C,
Thanks for posting here! It depends on how long you are taking off. If you are taking time completely off, you’d go back two weeks for every week you take off in the plan. So if you were on 12 and take a week off, go back to Week 10. If you take two week off, go back to Week 8.
If you are doing some exercise, not completely off, then you can shorten that guideline. For example, if you are exercising 3 hours a week still, maybe 30 minutes a day for a week, you can pick up where you left off.
It really depends on the duration and what exercise you were doing during the break. So, I think it’s best to come back and post here after your break where you can report the total time off the plan, and how much exercise you maintained during that time. I can then give you a better idea of where to pick up on the plan.
To answer your question on how to maintain fitness while you are off the plan, just 30 minutes a day with some light intensity here and there is enough to maintain your fitness. Maybe run an hour to 1.5 hours when you can as well.
David