AmelieWinters's Journal

How I keep fit on holiday


Going on holiday means different things to different people, but for most, it means a time of excess. You might eat more than usual, in larger quantities or of a richer quality. You are more likely to laze around by a pool doing nothing than you are at home. Going to the gym, or sticking to a diet, seems like a buzzkill when you’re on holiday. Here’s how I do it and stop it from being too much of a chore.

Get the right rental

First off, when you are looking at accommodation, consider a holiday rental so that you can have a more complete living arrangement. I usually use sites like Gumtree. Getting your own kitchen means that you can cook healthy and light meals, and make sure that you get enough protein to keep your energy levels up. You might be lucky enough to find a home rental which has its own swimming pool, or access to a private gym. This would give you a good basis for working out every day.

Get moving every day

Even if you don’t have access to a gym, you can still make sure that you do your fair share of moving during the holiday. Try to plan your activities and excursions in a way that spaces them out. You can plan to go swimming one day, then walk around a museum or art gallery for several hours the next day. You don’t need to stick to a rigorous workout plan – after all, you are on holiday – but you should aim to stay active. It’s lovely to sit by the pool with a good book, but if you can fit in 30 lengths every now and then, you can also maintain your fitness levels.

Exercise restraint

While on holiday, it can be tempting to eat anything and everything. You might think that you can get away with dessert after a big meal, or that it would be rude not to try all of the local delicacies. But try to show some restraint! If you are eating to the point where you feel uncomfortably full, it’s definitely time to stop and rein it back a little. The same is true of drinking. You might want to go out and get drunk, but neither your bank balance nor your waistline will appreciate it. It’s also not recommended to get drunk on holiday where you might be at an increased risk of being mugged or coerced into a situation that you cannot escape.

My secret weapon

When I go on holiday, I utilise all of the above strategies to ensure that I can stay fit. But there’s one more thing I have up my sleeve – a secret weapon that ties it all together. That’s friends and family who understand me! My partner and my friends that I tend to go on holidays with all know how important keeping fit is to me, and they would never ask me to compromise that. They won’t be egging me on to get a dessert if I don’t want to, and they won’t be complaining about me going for another swim – in fact, they’re more likely to join me. The key to success is surrounding yourself with people who have similar goals and mindsets, or at least won’t try to make you change yours. That’s how to keep fit and also enjoy a happy and relaxed holiday at the same time!

If you feel like it’s too difficult to keep up your routine on holiday, you can always tone it down a bit. Just work harder when you get back home to make up for it!

How I struggle with my fitness and dieting routine!



Getting fit and losing weight is really, really hard. It’s one of those things that you always secretly think you’d be able to do easily – you think everyone who complains about it must just be lazy or stupid. Then you try it yourself, and you realise. I’ve had so much trouble with trying to get into a good, healthy routine, and I still slip now and then. These are my biggest struggles that I have come across.

Resisting temptation
Oh my gosh, why are so many people eating delicious food near me all the time? All I want to do is grab an ice cream or a pizza whenever I see them! I can’t seem to get away from it. There’s always someone posting on Instagram about their lunch or someone in the office who decides to order in because they’re working late. The other night I was watching some stupid comedy film on Netflix via VPN when the main characters ended up eating this huge chocolate cake. I wanted a cake so bad right then! It’s hard to resist temptation when it’s all around you, but I keep telling myself that it will be worth it in the end.

Being honest
Tracking calories is all well and good, but it only works if you actually write down what you eat. I got into this bad habit at first of just writing down my main meals and then sneaking little snacks now and then. I would think, it’s such a small bite, it doesn’t even count. But it does count, and it adds up. Before you know it you’ve had hundreds of calories more than you thought, so no wonder you’re not losing weight. The good news is that with photo recognition it’s going to be even easier to record every single bite.

Getting up
Who wants to get up an hour early so they can go for a swim first thing in the morning? Or go out on a hot day and run around the block? Or leave the house to go to the gym on their day off? Absolutely no one is the answer, but it has to be done. I always want to just sleep in for five more minutes or sit down for a rest, and before I know it I’ve missed my chance. I’m trying to be a lot stricter with myself now to make sure that I don’t miss out on those sessions through laziness. If I’m going to get fit, I have to be determined and consistent. Showing up once a week isn’t going to cut it.

Big occasions
This is the worst one. It’s my sister’s birthday, and she takes us all out for a big family meal. Or it’s my little niece’s party and of course she wants to make sure that her auntie gets a slice of the cake. Then there’s Christmas, and New Year, and every single occasion during the year that we might mark with celebration. It’s so hard to stay strong, and it’s tempting to let myself off for just that one day. But it’s never just one day, and by the time you get to the end of the year, you’ve had a third of the time on cheat days.

I think the biggest thing for me in overcoming my struggles is to focus on the end goal. Even if I really want that piece of cake, ultimately I want to be fit and healthy more. It’s recognising that every decision counts that ultimately makes the change possible.

I started visiting a fitness club and here we go - one kg out :P I just worry it might be water out of my body :( We will see.

Hi everybody,

The name is Amelie, glad to meet you all!

I am going to be writing this journal to share some of my thoughts along my journey to...well...to slimming down a bit :)

Nothing serious, I will probably deviate quite often - can't really write strictly about how many runs I have done today and what my pulse was :)

Hope to meet some nice people here too!

Wish me luck!
Amelie.