How to develop healthy habits during a week of vacation, start exercising, eat right

How many days does it take to develop healthy habits? What to do to keep them?

Experts answer.

We know that new habits are formed in 21 days. But in fact, you can acquire useful skills in a shorter period of time. We’ve chosen a few options for you that won’t require a lot of effort and time.

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Is it possible to develop a useful habit in a week?

In general, you can, but only if a person is able to competently allocate time and plan his day. Some people even specially adjust their rest to this. Runners, for example, combine vacation with preparation for competitions. It is very easy to introduce running into your daily routine.

Sportmaster PRO-expert, marathon runner

For beginners, I recommend to allocate half an hour for jogging along with warm-up and warm-down – it will be enough. The most important thing here is not to overdo it and limit yourself to three runs a week, gradually increasing their duration in the future. In addition, on vacation jogging can be used as an additional relief – to combine the beginning of sports activities with work is more difficult, and on vacation in this regard will be easier.

How to develop a habit in a short period of time?

Vacation is a small life. We plan it in advance, prepare for it, and it already brings us joy and a portion of dopamine. During this time, many people try something new and healthy. Plan what useful skills you would like to acquire on vacation and keep them in your daily life.

Here’s where you can start getting healthier and more active while you’re away.

Walk more

Walking engages up to 200 muscles, stabilizes blood pressure and increases vascular strength. Walking is a great vacation activity. They help relieve stress and strengthen the nervous system. Each person is recommended to walk at least 10 thousand steps a day. The pedometer in your phone will tell you how much is left to the cherished figure. A big plus – you do not need any equipment. The only requirement for clothes and shoes – its comfort.

Drink water

When leaving the room, take a bottle of water with you. Water is as essential to our body as air. Drink at least two liters of water a day, but little by little and throughout the day.

Dean of the Faculty of Sports Industry at Synergy University, international hatha yoga instructor

On vacation, do not forget about the moderation of alcohol consumption. If you can’t give it up, alternate it with water. And remember that juices, compotes, tea do not replace water.

trainer of the SMSTRETCHING and Project by SMSTRETCHING fitness studios network

If you have never kept a food diary and calorie counting, you will definitely learn it in a week. Before you eat anything, record it in an app (for example, I use Fat secret). When you keep a food diary, you have access to information about how much protein/fat/carbs are in your diet and how caloric it is.

Wake up with sunshine

Time is the most precious resource we have. Try starting your day with the sunrise. This way, you will definitely feel invigorated all day long. It’s nice to walk through waking streets, parks, forests and be energized for the whole day.

Dimitri: Waking up and going to sleep depends entirely on your individual characteristics. It is not so important what time you lie down and get up, the main thing is to give sleep the norm of hours per day, so that the body recovers. It is desirable to sleep at least six hours. The norm is 6-8 hours.

Observe the rituals before going to bed

Anastasia: Sleep is the best medicine. It is on vacation that you can try to start observing the regime. Go to bed no later than 23:00. Be sure to turn off gadgets 1-2 hours before bedtime, as their viewing leads to overexcitement. Before going to bed, ventilate your room, take a shower, read your favorite books. If you are used to going to bed late, start to gradually reduce the time of falling asleep, so that the body adapts to the new regime.

Swim at the first opportunity

In the sea, pool, any body of water. Swimming engages the whole body and burns a lot of calories, develops the cardiovascular system, trains the lungs and, most importantly, is suitable for everyone, even pregnant women. Take your swimsuit and flip flops with you on any vacation.

Go for a jog more often

Athletes usually use their vacations to spend more of their free time training. For this purpose, many purposefully choose suitable places where there is infrastructure for jogging. To develop the habit of jogging, start with 25 minutes, including general fitness exercises, that is, warming up. This will build the skill and get you in good shape.

Sportmaster PRO expert, marathoner

I advise you to plan your vacation so that the daily routine is clear in advance. And the most important recommendation for beginners is not to overtrain, correctly calculate your strength and systematically increase the load. If on the first day to maximize your effort, then neither the habit nor the desire to continue will not remain.

In addition, the habit will be easier to develop if you work out in the company of someone. A big plus – if you have a pet that needs to be walked in the mornings, you can take your dog for a short jog in the mornings. That’s two things you can start combining on vacation if you’re not going anywhere.

How to keep healthy habits after vacation?

Sportmaster PRO expert

In order for exercise to really turn into a habit, it’s important not to stop exercising regularly even after you return to your work routine. On vacation, you can make a workout plan to “integrate” sports into your regular life. Not necessarily a detailed one with exercises. But at least with an understanding of what days of the week and how much time you can set aside for exercise.

Make a promise to yourself to follow the above habits for at least the first work week. You can’t fail to keep a promise you made to yourself, right?
Keep a habit tracker through an app or in hard copy. This will help you visualize your progress.
Come up with rewards for sticking to habits.
Tell everyone about your new habits: relatives, coworkers at work, friends. In short, look for like-minded people.