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Holidays workout: A letter on how NOT to lose your exercise habit.

Most people who stick to exercise for a few months, but end up quitting at some time within their first year, don’t do so because they don’t like exercise or “don’t have time“. They do it because something happens that messes with their current workout routine. Holidays are such an example.

People go on holidays, do nothing for a few weeks, and then come back home only to find extremely hard to get back to exercise. Yup, that’s how many people quit, lose all the results they have gained, and are left feeling guilty for not exercising.

However, a back-up, holidays workout could save the day…

…and help you keep your routine without burdening you with strenuous exercise. I wrote a letter to the Fitness Reloaded Insiders a few weeks ago, the response was really good, so I thought I should post it here as well.

“Hey hey,

I admit it. I can’t wait to go on vacation in a few weeks! I will go to Greece, enjoy the weather, the beaches…I feel blessed to come from such a beautiful place.

When I was growing up in Crete, the island in Greece where I come from, I hadn’t realized that it was a place that millions of people around the world have on their holidays wishlist.

I get it now. I understand why. But I am deviating…

Several people start an exercise routine. Then, they go on vacation and take a break from exercise. They come back, and some of them say with discouragement:

“Oooh, I need to get back to exercising”.

The sad thing about this is that many of them won’t actually go back to exercising. Months or years will pass by, and you will hear them say:

“I have been meaning to go back to exercising for months, and I don’t know why I haven’t done it yet.”

They feel guilty for not exercising. It is like a constant chatter that happens at the back of their heads, every time they see a fit person, or look at a piece of fat that sticks out of their body, or eat something fatty but delicious.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.

You might find it hard to get back to exercising as you have naturally lost all your exercise momentum. However, if you do something during your vacation, even if that something is small, you will get to keep your momentum.

You will come back from vacation and easily go back to your regular exercise routine. The whole process will be smooth.

So here is my holidays workout: I will do one set of pushups every day.

Yup, that’s it. I can do more if I want (and probably will because I do love moving my body!), but one set of pushups daily is my goal. It is my back-up plan.

 

holidays workout
Me exercising at the beach in Crete 2 years ago. Back then I went for squats. This year I am going for push-ups.

Now, back-up plans (or holidays workouts) are not just useful for when you go on vacation. They are useful any time you cannot do your regular routine – maybe you don’t have enough time, or your regular yoga class got cancelled.

They are magical because they keep your exercise momentum going and make exercising a smooth routine you can just keep doing while avoiding the risk of “life getting in the way”.

If you want to learn more about back-up workouts, read this, and/or join my habit making course Exercise Bliss. If you liked my daily pushups idea, check this out to find the push-up variation that works for your particular fitness level and create your own customized holidays workout.

If you think that I am crazy and that you would never like exercise enough to want to do it when you are on vacation…then you should definitely join Exercise Bliss. I am not kidding, it will change how you see exercise.

Now time for some extra reading (or moving…) for people who care about their backs:

  1. (latest) Relieve your spine instantly – Body Archer review 
  2. (popular) 3 office exercises to straighten your posture 
  3. (relaxing) Stiff back? A simple way to release your back 
  4. (classic) Straighten your posture with shoulder exercises 

So where are you going on vacation this summer? Just reply to this e-mail and tell me your plans. Would love to hear them.

Much love,
Maria 

P.S. Want to have all the workout videos I have ever shot in one place? Check out my Youtube playlist. Make sure you subscribe to my channel to get my latest videos on your Youtube feed.”

 

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