Women’s Health & Fitness 62 www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au

BUFFET BLOWOUT RISK: LOWDon’t let your holiday dash your hard work. We asked leading health experts to share their vacation strategies in a suitcase-friendly format you can take past customs

healthy holidays

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Greg Stark, founder, director and trainer, Better Beinga holiday is an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and allow your body to regenerate. cortisol is our body’s response to stress. incorporating recovery strategies to allow our body to reduce its levels of cortisol is imperative to good function. Having a massage, leisurely swim, yoga or meditation are great methods of reducing the impact of your built up stress and allow for optimal recovery. Move, but keep the heart rate below 60 per cent of its capacity. Deep abdominal breathing during exercise helps to slow heart rate and decrease stress hormones in the body, enhancing mood.

Laura Minford, health counsellor and manager, Urban Remedy Before you even hit the restaurant, ask yourself what you want to eat, then simply ask the waiter what they have that’s fresh and healthy and close to what you feel like eating. that way you won’t be tempted by the menu or buffet.

Greg Stark, founder,

Nikola Ellis, international yoga teacher, Adore Yogarunning yoga holidays

at resorts, i’m always

being tempted by the

buffet and poolside

cocktails, and use a

simple daily 5-minute

mindfulness practice to keep me in shape

– morning practice makes it easier to

make the right choices during the day.

mindfulness practice to keep me in shape

Dr Joe Kosterich, GP and author, drjoe.net.auEnjoy new and different foods whilst limiting portions, particularly at the buffet. Have small serves of different foods – quality rather than quantity.

Did you know you can do a complete exercise program using coconuts? Incorporate this tropical fruit into bicep curls, crunches, and front and side raises. You can also do push-ups and planks balancing on coconuts (taking care that they’re secure and won’t roll out from under you), and even coconut squats and shoulder presses.

-Jo Sharp, PT, SharpMoves Fitness

Dr Peter Dingle, author Take Control and Realise Your Potential to avoid overeating and have more energy to play on your holiday, start each meal with a salad, and end with a piece of fruit (especially tropical fruits rich in enzymes).

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www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au 63 Women’s Health & Fitness

Natalie Carter, PT, New Outlook FitnessUse your suitcase as part of your resistance workout when holidaying – it makes a great weight! perform squats, overhead presses and lunge twists while holding your suitcase or carry-on case. you can make the load heavier or lighter by adding or removing items.

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YOU TRY iT! Nikola Ellis’ ‘eat well’ mindfulness practice

1sit comfortably and take five deep breaths. as you inhale, sweep your arms up by your

sides, bringing your palms together overhead. as you exhale, bring the palms down together to your chest.

2With your eyes closed, set an intention for the day. Make it positive and healthy

(for example, “i will feel my very best today”, “i am bubbling with energy”, or “i make only healthy food choices”. repeat your intention to yourself five times.

Aaron Smith, founder KX Pilatesadd strawberries to your champagne! the added vitamin c in your diet will combat any fatigue from partying the night before, give your immune system a boost and get you ready to tackle those post holiday blues when you arrive home!

Nicole Senior, accredited practising dietitian and authorEnsure your lunch and dinner plate is half filled with vegetables, raw or cooked. applied at restaurants, cafes, and at the buffet table, this simple rule controls kilojoules and boosts nutrition.

Aaron Smith,Nicole Senior,accredited practising dietitian and authorEnsure your lunch and dinner plate is half filled with vegetables, raw or cooked. restaurants, cafes, and at the buffet table, this simple rule controls kilojoules and boosts nutrition.

Natalie Carter,Outlook FitnessUse your suitcase as part of your resistance workout when holidaying – it makes a great weight! squats, overhead presses and lunge twists while holding your suitcase or carry-on case. load heavier or lighter by adding or removing items.

Dr Nader Malik, dentist, Happy Teethkeeping your smile strong and healthy is just as important for summer as a flat stomach! i recommend eating three key ‘greens’ – kiwi fruit, as one supplies 100 per cent of your daily vitamin D intake and will help protect your gums; celery, which is ideal for preventing cavities, and green tea to prevent plaque and bad breath.

