Don't take a workout vacation
When entrepreneurial gadfly Richard Branson owned a hideaway for celebs, Belmond La Residencia, in Majorca, Spain, everyone from Princess Diana and Harrison Ford to Kate Moss hung out with him. That indulgent lifestyle didn't seem to make any of them gain weight! But according to a recent survey of over 2,000 people in the U.K., Majorca is one of the top four pack-on-the-weight destinations for vacationers. The toll? Nine added pounds.
Vacations are essential; they dispel stress and revive your spirit. But you don't want them to become a getaway from exercise and smart nutrition. A new study of 45 active adults found that after two weeks of reducing their physical activity - taking less than 2,000 steps a day and sitting or floating in a pool for more than three and a half hours a day - almost all of them were less sensitive to insulin and had higher blood sugar, worse cholesterol readings, slightly less leg muscle mass and more abdominal fat. Another recent study found that if you're older than 65, a break from physical activity (1,000 or fewer steps a day) for two weeks can send you straight to full-blown diabetes.
So, a vacation from work, that's healthy. But don't take a break from being active. You're aiming for 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent: 10 minutes of freestyle swimming equals 2,300 steps; 10 minutes trotting on horseback equals 1,880 steps; 10 minute of tennis equals 2,320 steps. Sounds like fun! Then you'll be taking a vacation from health problems, too.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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