Essential items to help get the most out of your travel
Sporting
chance
Nobody wants to spend their hard-earned break in the gym. But how do you avoid the inevitable post-holiday weight gain without even approaching a crosstrainer? Simple. Pack some of these essentials and exercise a little discipline
Adidas Superstars
Nothing screams “I may be oldskool, but I’m not no old fool” like a pair of Adidas Superstars. First launched in 1969, the shell-toed trainer has gone on to become a design classic. Although they aren’t quite the thing for running on asphalt (they don’t offer your joints enough protection), they’re just the ticket for running on grass or taking a stroll along the beach.
The weather may be cooling down, but you’ll still need to keep well hydrated if you’re exercising. Nike’s moulded water bottle won’t infuse your water with the not-terribly-palatable scent of plastic, and the contoured grooves around the barrel mean it’s easy to hold on to.
With the ski season just around the corner, it’s an opportune time to stock up on scarves, hats and gloves. Even if you’re not going anywhere near the slopes this year, a cosy bobble hat in soft chenille-feel yarn will do you for hiking up hills, striding over moors and generally getting out and about in the crisp autumn air.
Not only is tennis wonderfully accessible (try finding a European resort without a court), it’s also the only competitive sport that gets within shouting distance of being fun – to watch or to play. Especially if you win every game without conceding a point, which is where Dunlop’s Aerogel 5Hundred comes in. This racket will up your game quicker than you can say “Tiger Tim”.
Yoga is the ultimate do anywhere exercise regime – you can practise just about any place where there’s space to spread your yoga mat. Added to which, you can assuage any residual reservations you might have about the environmental impact of foreign holidays by packing a biodegradable yoga mat. This one, fashioned from a synthetic form of rubber, will gently decompose over time, leaving your impeccable green credentials intact.
