Eight easy ways to exercise

The 21^st century sees the majority of the people in the UK leading hectic lifestyles, that are not conducive to fitting in time to go the gym or arranging sports matches with your friends. However, do not despair, as Health and Fitness Travel has 8 sneaky ways to fit in some mini-bursts of exercise into your busy schedule.

Public transport

If you take public transport to work then why not hop on and off your bus/train 1 stop earlier, and grab those extra few minutes walking. Provided your journey isn’t too long, you could build up to walking the last two stops, then three, then maybe walk the whole way!

Lunch breaks

Even if you only have 10 minutes spare during your lunch break, use it effectively and get some fresh air. Go for a walk, run or a cycle around the block. If the British weather isn’t playing ball then find an empty room and do some press-ups, sit-ups or jumping jacks - anything to get your heart rate up above the norm.

Stairs vs. lifts & escalators

Will you really save that much time at work by taking the lift instead of the stairs? Come on, this is a really easy cheat that you can exploit multiple times a day. If you’re super keen then run up the stairs instead, so long as health and safety allows it! You can apply this cheat to escalators too.

Aeroplane flights

If you feel inactive on a long flight abroad to one of Health and Fitness Travel’s fabulous destinations then remember to take regular walks up and down the aisles just to keep your blood flowing and joints mobilised. Take a squash ball to squeeze in your hand or do some toe raises whilst still sitting in your seat. Little things can aid circulation and help you avoid conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

TV

If watching TV is integral to your evening routine, then why not combine it with using an exercise bike. Enjoy your favourite programmes whilst shedding calories; it’s win-win.

Entertain the kids

If you have children then take the opportunity to play some ball games or take them for a jaunt down to the local park. Fun family activities like these will get you and your children energised. Multiple ticks in the win column here!

Housework

The majority of people don’t like doing housework but we all know it must be done. It is proven that tasks like vacuuming, dusting, gardening and scrubbing floors are all cheap and easy ways to burn off an extra few calories. A clean and tidy environment is important for physical and mental wellbeing, so stop putting it off and get on with those chores!

Pick an exercise you enjoy

It seems obvious but so many people do exercise that they don’t like. It can become something they dread and inevitably give up through lack of willpower. Find an exercise that you DO enjoy doing and that you can look forward to. Having a positive attitude before you begin is part of the battle won.

All these free bits of exercise count and will contribute to a healthy body and mind. Adopting this positive, active lifestyle choice is extremely beneficial to your wellbeing.

Book a holiday with Health and Fitness Travel and build upon your newfound health and fitness orientated mind-set!

- David

Top five romantic healthy holidays

Have you decided what to do on Valentine's Day yet? We've got some great ideas for healthy holidays for couples and it’s not too late to book a break away for a truly romantic getaway. These holidays are designed to ensure you board the plane home not only relaxed but rejuvenated too and include all sorts of vitality-boosting activities, menus and treatments for the ultimate health and fitness romantic experience.

1. Ladera & Cap Maison Peak to Beach – St Lucia

Discover the best of St Lucia with this exciting adventure package at two romantic resorts. Experience the majesty of the dramatic Pitons during your stay at Ladera, the famous open-air hotel in the southern rainforest, followed by the rest of your holiday at the fashionable boutique hotel, Cap Maison, located on the northernmost tip of the island. Healthy meals, spa treatments, water sports, snorkelling and soft adventure programs to include zip lining, horseback riding, rainforest hikes and a Gros Piton Climb are available for you to experience.

2. Chewton Glen Luxury Spa & Fitness Break – Hampshire, England

A luxury country house hotel and spa set in 130 acres of Hampshire countryside on the edge of the New Forest National Park is just a few minutes' walk from the sea. Relax and unwind overnight with this spa health and fitness break at Hampshire's finest hotel. Enjoy a spa treatment of your choice with a private yoga lesson, use of the leisure facilities, three course dinner, luxury accommodation and complimentary sessions in the dance and aerobics studio.

3. Ayii Anargyri Natural Healing Spa – Cyprus

This boutique hotel in Cyprus is perfect for couples looking to boost their body and mind. The stunning spa has a natural spring lounge which offers non evasive natural therapies using healing waters. The cardio fitness concept contains the well-equipped fitness centre and the total Experience suite offers a rich hammam style environment where your body is soothed and cleansed. Other spa offerings include sulphur inhalation and aquatic bodywork therapy, volcanic stone baths, sulphur mud therapy and Vichy showers. Meditation and yoga classes are also available. Enjoy traditional healthy Mediterranean cuisine at the gourmet Cava romantic restaurant.

