Lavina Mehta is a 46-year-old personal trainer, TEDx speaker and mum of three. In 2020, she was awarded an MBE for her services to health and fitness, and her book, The Feel Good Fix, distils her mission to help people of all ages feel good both physically and mentally. Here, she shares how short bursts of activity – known as “exercise snacking” – can help us stay fit when we are lacking in time over the summer…
The beauty of exercise snacking is that no amount is too small, every minute counts – and it doesn’t eat away from your time relaxing over the summer holidays. Exercise snacks can piggyback onto whatever activity you are already doing, and because they can be done anywhere, it’s great to sprinkle them into your travels. As I always say, snacking on these bitesize amounts of movement throughout the day is healthiest form of snacking around.
The mobility snack
To avoid the common neck and back pain and stiffness when travelling for long periods, treat yourself to a mobility snack. It is important to keep mobile on journeys, and you can do this even when you are seated. For instance, the “seated circulation snack” involves rolling your neck and shoulders, then performing arm, wrist and ankle circles, and lastly a spinal twist. You can also do some heel and toe raises, as well as marching on the spot. When you are seated for long periods, this helps to keep the joints supple and lubricated, the blood flowing and the risk of deep vein thrombosis reduced.
The balance snack
Balance is important for reducing our risks of falls, building core strength and body alignment, maintaining coordination, strengthening bones and correcting postural imbalances. It is also good for the brain. So, next time you are just standing around, stand on one leg. Just being able to balance on one leg for 10 seconds is one of the biggest predictors of longevity. I balance on one leg when brushing my teeth every morning, but also throw in a balance snack while waiting in queues for planes and trains.
The strength snack
Keep your muscles strong over summer with strength snacking. These will not only strengthen your body and increase muscle mass, but help to stabilise your blood sugar levels and boost your mood too. You also don’t need to go to the gym or use fancy equipment when travelling; simple bodyweight moves you can do from your hotel room include press ups, dips, planks, glute bridges and lunges.
If I were to pick the easiest strength snack you could from anywhere – be it the beach, plane or pool – it would be a squat snack. Even just one or two minutes of squats on a regular basis can build lower body strength, and is great for your core too.
The walking snack
Explore the local sights by taking a 10 minute “feel good walk snack” outdoors, ideally in nature. Movement after meals in particular is great for insulin sensitivity and stabilising blood sugar levels and digestion. If you did short walk after each meal, you would easily hit 30 minutes a day while sightseeing.
Also, if you are suffering from jetlag, exposure to natural sunlight before midday will help to regulate your circadian rhythm. A walk will also boost your mood by releasing those feel good endorphins too. If you want to take it up a notch, you could try sprinkling a minute of star jumps or high knees into your walks too.
The stretch snack
Stretching is a form of selfcare. I always do a simple wakeup or bed-time stretch snack as a way of giving myself an extra moment of relaxation. Even when we are on holiday and away from our busy schedules, it is vital to make and take the time for yourself.
Some simple yoga stretches you can try are the cat-cow stretch, where you gently move between curving and arching your spine, or the child’s pose, in which you kneel with your forehead on the ground and your arms stretched out in front of you.
To get even more benefit, connect your stretches with your breath – just by taking deep inhales and longer exhales (four seconds in, six seconds out is one of my favourites), it will help kick in the parasympathetic nervous system for the ultimate calming moment.
The Feel Good Fix: Boost Energy, Improve Sleep and Move More Through Menopause and Beyond is published by Penguin and is out now
'President Musk' is flexing his muscles and revealing how weak Trump is