Holidays are supposed to be a break — but if you care about your health and fitness, they can sometimes feel like a trap.

Do you stick to your routine and stress yourself out trying to keep up? Or do you let it all go and spend weeks trying to undo the damage when you get back?

I’ve fallen into both of those extremes. And trust me, neither is fun.

This is the middle ground I’ve found — a no-stress holiday fitness strategy that protects your progress, keeps a healthy baseline, and still lets you enjoy every second away.

Mindset

Before we get into the strategy, let’s start with mindset — because this will shape how you approach the whole trip.

First, you have to get out of your head that a holiday will derail you.

When you’ve been consistent with your training, nutrition, and lifestyle for months — even years — going off script for one or two weeks is just a blip. It won’t undo everything, especially if you approach it the right way.

Instead, see a holiday as an opportunity to recharge — both mentally and physically. Think of it like a big deload period. When you see it that way, it’s much easier to relax and keep the right perspective.

And perhaps the biggest thing to remember: you should want to enjoy your holiday. Isn’t that the whole point? To relax, enjoy life, and take a break from the discipline and intensity of normal life?

So give yourself permission to do exactly that, knowing it will actually be good for you.

That said, how you handle your time away can make the difference between it being a much-needed recharge or something you regret.

The key is to find the balance. You want to protect the habits that keep you feeling good, while deliberately stripping away the intensity and pressure. You want to swap structure for flexibility, and slow things down.

When you approach it this way, you don’t just avoid the post-holiday slump — you come back more motivated, energised, and ready to go.

My Holiday Strategy

When I’m on holiday, I strip things right back. I pick just a few baseline habits to stick to and track, and let the rest go.

For me, that’s just three things: sleep, water, and steps.

As a quick reminder, my targets for these are: 7 hours of sleep, 3 litres of water, and 10,000 steps a day.

As long as I hit those, everything else is a bonus. Extra activity like swimming or an impromptu training session, or eating cleaner than expected — is just icing on the cake.

I know that if I keep my sleep, steps, and water in check, I’ll maintain a healthy baseline of activity and lifestyle. And by the way, this combination of habits packs a real punch, which means that when I return, I won’t have slipped too far in terms of results.

Sure, I might come back with a bit of extra weight. And yes, my whole-food percentage will probably (well, definitely!) slide. But none of it will cause serious damage because it’s just 1–2 weeks in the context of a much longer journey.

Perhaps most importantly, sticking to and tracking even a few habits helps me maintain my sense of discipline. It’s just enough that getting back to full intensity when I get back feels easy, rather than like starting from scratch.

Wrap-Up

That’s literally it. All very simple.

Holidays should recharge you, not derail you.

The key is finding your middle ground. For me, that’s picking a few non-negotiable habits, hitting them every day, and letting go of the rest. This keeps me feeling good, protects my progress, and makes getting back to full intensity much easier.

So, before your next trip, ask yourself: What are the 2–3 habits that, if you keep them in place, will stop you from sliding too far — but still let you enjoy your time away?

Lock those in, relax on everything else, and give yourself permission to enjoy the break.

When you get home, you’ll thank yourself for it!

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