It can be real easy when the Holidays come rolling around to push your workouts right out the window. Not everyone wants to do this, but we find it hard to stay fit during the holidays. This can be due to different breaks in work or school, vacations, travel, and time off work that just mess with our normal daily schedule. Or the opposite could happen, work on top of adding all the family events could make your schedule be completely full in no time.

The first thing to do is to make sure you set your own goals for the holiday breaks. What are the most important things for you to keep up with? These goals need to be realistic. You will be busier so making it to the gym everyday to work out may not be realistic. Or you may be traveling to see family where there isn’t an easily accessible gym for you to get to. Once you know what your realistic goals are, write them down. Write them somewhere you will see them daily so you are reminded of what you are wanting to work towards. Then schedule your workouts. Making sure you make time for your workouts is the first step to finding time to do them. It may be easier to workout in the morning to keep your evenings, and nights free for family dinners, or other holiday gatherings or parties.

Find other ways than just going to the gym to workout. This may be parking farther away when you are out at stores or parking for work. Take the stairs when you can instead of the elevator. Count your steps. Even bundle up with your family and get outside to walk around and look at decorations and lights.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Any exercise is better than none. So even if it is ten minutes at home, that ten minutes is better than skipping altogether. Be ok with doing exercises at home if that is the only option. Focus on exercises that fire up multiple muscle groups at once. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is a great way to get the most out of a workout in a short amount of time. If you miss a day of training, get back on schedule and don’t let it derail you.

Find a workout buddy, or a family member to train with. It can be hard during the colder months to keep up your workouts. Finding someone who will train with you and keep you accountable can be helpful. Find group activities you can do with friends or family. This could be going ice skating. Group workout classes at the gym are another good choice. You usually have to book yourself into these, so they are scheduled beforehand which will help keep you accountable to go. They are also helpful when you are feeling in a rut and want to change up your workouts.

Holidays sometimes are all about gathering around a meal or having tons of food. Allow yourself to indulge for a night or two. Don’t indulge for the whole holiday season. Eat mindfully, and watch your portions. Limiting yourself to a few nights of extra treats will also help you stay on track to reach your goals you set before the start of the holiday season. Not allowing yourself to indulge in some holiday foods can backfire on you, ending in overeating or throwing in the towel completely feeling like you are punishing yourself for staying fit. Treats in moderation are ok.

Make sure you stay hydrated. Before you go out to dinner, drink a big glass of water. Water will fill you up as well as boost your metabolism.

During the busy holidays it is also good to prioritize your sleep. When you wake up tired the first thing to get pushed off your schedule is your workout. Getting the sleep you need will keep you energized enough to want to workout as well as keep everything else on the schedule for the day.

Staying fit through the holidays does not have to be hard. Setting goals, finding fun activities to partake in as well as scheduling your time to workout can all help you achieve what you want to during the holidays. As well as giving yourself time to enjoy your break, vacation, or family time.

 

Check out this health calculator: Calories Burned Health Calculator

 

Eat mindfully and watch portions!


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