5 Tips for Staying Active Over the Summer Break

We all know that the end of year period always consists of far too many meals, overeating those desserts that you long for each year, and maybe downing a few too many of those tempting cocktails or mocktails…

Yes, you should absolutely allow yourself to indulge in all the festivities, but don’t let these moments totally unravel your movement routine that you’ve worked so hard at all year to develop!

Recently, Georgia had the pleasure of working with Get Active Victoria, a Victorian Government initiative aimed at combatting the lack of movement within Victorian adults. We know that more and more research shows that inactivity is detrimental to our health. In 2015, 2.5% of the total disease burden was due to physical inactivity (AIHW 2019). So yes, take the festive period to wind down after what I’m sure has ben a hectic year – but let’s try to stay active, and give our bodies the love that they deserve!

Let us dive into 5 tips that you can implement to stay active over the summer break:

1. Bring little moments of movement into your day! When people think of adding movement into their day, they often think about scheduling a class in, getting out for a walk or run, or rolling out that mat to get your home-based exercises done. But don’t discredit the value of adding small moments of movement into each day. For instance – take the stairs instead of the escalator at the train station, or the shops; go for a walk to get your morning coffee, rather than driving down; even just break up your sitting time during those lunches for a little stretching break or getting into that sunshine outside!

2. Schedule some activities into your break that you wouldn’t usually get the chance to do! Maybe you have been meaning to get in and try a Zumba class and you’ve never got the chance, or maybe your kids have been wanting to try rock climbing – so take this time out from your routine to get moving differently and join in on that rock climbing!

3. Have some movement-based catch-ups with your friends. Rather than scheduling purely a lunch or drinks catch-up with friends or family, try to incorporate some movement in. Maybe this looks like meeting at a park, and going for a little walk amongst the catch-up; maybe you take this opportunity to take a friend on a hike you have always wanted to do – whatever it is, think of ways that you can get your body moving in amongst those social calendars.

4. Schedule some “you” time – take a moment to catch your breath in amongst the craziness of the festive period, and schedule some “you” time to keep that body moving. Schedule into a class, or complete a class from The Viva Hub, our “Netflix for exercise” – we all know you’ll feel better for it afterwards!

5. Create a goal for your step count! When you’re in the swing of a regular routine it’s much easier to schedule your usual workouts or walks to ensure you keep up that movement. During this busier period, set a goal to smash that step count each day – having something to work towards will make it that much more motivating to tick off those steps each day.

So, enjoy this time out, but don’t forget about the endorphins and health benefits that come from keeping that body moving.