Of course, there’s another way of looking at it – why not just take a break and have a good rest?

With the pace of life nowadays, we put ourselves under tremendous stress at home, and holidays are the perfect time to refuel and re-energise. Strenuous exercise is demanding on the body and your various hormonal systems (adrenals in particular) and taking a rest from ‘catabolic’ exercise is just as important as taking a break from the computer screen, Blackberry or mobile phone.

Think about alternatives than are much more restorative. Yoga for example – many holiday areas offer classes – on the beach or in the forest – which will give you a chance to breath well and relax deeply, as well as some important ‘me time’.

In the absence of organised yoga, how about simply stretching and breathing deeply – in the shade by the pool, or on your apartment terrace. Plug in the Ipod to your favourite relaxing music, close your eyes and you’ll soon be lost in your own space. Download relaxing holiday exercises>>

Walking on the beach also has a meditative quality – early morning or in the evening as the sun is setting. Use the time to reflect on what’s important in life, and take the opportunity to breathe deeply and fully relax.

If you exercise regularly at home, a couple of weeks off won’t de-train you and will, in fact, send you back home in a far better state to resume your programme.

If you don’t exercise at home, the best thing you can do on holiday is to relax and make a commitment to the changes you will make when you get home. Remember, for a happy, healthy body, you need to ‘move’ on a regular basis.