NCTV Episode 93

Continuing with the series of bitesize health tip videos which can be found here on my YouTube Channel, this episode, includes:-

  • Staying active but preventing injury
  • Stretching, rest & relaxation
  • Healthy eating
  • Posture & ergonomics
  • Yours truly presenting each segment in various locations on the Greek Island of Crete

Transcript

If you’d prefer to read the content within, rather than watch the video, then feel free to read the transcript, as follows:-

Hello and welcome to NCTV Episode 93 on tour as it were today from the island of Crete. In keeping with the holiday theme for this time of year – summer of course, today’s episode is all about maintaining your health and wellbeing whilst on holiday.  Some of the following will be things that haven’t been covered yet on NCTV but where there are others that have been I’ll point you to the relevant videos to find out more.

So the act of being on holiday and maintaining good health might seem like two opposite entities to some, but the fact is, you can still do both at the same time and enjoy it.

If we take eight examples, firstly staying active is something you can do quite easily by incorporating this into your routine. Obviously, every environment and situation is different but if you’re somewhere like this then your best options may be swimming in the pool or sea several time everyday, going for a beachside jog or throwing & catching a ball or wobaba with someone – if you’ve not yet discovered these amazing balls that bounce on water then you’re in for a treat! Also you could consider hiking the mountains and gorges (although maybe best to get out early for that one and not in the heat of the Cretan day). Even if it’s simply exploring the local area on foot, it all counts as exercise.

Secondly, something you can do for your holiday wellbeing is some stretching and relaxation techniques to relieve muscular tension and joint stiffness. Again, this could be at the beach, at your accommodation or even on perfectly formed rock high up in the mountains with no one but the eagles and mountains goats (or Kri-Kri as they’re known as here) to witness it.

A third way of staying healthy on holiday is through healthy eating. I realise one of the great things about holidays is that you don’t have to be as strict with yourself when it comes to things like ice creams and other yummy naughtiness’s (if that’s even a word) but you can still make other healthy food choices when it comes to meal times and the Mediterranean diet has plenty of these in the forms of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood but I won’t go into this in too much more detail as we covered it last year in NCTV Episode 83, if you wanted to find out more on the topic.

Fourth – Posture and ergonomics is something else you can help yourself with whilst away especially during long flights or car journeys – being sure to take regular breaks, get up and move around and not slouch too much for prolonged periods. Performing circulation boosting exercises at the ankles or wearing compression socks may be helpful in reducing leg fatigue, swelling and they can help to boost circulation Also, try not to carry too much at once or excessively heavy cases by yourself if it can be avoided, especially up stairs. There’s no shame in asking for help to spread the load to prevent a sprain or strain.

Fifth – When in a hot climate such as the Greek Islands it almost goes without saying (but should definitely still be said) that sun safety is a must. This was another theme I covered in more detail in Episode 20 if you’d like to know more but to summarise, it’s pretty much common sense, but be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen, wear protective clothing and seek shade during peak sun hours.

Sixth – To expand upon the second point about relaxation, holidays are a great time to manage your stress and promote mental wellbeing and this could be through the likes of meditation and deep breathing techniques; more on this all the way back in Episode 1 if you’re interested and mindfulness which was covered in Episode 70. This could just consist of being present and focussed on your surroundings using all your senses such as feeling the sand under your feet as you walk, listening to the crickets, smelling the fresh sea air or honing in on all the flavours of the local cuisines as you taste them or watching the waves as they crash to the shore.

Onto number seven which is another thing holidays are great for – rest and recovery which is all about getting enough sleep and engaging in experiences that rejuvenate the soul, this may be as simple as reading a good book, listening to music on a sunbed or to others this may be rejuvenating themselves through activities such as water sports, everyone’s different.

And lastly, point eight; injury prevention, this is especially poignant if you find yourself engaging more in physically active events such as the aforementioned water sports or hikes. Some of the key points here are to warm up before sports and  wear protective footwear, especially on the hikes.

That’s it for this week’s bitesize bit to help your health flourish. Happy holidays and I’ll see you next time.

Bye for now.