Carolyn Creswell, founder, Carman’sWhy pay $20 for breakfast, not to mention all of those over-priced snacks, when you could take a box or two of muesli bars with you on your next trip? throw one into your backpack for when you head to the beach or hit the sights. it’s a simple way to enjoy a healthy meal or snack for under $1 each.

Daniel Munday, outdoor PT and fat loss specialist, DPM Performance Eat whatever you want to, but only if you nail a 15 to

20 minute fat-blasting workout just beforehand. and to

qualify, it must get your heart rate up high, and leave

you puffed.

Daniel Munday,specialist, DPM Performance Eat whatever you want to, but only if you nail a 15 to

20 minute fat-blasting workout just beforehand.

qualify, it must get your heart rate up high, and leave

you puffed.

Claire Obeid, holistic health and wellness coach, The Wellness Projectinstead of totally depriving yourself, because part of holidays is to relax and enjoy, try to ‘crowd out’ those indulgent meals/desserts/biscuits by filling up on delicious, nutritious options – think fresh fruit in tropical destinations, breakfast smoothies at hotels, and locally-caught seafood. also, after a meal, leave the table for 15 to 20 minutes and you’ll probably find your mind and stomach catch up and you’ll feel too full for dessert.

Claire Obeid, holistic

Rhiannon Lovell, exercise and wellness coach, Emit Fitnesstwenty minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise a day will help keep your mind clear, body strong, digestion running and organs healthy, but forget the gym. try 20 minutes of beach sprints, water running (all resorts have pools!), stair climbing (fire stairs or outside stairs), or find a lookout and run up the hill a few times.

Natalie Taylor, executive master personal trainer, Taylored Fitnessput flaxseed oil in your cosmetic

case and have three teaspoons

a day to stay healthy on the

inside and look healthy on the

outside thanks to abundant

flavonoids and good omega-3

fats. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and hormone

blockers, which can help you reach a healthy weight goal

and reduce the risk of many diseases.

Christine Cronau, author Great Health is A Piece Of Cakeyou can splurge with the buffet and stay in shape, you just need to know what to splurge on. number one is, you need to eat fat. it is physiologically impossible for fat to make us fat (which is why farmers fatten cows with grain), whereas reducing and eliminating fat from our diet actually makes us fatter!

fats. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and hormone

Carolyn Creswell,

Kate Galli, NLP practitioner and body coach, Mindset for Transformation avoid stacking on the kay-gees on holiday by sticking to the six ps! as Brian tracy says, ‘proper prior planning prevents poor performance’.

1. SET yOuR STANDARDS PRiOR TO LEAviNG. standards are the ‘absolutely must-dos’, not vague goals that are too easy to let slip on holidays, such as how frequently you will exercise and your strategies when eating out. For example: lunch in and dinner out, 1 serving at the buffet where you prioritize salad and veggie room on the plate, making a restaurant booking to avoid excess nibbling and pre dinner drinks while waiting for a table, dessert or wine.

2. SOuRCE SOME hEALThy EATiNG OPTiONS iN ADvANCE. if possible, get a room with a kitchen or at least a fridge and do a supermarket shop for fresh food as soon as you arrive.

search online for a restaurant that is a good option for a healthy meal so you can avoid the desperat ion of trekking from establishment to establishment when you’re already tired and hungry and can’t come to agreement on where to eat.

3. TAKE SOME ‘GO TO’ SNACKS if POSSibLE. think protein powder or bars, or portions of nuts... particularly if you’re travelling for business and will be stuck inside a venue for extended periods, at the mercy of catering and tempting muffins and bowls of sweets.

4. PREPARE A 15-20 MiNuTE hOTEL ROOM bODy wEiGhT wORKOuT or find someone who can put one together for you. there really is a lot you can do with zero or minimal props but if you don’t have it sorted prior to the trip the odds of it happening are near non-existent.

5. SChEDuLE SOME ACTivE ACTiviTiES bEfORE yOu LEAvE. actually book them so you’re committed. Holidays are a great opportunity to try adventurous new things. now you’ve locked and loaded the adrenaline pumping component, it’s time to make a conscious effort to walk wherever possible – you’ll see so much at a slower pace and holidays are also a great opportunity to step down a gear and truly appreciate all the beauty around you.

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