
@joelmarquespt