What Rachael Finch does during her holiday that most of us don’t do

IT’S the last thing most of us want to do on holidays but the former Miss Universe Australia wants us to change our ways.

FOR many of us, a holiday is a holiday from absolutely everything — work, house cleaning, a balanced diet, hitting the gym.

But if you’ve ever wondered how TV presenter and model Rachael Finch keeps so fantastically fit, it’s because even when she’s on holiday, she always makes sure to work in a workout.

Finch, who is also a certified health coach, said aside from plenty of toys and book for her two young kids, she always made sure to pack some travel-friendly exercise equipment so she can keep active wherever she travels to.

“I always pack a few suitcase-friendly items that help keeping active on-the-go much easier,” Finch told news.com.au.

A holiday doesn’t mean a break from working out, says Rachael Finch.

“A resistance band is a great tool because you can do so much with it: push and pull exercises, legs, core and more. A skipping rope is another item that often makes an appearance in my case. It’s handy if you need a quick and easy way to get your blood pumping.

“These items also don’t take up space in your suitcase and they’re really light which is a win!”

Finch has partnered with Westin Hotels and Resorts to launch the Westin Let’s Rise Workout Series, a collection of in-room workout videos to help people to work out in their own hotel room.

Finch said most travellers let fitness fall by the wayside on their holidays — and the videos, which she curated and starred in, could help people get back on track.

“The workouts are gym-free and weight-free so it makes it easier to travel and still make wellness a priority,” she said.

Finch said there were plenty of ways to work in an enjoyable exercise session on holidays, even without packing the extra equipment — all you have to do is make the most of your surroundings.

“You can use furniture, benches in the park and travel items to do things like push ups, tricep dips, shoulder presses, lunges, core exercises and many more,” she said.

“I wanted to help people workout while travelling, with anything from short, eight-minute ab minute workouts to 15-minute HIIT [high-intensity interval training] workouts.

“If you’re travelling somewhere beautiful with great weather, definitely take the opportunity to get outside for a walk or run.”

Holiday time for Finch and her husband Michael Miziner has changed a lot since the arrival of their children Violet, 4, and Dominic, eight months.

But the family still loves a good old adventure holiday in the great outdoors, “getting out amongst nature and doing fun little camping trips”.

“We love choosing destinations that are child friendly, that have services which cater for children such as kids clubs, nanny services, child friendly beach access, toys and games,” she said.

The model shows off her own Body By Finch active range.

“It makes a big difference on the overall outcome of the holiday.

“My suggestions for the physical travelling element [for other travelling parents] would be to pack lots of snacks when travelling on planes — always be prepared for the unexpected.

“No one likes to sit on a plane for 14 hours and neither do kids, so make sure you have lots of little activities for them, and yourself, to ensure the journey is a pleasant one.”

Finch said one of her favourite holiday memories was during a recent trip to Queenstown, New Zealand, while she was pregnant with Dominic.

“My brother had his bucks over there recently so we all went over for a little holiday,” she said.

“It’s my favourite place to go skiing, the culture is very relaxed and grounded and the people are just lovely.

“In saying that, on this particular holiday, I was five or six months pregnant with Dominic so I just waved to everyone heading up the mountain each day to hit the snow.

“New Zealand is such a beautiful place.”

The Let’s Rise Workout Series videos are available at The Westin in Sydney, Melbourne and Fiji from December, and at The Westin Perth when it opens in April.