What I do when I'm on holiday

Once upon a time, I always used to book a hotel with a gym, pack my workout clothes and trainers and make sure I got in the gym several times during the break. Mostly, I was nervous about losing fitness or flexibility or strength or something.

But then, somewhere along the line, I booked the hotel with the gym, took the workout clothes and never used them. Just unpacked them and quietly put them away again when I got home.

And yeah, maybe the first workout back after the holiday was a bit harder than usual,  but after that, it was business as usual.

So I stopped worrying about it and now, I don't even look to check whether there's a gym. I still pack my trainers, but only to walk in.

What do I do instead?

Whatever I fancy. Because it's important to take a break from "normal life".

Sometimes, that means walking a lot and sightseeing. Sometimes, it means lying in a big heap on a sun lounger with a pile of books and walking as far as dinner in the evening. 

My point is that taking a couple of weeks off your workout is not going to put your progress back massively. What matters more is getting back to it after your break.

A reminder that the first session back may be a bit spicy.

Yes, coordination/ balance/ flexibility/ strength may feel a little less than before you went away. Yes, you may experience a little more DOMS afterwards than you've had for a while.

But your body remembers what it does consistently and by week 2, you'll be pretty much back where you were before you went.

I want to highlight one word in that sentence 👆🏽👆🏽 - consistently.

Side story - I traveled round South America for six months and while I walked and hiked a lot, including the Inca Trail, I did not do any formal exercise for the whole time. By the time I got back, I was scaaaaaared to get back to the gym.

But actually, it was OK, and by the end of a couple of weeks, I was almost back to pre-trip levels of fitness.

This is all to say that if you're generally consistent with your movement, a week or two off for a holiday will not, in the grand scheme of things, make a huge difference to your progress.

Of course, if you want to exercise while you're on hols, crack on!

Don't forget that if you're a Gold or Deluxe member, you have access to the Virtual Vault and can do a recording of Pilates, PiYo or Strength & Stretch any time you like.

Or maybe try something you don't usually do and notice how much your regular Pilates practice contributes to your physical awareness in a different sport!