How Healthy Do You Feel On Holiday?

Posted by Sue Anderson, 11th Sep 2014

With holidays, especially of the all inclusive variety, often bringing with them cocktails by the bucket-load, food by the truck-load and relaxation in very high doses, it's hard to see how they can really be considered a healthy time. All that rest may be just what the doctor ordered, but when you overindulge and spend your days trying to move as little as possible on your sun lounger, you could soon start piling on the pounds.

In our latest poll, we spoke to 1,782 adults from around the UK who'd all been lucky enough to go away on holiday abroad in the last 12 months. We asked them questions about their trip and what they'd got up to on their holiday.



Three quarters of people feel healthier than ever on holiday...



When we asked how healthy they felt during their last holiday abroad and told to select the most appropriate answer from a list, the results were as follows:

1. Felt healthier than any other time - 75%

2. Felt more unhealthy than usual - 12%

3. Didn't feel any different in terms of healthiness - 9%

4. Can't remember - 3%

5. Other - 1%

...despite more alcohol, more food and less exercise



We then asked about how their behaviour on holiday compared to when they were back home in the UK. 78% of the people polled admitted that they 'drank more alcohol' when on holiday than when they were at home, whilst 65% told us that they 'consumed more calories/ate more than normal' on holiday. That'll be the all inclusive buffet then...

Furthermore, 89% of the people taking part told us that they did less exercise on holiday than they normally would at home and 55% of the respondents who were smokers said that they smoked more on holiday too. So, what did the 75% of the adults who told us that they felt healthier on holiday than at any other time really mean? Something doesn't add up...

However, when we asked about their stress levels while on holiday, 88% told us that they were 'less stressed' whilst they were away, suggesting that having fewer worries could be a contributing factor to their all-round healthier feeling. 7% said that they usually felt more stressed on holiday, with common reasons listed as 'worried about missing work' (67%) and 'family arguments' (29%).

Even if you do overindulge on holiday, being able to relax a little will be hugely beneficial. Going home feeling refreshed is great, even if you have put on a bit of weight. Just make sure you start a bit of a fitness regime once you get home and don't drink too much alcohol on holiday, because you don't want to lose any days to a bad hangover!
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