Fitness oriented holidays

We all need to take a holiday now and again, as life can be very stressful and too much stress is bad for your physical and mental health. The problem is that, because holidays are seen as a time to chill out and let go, you can end up letting go a bit too much and slipping out of the fitness routine you worked so hard to get into! It’s a tough balance to strike, but the key is to pick a holiday that lets you have fun AND keep fit.

Bikepacking

You might have heard about this activity, but not be sure exactly what it involves. Well bikepacking combines cycling and backpacking – basically you travel with all of your camping kit along a planned route by bike instead of walking it. You can take short trips along standard road surfaces on equally standard bikes or longer ones that will see you set off on a mountain bike into the wild to tackle routes that involve mountains, forests and fields. Either will keep you fit while getting you away from the daily grind of city living.

Wildfitness retreat

There are Wildfitness retreats in locations all around the world, with one of the latest to open being based in Menorca. They promise to keep you in shape through a mix of “wild living, wild eating and wild moving” and what this means in practice is a blend of daily exercise groups, cycling and kayaking and exotic but healthy cuisine on the menu. These retreats are all in beautifully scenic locales, so the experience of visiting and learning about them will be a pleasure.

Cruising

Taking a cruise may not seem like the logical choice if you want to stay fit during your holiday, but a company called AmaWaterways now offers Wellness Programmes on its cruises. These have Nordic walking sticks and bicycles on board the ships, and offer classes in maintaining a nutritious diet, jogging and core strength. The stop-offs include fantastic cities like Heidelberg and Cologne where you can make use of the bikes to explore their various sights.

Paradise Plage Fusion Fitness

This holiday package takes you to the sunny spot of Adagir, in Morocco, but you will not just be flopping out on the beach. The healthy ways to have fun here include kayaking, surfing, hiking and waterskiing, but the best part of this particular holiday is that you are allowed to choose the activities that suit you rather than having to follow the same regime as everyone else. It also offers ways to combine holiday healthiness with relaxation, thanks to soothing yoga and massage groups.

So as you can see, taking a holiday does not have to mean letting your health and fitness go to pot. Any of these ways of unwinding will enable you to have a great time and forget about the daily stresses and strains while also making sure that you don’t fall into bad habits while you holiday.