4. Zitahli Ayurveda Retreat - Maldives

At Zitahli Spa Resort you will find warm Maldivian hospitality ensuring a memorable health and wellness experience. Arrival by seaplane will totally take your breath away; the beautiful spa provides a decadent array of organic therapies in opulent pavilion style treatment rooms. Complete with plunge pools, herbal baths, luxurious relaxation lounges and dedicated to a holistic approach to health and well-being, guests will delight in this bespoke Ayurveda Program consisting of yoga, Pilates and eight Ayurveda treatments.

5. LaLuna Wellbeing Rejuvenation – Grenada

Enjoy this wellbeing rejuvenation program at a laid back, chic island and romantic hideaway in Grenada, which offers guests an opportunity to open their minds to the ideas of yoga, Pilates, and meditation. Your Inner Batteries will be recharged to allow you to face the reality of your daily schedule without so much stress. This romantic holiday includes Balinese massages, three complimentary scuba dives, a spiritual hike in the rain forest and daily yoga and Pilates classes.

- Paul

Becoming a centenarian

We are living in a time where life expectancy in the UK is continuously improving, and reaching 100 years in age will become more common. Being 50 can hardly be considered old; it will soon mark the halfway point in many of our lives. But why are we all going tolive longer?

According to the latest research nearly 20% of living people in the UK will reach the milestone of 3 figures in age. Improvements in healthcare is a large factor in the extension of life and it is thought that in 35 years time there will be in excess of 200,000 centenarians in the UK.

Research shows numerous ways of prolonging the twilight years:

- Maintaining a lifelong physically active lifestyle
- Minimal alcohol consumption
- A non-smoking background
- A purpose in life – something to strive towards every day
- Keeping mentally active
- Sustaining a healthy weight - not being overweight

Studies reveal that 100 year-olds have strong social connections with family and friends, are able to maintain positive outlooks, and are not adverse to change of routines.

Eating a healthy diet containing anti-oxidants – found in fruit and vegetables – is another great way to diminish the chances of developing cancers and heart disease.

Combining all these lifestyle traits can help you march on to the big 100 and enjoy many more years of excellent health, fitness and wellbeing.

- David

The Body Holiday

TheBodyHoliday gave me the ultimate health and fitness experience

What a fantastic way to kick off the year by flying to the beautiful island of St Lucia and staying at TheBodyHoliday, LeSport to get healthy and fit. On arrival I was given my schedule of spa treatments at the health and wellness centre and my BodyAware program for the week. I had just enough time to watch the beautiful sunset go down with a fruit punch on the beach.

I spent my first day joining a morning Hatha Yoga class, followed by a one on one personal training session in the gym. I then sat down to eat my healthy breakfast and enjoyed a Thai Massage at the award winning spa after. As the day went on, I joined a Tennis lesson and Neil the resident coach helped improve my technique as I was so rusty, I also had an elementary golf lesson and then it was time for lunch at the deli and a Mango Tango Smoothie.

By day 3 I had done more yoga to include Ashtanga, Kudalini and Vinyasa Flow. I had also tried a Pilates and BodySpin class on the bikes but the Body Burn class was my most challenging, however I felt great afterwards from working up such a sweat. I decided to put my name down to go diving and snorkelling at the Pitons, yes I was trying to pack in a lot of activities but I wanted to try as much as I could. I even attempted an Archery lesson and introduction to fencing. I always endeavour to try out new activities I’ve not done before.

I really enjoy watersports and participated in a windsurfing and waterskiing lesson, followed by kayaking. An Elemis body scrub, LA Therapy facial and a Marma Massage in the Ayurveda wellness centre had me feeling so refreshed and energised by day 6. I joined in with water and beach volleyball most days if I had time and the food was just divine. I particularly liked dinning at Tao restaurant, the best steak and fish I have ever eaten.

I had also signed up to The BodyAware program with a holistic health coach called Rob from London. I really did get the one on one attention I needed to improve my health and wellbeing. The program started with a lifestyle consultation and health and fitness assessment. I received a detailed nutrition and exercise plan during my stay, activities included a beach boxing session and TRX Suspension training which is the new body weight training session to target your core muscles. I was also given 4 personal training sessions with on-going support throughout my stay along with posture analysis.

