10 Tips for Staying Fit on holiday in Sri Lanka.
10 Tips for Staying Fit whilst on holiday in Sri Lanka.
It’s easy to overindulge on holiday and put on a few pounds. Here are our recommendations to avoid this.
Our 10 reasons for staying fit on holiday are in no particular order of importance.
1. Staying fit on holiday - Start with a Swim or a run.
Explore the local area and community early in the morning on your run or jog.
You will most likely get a different experience than you would later in the day.
By doing some exercise early in the morning you will avoid the intensity of the sun and also will have expended some energy for a well deserved breakfast.
At GlenMyu Estate it is reasonably safe to jog along the road as traffic levels are low. You will enjoy a beautiful view of the Sri Lankan Hill Country as you run along the road.
I tend to swim in the morning at the Natural Spring Fed Swimming pool at GlenMyu Estate. An early morning swim is a refreshing and energising start to the day and I feel great when I have completed my lengths.
It’s also good for your should being surrounded by natures colours and sounds as you carry out your daily exercise.
2. Plan a majority of your meals.
We think that it’s really important that you don’t deprive yourself of the wide variety of cuisines available to you on your travels.
However, planning your meals can help you regulate your intake and reduce your chances of overindulging.
Perhaps alternating between sampling local fare and having salads and healthier choices would provide a good balance. It’s easy to ditch the salad when on holiday but having a lighter meal, especially when it’s hot, makes you feel good and healthy.
We provide a healthy and substantial breakfast at GlenMyu Estate, which means that you probably will want to skip your lunch and just have an evening meal. Perhaps a small snack in the mid-afternoon will keep you going until dinner?
Have a look at our food menu before you come and you can ensure that you select a healthy balance for your meals during your stay.
3. Staying fit on holiday - Indulge, but don't overindulge.
Yes, you are on holiday and there are all sorts fo temptations.
– The buffet breakfast where you need to sample everything (my personal issue resulting in my self imposed personal ban from buffet breakfasts).
– You want to get value for the money you have spent on the all inclusive resort.
– Dessert following every meal which you would never do at home.
All the work that you have done in the gym during the year to get those washboard abs could be wasted very quickly.
The answer to staying fit on holiday and not overindulging? Self-control , discipline and balance.
If you’re going to splurge out at dinner, make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast and/or lunch to balance it out.
And those tempting drinks….
Most people tend to drink more on holiday than they do at home. Why not, it’s time for you to relax?
If you’re planning spending some hors at the bar drinking, make sure that you drink plenty of water as well.
You will feel so much better in the morning.
I experienced this when my wife and I were at a wedding in France. The wine kept coming but so did bottles of water. By hydrating as we drank the delicious wine the next morning was much more pleasant.
If you are drinking cocktails remember that there is probably quite a lot of sugar added. So one or two should really be your limit!
4. Go easy on alchohol.
In my experience it is tempting to overindulge on alcohol when you’re on holiday. The drinks are flowing, the sun is out and the conversation is flowing. My idea of a really relaxing holiday!
However, as you are aware, getting drunk can leave you dehydrated.
We are all aware that excessive drinking is not good for your health and just because we are on holiday it doesn’t give your liver a pas! Drinking to much and gettting drunk is also dangerous and risky (too many accidents happen on holiday due to overindulging).
Allow yourself to have some fun but remember, the key is balance.
5. Stay Hydrated.
Make sure that you bring a bottle of water with you to replenish lost fluids. Remember it’s hot in Sri Lanka (or on your sun holiday) and drinking water is a great way to keep healthy when you are on holiday.
Drink coconut water if you can, for optimal hydration benefits. Coconut water is rich in potassium and contains calcium and magnesium. We love king coconuts in Sri Lanka and they are readily available at lots of small shops along the roads as you travel. The shopkeeper will happily slice the top ff the coconut so you can drink it straight from the hole in the top.
6. Staying fit and healthy on holiday - Bring along your medicines, vitamins and supplements
Hopefully you will get a good level of good vitamins and minerals from the food that you eat when you are on holiday.
However, if you are on any medication please remember to bring it with you. You may be able to pick up some medicine when you are on holiday, if you do forget, however, it may not be the brand or formulae that you need.
Keeping up your regular vitamins and supplements whilst you are on holiday will help you stay fit as your body is used to it’s regular top up of foodstuffs that you normally take.
7. Incorporate movement and exercise in your daily schedule to stay healthy on holiday.
You probably do more exercise at home than you think you do. Walking up those stairs at work. Running to catch the bus. Being calories when doing the chores at home.
As you explore the country on your holiday you will no doubt be doing some light exercise unless you are on a long hike.
