Hi guys, this is that time of the year that we go on holiday to recharge our batteries, relax, Blah, blah, blah...
Thanks to God, I am a blessed man, I have anything I need I life, I am healthy, I have a great family and friends and I love what I do.
The issue with loving your job is that you don't seem to be working, so you keep on going, on and on. Yep I enjoy being at 24/7 Gym in Norwich so much that I hadn't have a real break since Xmas!
You know what, my body and mind were screaming for a holiday, so I was really happy to have one.
Holiday and Fitness, how to maximise your Holiday?
Families and Habits:
I normally go on Holiday to visit my Family or closed friends, I also revisit my relationship with my own little family (my wife and my boys).
On holiday I like yo strengthen my bonds with my brothers and sisters, to catch up and spend quality time with them. I am really pleased to see how my boys are getting closer to my family and how much they enjoyed being in France.
A holiday break also alows me to catch up with my own family, to be there in the morning and have breakfast, lunch, dinner with my wife and kids. These simple things rarely happen when I am in Norwich because of my work and personal commitments, so it is good to enjoy the "Noisy" family full on.
My habits change on holiday and it is good for few days, as it makes me think about what I normally do.
We are animals of routine, so to do things differently for a short period of time make us appreciate if we need changes of not!
The take:
Strengthen Or create these bonds with your love ones.
Question your habits, assess them and eventually create new ones.
Food & Fat:
The food part is the best of Holiday! My mother food is simply the BEST, there is nothing like the food of your childhood. On top of that I don't eat African food at all while in the UK so to eat mum's food is just TOO MUCH.
I finished Ramadan a week before my holiday, I was at my leanest in 5 years and I knew that I was going to my mother...I knew my waist line was going to take a blow! AND IT DID...my 6 packs turned into a 2Pac!
Nevertheless, the best thing you can do on holiday is to EAT! don't count calories enjoy yourself and eat, try stuffs.
On a physical, physiological level, we cannot be at our leanest the whole year long! To slip off the road isn't bad. REMEMBER, WHAT WE ARE or THE WAY WE LOOK DEPENDS ON WHAT WE CONSTANTLY DO, NOT WHAT WE DO FOR A WEEK OR TWO!
From a fitness perspective, as mentioned above we need BREAKS, we sometimes feel sluggish, tired, over trained when we workout. We rarely feel heavy and UNFIT! This is a weird "disgusting" feeling, so not cool that if we feel that way, we actually experience a boost of energy that allows us to train really hard to get back to where we belong.
Finally from a mental point of view, it is necessary to LET GO. I drank orange juice, Ice tea and COCA COLA...and I FEEL AWESOME. I don't normally drink sweet or fizzy drinks at all but on holiday I say to myself, WHY NOT!
We had a breakfast buffet in the morning, with pancakes, Nutella, cereals...I NEVERT HAD ANY OF THESE, instead, I had yoghurt, cheese, walnuts, almonds...
I don't normally have breakfast, so to have something to eat was already a big step. Nevertheless, you can eat but still make the right choices!
The take:
Dont count calories on holiday, eat what you like till you are not hungry anymore.
Eat and drink your "forbidden" , it may be pancake with Nutella for you, a COCA COLA FOR ME. Whatever it is!
Just Enjoy the food while hungry, While hungry... When full, stop! Tomorrow is another day.
Resting on Holiday
It is the main reason why we go on holiday...to rest. The question is do we rest on holiday?
With a almost 5yo and 3yo boys, resting is an issue. We were tired on holiday and now we are recovering from the holiday. At home, my wife and myself share our time with the boys, in other words, we are with them 4-6 hours then we don't see them for the same amount of time.
On holiday, we are 24h with them...they get up later than usual but still wake up early...
Resting on holiday 2
We manage to rest, I can sleep 6-8 hours during most nights on holiday for 4-6 hours in Norwich.
I normall don't train at all on holiday and even moan when we go to the zoo or the park or the shop...I am just at my LAZIEST!
I avoid fbk, Instagram...anything related to work, I stwitch off my brain and just enjoy thinking about the next meal, cartoon or meeting with my brothers...simple stuffs really.
"RICH IS NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE...BUT HOW LITTLE YOU NEED"
The take:
Sleeping is a luxury when I am working, it is a DUTY when I am away.
The focus is on the families, to spend time with my closest ones, no time on social media or work related communications. Just Relax!
Finally, the law of the MINIMUM EFFORT IS RESPECTED TO ITS FULLEST. I just move the strict MINIMUM.
CONCLUSION:
I tried to share with you my holiday, but I mainly tried to highlight why to live your Holiday its fullest is important.
We are as I previously said "Animals of Routine", and the holidays get us out of that routine. A routine can be good or bad, it depends. If bad, a holiday can help perceive that we need some changes. If good, a holiday acts as a RESET button.
As an example we train our hardest to look good to go on holiday, we are motivated but also tired of everything in general. Once on holiday, we leave everything behind and enjoy. When we are back, we are RESETED AND READY TO GO.
IN ALL HONESTY, I NEEDED AND DESERVED A BREAK. NEVERTHELESS, I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK AND DO WHAT I LIKE, SURROUNDED BY THE PEOPLE I ENJOY BEING WITH...TILL MY NEXT HOLIDAY!
My loved Ones...and the centre of all, My Boys...