Woman practicing stretching On the high mountain slopes in the morning mist and by the reflection ponds
New to cruising Wellbeing and Lifestyle

Sarah Gorman gives her top holiday fitness tips

Our Wellbeing and Lifestyle fitness expert Sarah Gorman shares advice on how to keep moving while you’re on a P&O Cruises holiday…

3 min 21 Aug 2023

Sarah Gorman

Author

I often get asked how I work out while I’m away. The absolute honest answer to that is that most of the time I don’t. For me, a holiday is about taking a break from the norm and making a change from what I do every day. My job requires me to work out every day, so I personally need to take a break from this.

 

But that’s not to say I’m inactive when I’m on holiday (quite the opposite.) I’m not one for sitting by a pool doing nothing all day. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just personally not for me.

 

When I’m away I like to walk and swim as much as I can. I also usually try to go canoeing, paddle boarding and generally getting out and about as much as possible – one of the more activity-fuelled shore experiences P&O Cruises run would be perfect for this. Simply put, I do things that make me happy and get me moving.

 

Taking the time to relax while you’re on holiday is hugely important and has lots of benefits for your body as well as your mindset. You should try to make sure that any activity is something different from how you usually stay active at home – as the old adage goes, a change is as good as a rest.

Don’t overpack your kit

No need to lug your weights around with you – you’ll find a fully equipped gym on board. You can hit the machines and weights, join a fitness class such as Pilates, FitSteps or an invigorating yoga session, or use your own travel-friendly training kit in the open space.

 

Small bits of very effective kit will keep you sorted. You can stick with:

 

·        Resistance bands

·        Sliders

·        A Pilates ball

 

With these three small but powerful bits of kit you can pretty much hit every muscle group in the body. You’ll be working your core, glutes, legs, upper body, abs and back.

Keep it short

Try not to disturb your holiday plans too much. Ten minutes per equipment type gives you a 30-minute workout – more than adequate on a normal day, let alone on holiday. Or you could focus on one piece of equipment per day and do 10-15 minutes and boom you’re done!

Make a plan

If you know that you want to work out while you’re on holiday, then schedule it in. Know exactly what you’re going to do and when. You can prep your clothes and any equipment the night before so you can simply get up, throw on your workout gear and get it done.

Young healthy woman practicing yoga on the beach at sunset. Body of beautiful girl in a meditation on the beach. Lifestyle woman yoga exercise and pose for healthy life. Welness background. Spa concept.

Don’t worry if you change your mind

If you decide that, actually, working out while you’re on holiday isn’t what you want to do after all then be kind to yourself and make the decision to let it go. Don’t give yourself a hard time for not doing a workout.

 

Personally, I do usually pack those few small bits of kit in my suitcase, just in case. I guess it’s a bit like a security blanket for me… but I can promise you that those sliders do not ever see the light of day.

 

The other day I read that for every hour you exercise you will live another three hours. So, you literally have nothing to lose… just get moving!