The school holidays are in full swing, and in these chaotic times trying to juggle the kids and restricted social events, it can be hard to keep up your regular healthy eating and exercise routine.
But with some good planning and these 7 simple and effective strategies, you can survive the holidays with your health and fitness intact.
Schedule your workouts
Sit down for 10 minutes at the start of each week and book in your daily exercise time. Early in the morning is always a good option (before the kids even wake up!) as there’s no distractions, but do whatever you know will work for you. Just stay flexible and create some back-up plans for whenever last minute things pop up. This way you’ll never be caught off guard and end up ditching your workout entirely!
Get the kids in the kitchen
Involve the kids in the cooking process and let them get their hands dirty. It’ll help them be a part of your healthy eating regime and get them excited about healthy, delicious foods. Rice paper rolls, meatballs, muffins and home-made pizzas are always some of the 12WBT crowd favourites!
Set your kids a daily active goal
School holidays are the perfect time to teach your kids healthy lifestyle habits. It can be easy to slip into a routine of watching movies and playing video games, so set an active ‘goal’ for your kids each day. It can be anything from checking out the local pool, to kicking the ball around the park for an hour. You can even brainstorm together at the start of the holidays and come up with some healthy activities that they’d be excited to participate in and whatever they decide on, join in on the fun!
Active play dates
Although tricky if you’re in lockdown, team up with a friend (who also has kids) and enjoy an active play date together. Go to the local park and whilst the kids play on the equipment, you can pump out a mini circuit (think squats, lunges, pushups and planks). Better yet, get a game of soccer or frisbee happening so you can all play together (from a distance), followed by a healthy pre-packed lunch of course!
Plan ahead for travel
If you’ve got a trip booked in these holidays, make sure you have a quick and easy travel workout in your repertoire. Before you go, sit down and schedule in your daily workouts so you’re less likely to be distracted or persuaded to skip them. But don’t forget, holidays are for having fun! So it’s the perfect time to add in some new ways to get your fitness fix. Why not give activities like beach volleyball, sand jogging, water sports or hiking a go!?
Schedule in time for some relaxation
It’s easy to get overwhelmed during holidays when you’re constantly trying to keep the kids under control and entertained! Make sure you book in some time just for you. This can be anything from doing a 20 minute meditation while your bub is asleep, or aligning your kids’ playdates for the same time so you can book in a massage or facial. Remember, taking care of your own wellbeing and mindset is still a priority!
Squeeze in mini-workouts wherever possible
Because you might not be able to exercise every day during school holidays, try to sneak in some short bursts of activity as often as you can throughout the day. It can be as simple as running up your stairs at home 5 times, or doing 20 squats and 20 lunges while you’re waiting for dinner to cook, or even trying to do some kind of movement during the add break of your fav show. Any opportunity to get your body moving is a good one!
