Nobody wants to spend their holiday in the gym, but two weeks of lounging on the beach and overindulging can leave the sveltest traveller battling the post-holiday bulge. How to keep that stomach from splurging? Drag yourself off your towel and take advantage of beachside activities.
Swimming
Pros Great for the injury-prone - the water acts like a giant cushion to protect your joints - swimming is also a good all-round fitness activity that works all the body's major muscle groups. Different strokes work different groups: incorporate backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and front crawl to cover the range. Swimming front crawl in an indoor pool will burn around 300 calories in half an hour; but take to the sea and you'll burn extra calories as your body encounters waves, currents and the elements.
Cons Outbreaks of crypto-sporidium, a nasty bug caused by swallowing contaminated water, are sometimes linked to swimming pools. By-products of chemicals such as chlorine can also be problematic.
Find out more: Hone your technique before you go on holiday. Contact your local council for adult stroke improver classes.
Jetskiing
Pros: Generically known as personal water craft (PWCs), these petrol-engined, water-propelled machines don't give a particularly demanding workout (although some upper-body effort is required to manoeuvre the vessel), but the adrenaline buzz they provide is second to none.
Cons: There have been a number of high-profile injuries and deaths linked to PWCs. Holiday Which? says part of the problem is the absence of Europe-wide safety regulations. Check that your PWC has a remote-control cut-off (so staff can stop hooligan drivers).
Find out more: It may be worth completing the one-day RYA PWC proficiency test. Sites increasingly require this certificate before they allow you to use their facilities (rya.org.uk).
Windsurfing
Pros: Windsurfing is easier and cheaper to learn than many watersports, and depends more on technical skill than on brute strength; improved equipment (such as lighter boards) also makes it easier to manage equipment in the water. Staying upright requires you to engage all major muscle groups - as does hauling yourself back on board when you fall off.
Cons: Falling off is inevitable, which is fine in the warm waters of the Mediterranean but not so much fun on lake Windermere.
Find out more: The RYA runs windsurfing courses at more than 250 sites in the UK and Europe.
Beach volleyball
Pros: The physiques of its female Olympic competitors have given beach volleyball a reputation for glamour. Gives the muscles in your legs and bottom a great workout, thanks to the jumping and sprinting, and shoulders and upper body are also tested.
Cons: Twisted ankles from poorly judged landings are not uncommon. Not great for developing aerobic fitness.
Find out more: beachvolleyball.org.uk
Pedalo
Pros: Using pedal power works most of the major muscles in the legs and buttocks. The faster you pedal and the stronger the wind against you, the more calories you will burn (up to 400 an hour). Your heart and lungs will benefit if you keep going long enough, and do it regularly.
Cons: No benefit for the upper body. Freddie Flintoff rounded off a late-night bender by ending up stranded on a hotel pedalo. A lesson to be learned.
Find out more: Try spinning classes at the gym or go cycling to prepare for your pedalo performance. Sustrans.org.uk has details of the 10,000 miles of paths on the National Cycle Network.
Walking on sand
Pros: Walking or running barefoot on sand uses more energy than walking on concrete or asphalt; every time your foot hits the ground it creates a small depression so that the leg muscles work harder to push upwards and forwards for the next step. Experts advise running on wet, firm-packed sand near the shoreline at low tide, where the surface is flatter and less punishing. Shorten your stride for a more even-footed landing.
Cons: Experts report sprains, strains and even tendonitis from running on uneven surfaces. Because each step creates varying pressures and forces in the feet, ankles, knees and hips, runners must constantly adjust to the surface. Not everyone has the skill or ability to do so easily.
Find out more: ukathletics.net for details of running clubs in the UK.
Wakeboarding
Pros: Proponents describe wakeboarding as a fusion of snowboarding and surfing - riders have their feet attached to the board and are pulled along by a boat. Requires good all-round fitness, and exceptional strength in the upper body and legs.
Cons: Last year, a 48-year-old man died after falling from a wakeboard. According to Holiday Which?, consumers should check that water-ski boats carry at least two staff: one to drive and one to watch the wakeboarder.
Find out more: wakeboard.co.uk or britishwaterski.org.uk.
Beach bat and ball
Pros: This beach racket sport offers a full-body workout, which involves an impressive number of muscle groups. The power for a shot is initiated at ground level, and sharp turns and twists give the abdominals and upper body a vigorous workout. Your forearms absorb the impact from the ball contact, and your shoulders and upper arms are strengthened.
Cons: A heavy ball combined with poor technique can put you at risk of tennis elbow - and the more you play, the worse it can get. "Wrist-strengthening exercises such as squeezing a tennis ball can help strengthen the forearm, which is vital," says Sammy Margo of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.
Find out more: lta.org.uk for tennis lessons in your area.
