More Holiday Diet Tips

We had a great time in the Lake District; it was quite a novelty not to touch a computer for four days straight! The weather was perfect: sunny, but cool enough for plenty of walking. We perhaps sampled rather more of the local Cumbrian fare than was strictly necessary, but were active enough to balance out any overindulgence.

So, here’s a few post-holiday tips to add to Enjoying your holiday without ruining your diet:

• Don’t overdo the exercise on your first day

  We went on a very long walk on Monday … set out at nine thirty, and finally staggered into a pub for a cold drink at about three. Admittedly, a good hour or two of that time was spent window-shopping and getting the ferry across the lake, but it was still a fair bit of trekking along the beautiful lakeside and through the forest and meadows.The next day, we were both feeling a fair few aches and twinges in muscles protesting this sudden over-use. Even if you’re used to, say, cycling or working out in the gym, you may find that a very long walk or other forms of exercise you don’t normally do work usually dormant muscles!

• Try not to get over-hungry

  If you’re off on adventures for the day, make sure you’ve got a few snacks with you. In retrospect, we should have stocked up on fruit to keep us going, though we did have a few cereal bars. There were a couple of times when we over-ate at dinner because we’d not eaten for hours.

• Ask about portion sizes!

  As mentioned above, we enjoyed (lots of) Cumbrian food – but we were a little taken aback by the amount served at times! We went to a pub one evening where I had lasagne and The Boyfriend ordered the mixed grill: his meal would easily have fed both of us … If you’re eating somewhere unfamiliar, ask how big the portions are: you might well be able to split a large dish between two, perhaps ordering a side salad to go with it.

• Don’t forget the sun cream

  This one isn’t strictly diet related, but can certainly be bad for your health if ignored. Unfortunately, we went off walking without considering the fact that though the air wasn’t too warm, the sun was bright. Some after-sun helped, but it would have been better (both for comfort and for skin) to have applied sun lotion in the first place.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and we’d strongly recommend the very friendly Green Gables Guest House if you’re thinking of a stay in the Lake District, as well as a little Italian restaurant called Firenze, just round the corner from there (but watch the portion sizes at the Grey Walls Inn…)

(Image above by Ennor)