Written by Victoria Lim in Health & Fitness on the 15th June 2017

Summer is almost here, and you are probably thinking about the perfect vacation spot. This is the period when all the exercise you have done in order to look good in a pair of swim shorts will pay off. However, you mustn’t forget your habits for an extended time span, if you don’t want to fall off the fitness wagon. Both diet and exercise tend to be a chore, but if you keep track of your habits, and employ some mindful tactics, you will be sure to stay fit even during the summer holiday season. In this article, we are going to discuss some tips on how to do this.

Don’t stop moving 

Wherever you are vacationing, it is essential that you keep moving as much as possible. If the hotel gym is not your thing, then you could make use of your time under the sun by taking walks, checking out water sports or exploring new locations. All of these activities are burning your daily calories. Don’t be lazy and take the elevator to your hotel room. Take the stairs and stretch those legs. Pay a visit to the local club in the evening and dance. If you dance for an hour, you will burn about 450 calories.

Mini-workouts are great 

Since your days are bound to get busy, you might be tempted to skip exercising that day. However, if you can still opt for mini-workouts as the perfect substitute, they tend to get you satisfying results as well. Basically, if you do three 10-minute workouts during your day, your results won’t be different from doing a single 30-minute workout. So, if you can’t take up time for a long fitness session, do shorter workouts three times a day.

Don’t munch, drink water 

The fact is that a lot of people aren’t taking in enough water. A lot of them prefer drinking coffee, which can actually result in exhausting the body’s supply of water, as one of the properties of caffeine is that it is a diuretic. So, if you suddenly have an urge to munch on something, drink a couple of big glasses of water instead. Soon enough, you will lose the need for snacks and you will be able to wait for the proper time to eat.

Think realistically 

You need to be realistic about your goals. If you’re a couple of pounds more than you’d like to be, you need to keep in mind that it took time for them to form, and therefore it will also take time to get rid of them. If you ask a good fitness professional, they will tell you that a sensible diet and a workout routine are all that you really need. True, it tends to feel like a chore, and takes away your time, but it is essential that you don’t give up on it. Follow your routine for a year, and when you look at the results, you will be glad that you did it in the first place.

Stick to your diet 

You should always have snacks at hand that aren’t detrimental to your diet. Go to a local grocery shop, and then pack broccoli florets and baby carrots (or whatever vegetables you prefer) into plastic bags for each day of your vacation. Always carry them around in your backpack. You can throw in some apples, raisins, and pretzels if they fit your nutrition plan. If you are into supplements, such as the great whey protein isolate, carry them with you as well.

Celebrate your success and don’t beat yourself up 

Positive reinforcement works for most people, so if you are one of them, make sure that you reward yourself in even the smallest of ways for sticking to your fitness program and not giving up. It doesn’t really have to be anything expensive or huge. Treat yourself with something that makes you happy. It is also very important that you don’t beat yourself up in the case that you do fail to stick to the plan. We all make mistakes. The worst-case scenario is that you feel so bad about it that you decide not to care about it altogether. Just accept the fact that you have eaten more than you should, or that you have skipped exercise, and make sure that you don’t do it next time.

Summertime is the time for relaxing, but it is important that you don’t neglect your fitness regimen. You will be focused on all the activities that make up a vacation, but you still need to stick to your diet, and not forget about doing at least three mini-workouts a day, especially if you don’t have the time for a single long one. Be realistic about it, and don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake.

We provide tips on how to stay on the fitness wagon during the summer months, with advice on fitness, getting into shape and men's health.