It’s that time of year again and we’re finally coming up to summer. Staying fit through the summer months can be much harder than it is during term time. Whilst you’re still at university you have easy access to the gym, regular training sessions with sports teams and flatmates telling you that you should do some exercise with them. As soon as you go home however, all of this goes away. You no longer have the regular bi-weekly training session, and you don’t have a membership for the gym anymore.
Holidays can make all of this even harder because let’s be brutally honest, who really wants to exercise when they could be lay on a beach instead? If you want to stay fit during the summer however, sadly you’re going to need to keep exercising. Awful, I know.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you that you need to exercise a lot, or even when you’re on holiday but keeping up a regime by doing some light exercise a couple of times a week will benefit you greatly when you return to uni next year or move onto a new job. Here are my recommendations on how to stay fit whilst also taking it easy through the (hopefully!) sunny months:
Do a little bit around the house
Run up the stairs, don’t walk. Do a few squats or lunges while you watch TV. Do a couple of sit ups before you go to bed or when you get up. It’s pretty easy to do, and takes almost no time. If you do exercise whilst you’re doing another task you won’t be wasting any time at all.
Brisk walking works wonders
This is ideal, especially if the sun comes out or you’re out of the country on your holidays. It’s easy to find somewhere to visit, perhaps a park or popular tourist location in your holiday destination, and instead of the usual stroll take 5 minutes to have a brisk walk around the area to get your heart pumping and help to keep your fitness levels up.
Be active in the pool
If you are going on holiday and don’t want to let your fitness drop whilst you are away then make sure you do a few laps in the pool or sea every day, instead of just lounging nearby. Swimming is one of the best ways to work your entire body so make the most of it. If you aren’t going away then try to find the closest outdoor pool and take a few trips down there or even to your closest leisure centre if there aren’t any outdoor pools nearby.
Finally, take it easy
There are always times when we really won’t feel like exercising, holidays are always one of these moments. So, if you want to take it easy for a couple of months, and only do 10 minutes exercise a day, then do that. You’ve earned a rest after this exam period!