We would suggest that you take advantage of the facilities available to you. Walk up the stairs rather than using the hotel lift. If there’s a gym, allocate some time to try out the equipment. Book a hike to see the sights. Here a bike and cycle around the countryside. Make sure that you use the swimming pool.
Dance the night away in the local nightclub. Learn to Baila dance so you can show off to the locals.
You may be surprised that doing a mixture of things expend some energy and keep you in trim. The overall aim is to keep moving, burn calories and feel good.
8. Staying fit on holiday - Simple workouts that you can do anywhere.
There’s no excuse to give up your fitness routine when you are on holiday just because you are thousands of miles from the gym.
If your holiday is more lying at the pool catching the sun rather than hiking through tea plantations on the Pekoe Trail there are some exercise that you can do wherever you are. No equipment is needed.
We would suggest that you incorporate some or all of these exercises into your morning schedule so you have a healthy start to the day.
- Squats
- Lunges
- Planks.
- Crunches or sit ups.
- Push-Ups.
9. Set aside some times to meditate and practice mindfulness.
We find that when tourists visit Sri Lanka for the first time they pack in as many activities to do and as many places to visit as they can.
Although Sri Lanka is a small island (similar in size to Ireland) it takes longer than anticipated travelling from place to place. There are also so many things to see and do on this paradise island you can openly see some highlights during your holiday. Some parts of the island are best visited at different times of the year so you will never be able to see all of the island in one trip.
Over-planning and packing too many things in on your holiday, can leave you feeling exhausted and drained. Making sure that you have regular minutes of quiet and relaxation will help you stay fit on holiday. Ensure that you allocate some good quality time for your regular mediation, yoga or stretching. Take time out to practice mindfulness.
One of our guests at GlenMyu Estate got up early each morning and did his stretching in front of the wonderful view from our main lounge.
Another regular visitor ensures that he does his evening walk on the road above GlenMyu Estate prior to having dinner. It is important to keep up the regular routine that he keeps at home.
There are lots of places around the five acre estate where you can take some time out, sit, rest and be with nature.
10. Get adequate rest and sleep.
Ambient temperature is a crucial environmental factor when it comes to falling asleep and staying asleep.
According to Sleepfoundation the best room temperature for a comfortable sleep is approximately 18.3 degrees Celsius (65 degrees Fahrenheit).
You can read more about the research on the ideal temperature range for older adults to get a good night’s sleep at Healthline quote that, according to a new study, the optimal sleep temperature in the bedroom for older adults is between 20°C and 25°C. (68 to 77 °F). Results were published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.
Night temperatures in Sri Lanka vary around the island. You will find lots of hotels have air-conditioning which you will need to use to get the night temperature down.
Temperatures at GlenMyu Estate, Sri Lanka.
At GlenMyu Estate, we only have overhead fans in our bedrooms as the temperatures are cooler in the Hill Country. You can see from the data provided by ClimateData that the minimum temperature is between 16.5 °C
(61.7) °F and 19.7 °C
(67.5) °F during the year. These temperatures as typically at night and therefore within the scientific ranges to get a good night’s sleep.
Some of our guests have told us that they have had the best night’s sleep for a long time when they stay with us.
When it's dark, you get sleepy.
Sunrise and sunset in Sri Lanka do not differ significantly throughout the year. The reason for this is the proximity to the equator.
Typically during the year there will be up to approximately 12:30 hours the longest days happen to be in June. In December a night in Colombo lasts almost 13 hours.
Darkness roughly falls between 17:50 and 18:30 in Sri Lanka. Sunrise is usually between 5:45 and 6:30 depending on what time of year and what part of the country you are in. You can see further information on sunrise and sunset at WorldData.
We don’t get the late lighter nights during the Summer like those in the Northern Hemisphere.
When it gets dark outside you automatically feel sleepy. If it’s dark outside, your body naturally tells you that you should go to sleep”.
A mechanism kicks in when it is dark and floods your body with chemicals that regulates your sleep called melatonin.
When it’s dark outside, the melatonin builds up in your brain, but the daylight breaks it down.
10 Tips for Staying Fit on holiday in Sri Lanka. - Summary.
- Start with a swim or a run.
- Plan a majority of your meals.
- Indulge, but don’t overindulge.
- Go easy on alchohol.
- Stay hydrated.
- Bring along your medicines, vitamins and supplements.
- Incorporate movement and exercise in your daily schedule.
- Simple workouts that you can do anywhere.
- Set aside some times to meditate and practice mindfulness.
- Get adequate rest and sleep.
Stay at GlenMyu Estate and keep fit.
A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.
We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.
The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,
GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.
