5 Quick and Effective Exercises to do On Holiday

07 December 2017

Whether you are on the beach, in the mountains or frolicking in the snow, these quick an effective exercises will keep you fit and toned while on holiday. No equipment required (ok maybe just a light weight skipping rope hehe) and you can do these absolutely anywhere.

1. Jump Rope

Jump rope or skipping is my absolute all-time favourite cardio workout – its dynamic, its high intensity and it gets your heart rate up like nothing else! It’s also one of my top choices because it works your full leg, glutes an abdominals simultaneously. Start off slow, and allow yourself to get into a rhythm.

How? I find the best way to get into skipping is by not thinking about it too much – try skipping to the beat of your favourite song, this will take your focus away from the action itself, forcing you to find a rhythm in your skip – this really helps with getting a feel for it. Teaching yourself this way also enables you to increase your skipping pace faster than if you were to concentrate on getting each jump right. Bottom line -Don’t think about it too much, just do it. Once you have developed a good rhythm and pace, start trying to do cross overs, double-unders, and side-to side twists (to really target your core) – this keeps it fun and exciting – and whoa will you sweat!

Work towards skipping for 5 minute intervals, to total 20-30 minutes across your entire workout. On completion of 1 skipping interval, move on to the next exercise, and come back to skipping in between each exercise.

2. Salsa Plank

This is a fun upgrade on the traditional forearm plank that really forces you to activate the lower abdominal region and obliques.

How? Start by kneeling on the floor. Lean forward placing your elbows on the floor. Straighten out your forearms in front of you, ensuring that your shoulders, elbows and hands are aligned at right angles. Tuck your toes under and stretch out your legs behind you, coming into a full forearm plank position. Focus on opening the shoulders, pushing the heels backwards towards the wall behind you to lengthen the legs and take your weight out of the arms. Bend the elbows very slightly so that you are working your biceps and triceps rather than hyperextending the arms. Keeping this alignment, start moving your pelvis in a circular, salsa-like motion - starting on the right hand side and ending on the left. Once you get the hang of this, start from the left and create your circular motion ending on the right hand side.

I recommend holding forearm plank for 30 seconds and then moving into your salsa motion completing 20 circular motions on each side ( i.e first starting on the right, and then starting on the left). Repeat 3 sets of these for maximum results.

3. Burpees

Burpees are another wonder worker – targeting multiple areas for ultimate results.

How? From a standing upright position, squat down to touch the floor, then kick your legs backwards, perform 1 push up, then hop your feet forward again to under your body, then explosively jump upwards with your arms in the air. Land on floor, and repeat. This is super tough, but fun and is a fantastic way to torch fat fast. Another dynamic movement that works the muscles in the legs, core, and glutes…and your arms as well!! – hello biceps!

I recommend working your way up to completing 3 sets of burpees, completing 20 reps per set. You can also use burpees as a cardio filler in between weight based training exercise to really maximise your fat burn.

4. Vertical Leg Crunch

The vertical leg crunch is similar to the traditional abdominal crunch, however the key difference here is in the positioning of the arms and legs, as well as the range of motion you use – so in this exercise the upper back comes higher off the ground. Because you are using your legs here too, this works both upper and lower core regions for great toning throughout!

How? Lie down on your back with your legs extended in the air. Straighten both arms and point your hands toward your toes. Slowly contract your abdomen by reaching for your toes, pressing the spine into the floor and tucking the tailbone under. . As you contract your abs, be sure to exhale. You can also twist your upper body by lifting your arms towards the right raise foot and then towards the left raised foot, alternating sides for each rep – this will target the side abdominal region, so don’t be afraid to mix it up.

I recommend competing 3 sets of the vertical leg crunch with each set consisting of 20 front crunches and 20 twist crunches (i.e. 10 reps on each side) So you would be doing 40 reps per set in total.

5. Sliding Sumo Squat

The sumo squat slide-in increases lower body strength and specifically targets the quads, hamstrings, and inner thighs. This exercise also improves hip mobility and activates the glutes!

How? Stand with your heels together and feet pointed out. Take a big step out with one leg, point your toes outward, push your hips back and squat towards the floor. As you squat down, reach for the floor with your hands – hold this position for 5 counts and then stand and return to the starting position. Then step out laterally with your other leg and repeat. To make things a little more interesting, place a towel under each foot, or wear socks to enable a sliding potion. Perform the same exercise as above, this time sliding your foot open coming into a squat and then sliding it back to standing position – this allows for some resistance in the movement which ups the intensity and works those muscles even harder.

I recommend completing 3 sets of sliding sumo squats, consisting of 30 reps for each set to really feel that burn.

And Don’t forget to….

Be consistent – no matter how busy you are, you can always make time to train – even half an hour is better than nothing
Eat smart – wholefoods all the way! Keep away from the processed packaged stuff!
Make each work out count – don’t do things half-heartedly, really commit and give each workout all you’ve got
Take a rest day – listen to your body. When it needs a break then allow it a good rest. Over exercising puts our bodies under major stress, which in turn builds up high levels of cortisol in our bodies (this is our stress hormone). Cortisol promotes fat storage, so no matter how hard you train, if your cortisol levels are high, you will not see the results you want – so take those rest days as seriously as you take your workouts.
Make it about a lifestyle – be in it for the long run!
Do What works for you – find a way to keep healthy that works for you personally. Don’t try copy paste someone else’s way of life, because that may not necessarily work for you. Put in the time to figure out what will be best for you personally, and in particular make sure you enjoy it! That way you will want to continue doing it.