If I had more time, I would have signed up for some of the soft adventure programs off resort which include Zip lining, a Gros Piton Climb for those who love a challenging hike with beautiful views of the island and for extreme adventure the River Doree Rappel is serious adrenaline.

Their mission statement - if you give us your body for a week, we will give you back your mind and TheBodyHoliday does exactly that.

- Paul

The New Year

After all the stress and time spent Christmas shopping, it is no wonder that most of us over-indulge during the festive period to compensate. The inevitable New Year’s resolutions will then be made, and the majority revolve around trying to live a healthier and more exercise orientated lifestyle in the forthcoming year.

However, these well intentioned resolutions often fall by the wayside before Spring. Why is this the case? Well, it can be down to unrealistic aims, no concrete goals or simply a lack of willpower. Setting goals that are achievable is key, as having a goal that is far beyond your capabilities can demoralise you from the outset. Deciding to go running every morning when you haven’t run since cross-country at school is unrealistic; going running a couple of times a week and gradually increasing the time and distance at a comfortable rate is much more sensible. Mapping out realistic aims will re-enforce your motivation, consciously and subconsciously, and make the road to accomplishing your health and fitness resolutions a successful one.

One cannot argue with the myriad of health benefits that demonstrate how regular exercise can make you live longer and make you less susceptible to illness. At Health and Fitness Travel we are firm believers that a positive attitude towards exercise and wellbeing is extremely beneficial. Why not make one of your New Year’s resolutions be to try out one of our magnificent holidays; a holiday that can help you detox, de-stress and increase general wellbeing.

- David

Tennis in Cyprus

As a tennis enthusiast, I was delighted when I went on the Tennis Academy holiday at Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus. I really managed to develop and improve my technique with the help of professional coaching every day.

Based in the beautiful country of Cyprus, Aphrodite Hills is set on a stunning plateau overlooking the crystal waters of the Mediterranean. It boasts its very own Tennis Academy that supplies coaching geared towards each individual player, whilst catering to the wide spectrum of player abilities. Group lessons are available on an individual, group and family basis, as well as private and semi-private lessons too. Features of the coaching include stroke correction and a video analysis of general play.

There is also a Pro Shop where you can purchase latest models of ‘HEAD’ rackets, general ‘FILA’ and ‘HEAD’ tennis garments, including shoes and a host of other tennis accessories. A re-stringing and racket hire service is also on hand. In the middle of the tennis courts is the Smash-Bar where you can enjoy food, drink, shade and a chance to socialize with fellow players.

Whether you are keen to work on your all-round game, sharpen up a rusty backhand or simply just have fun in the glorious sunshine at this award winning resort, this is one tennis holiday which lives up to its name! Best of all after my tennis games I was given a recovery sports massage which is just what I needed!

If you want to participate in a range of other activities but that also integrate some tennis then you could opt for the Aphrodite Hills’ fantastic Health and Fitness program. In addition, the Tennis Academy works in conjunction with The Retreat Spa, which delivers a complete fitness and wellness experience. Set off to the astounding Aphrodite Hills tennis academy holiday and improve your game and learn new techniques so you can really win that game!

- Dave

A Healthy and Fit Christmas

Christmas may be fun but it can also be a hectic time of the year thanks to all the parties, shopping and festive preparations. Because most of us drink and eat too much, we burn the candle at both ends and the season may have a not-so-festive effect on our health, predominantly energy levels, digestion and immune system. The last thing we want is to get burnt out.

If we are eating foods that we don’t normally consume during other months of the year, then no wonder our digestion suffers. All that alcohol we consume at Christmas doesn’t just pose a risk to our livers but it weakens our immune systems too. Try and have all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to avoid digestion problems and keep your energy levels and immune system high. Making sure we get our five a day will help to maintain a healthy body, protecting us from illnesses and decreasing the likelihood of weight gain.

Exercise is another great stress-reliever. Several medical studies suggest being active may help boost our immune system. As well as eating healthy, drink plenty of water as it helps to cleanse and rehydrate the body.

Exercise is a fundamental part of keeping a healthy body and mind. With the days getting darker, most of us begin to feel the winter blues, but the solution is simple; exercise regularly to get those good endorphins running through our body. Try not to cut out the regular exercise routine during Christmas as it’s so vital we keep our body healthy and fit in order to fight off the horrible Christmas viruses.

Keeping healthy and fit will not only mean we will look good at the Christmas party, but will positively affect our mind and our resistance to illness. Most importantly we will feel refreshed, energetic and ready to start the New Year with a healthy body and mind.

- Paul