Many of us find ourselves extra busy over the holidays, struggling to find time for workouts. On top of that, it’s seen as an indulgent time of year when you might want to eat something that isn’t so healthy or feel pressure to ignore your diet plan. Worrying about challenges to staying healthy over the holidays often stresses us out, but that’s not good for us either.
Is there a way to stay healthy and enjoy the holidays? Preferably without feeling guilty about it?
The good news is you can stay healthy and keep in shape over the holidays while still enjoying travel, time with family, and some tasty holiday treats. Here are 5 fitness tips to help you keep in shape and stay healthy during the holiday season.
1) Schedule Exercise Time
When life gets extra busy, it’s easy to let things slide if you don’t set aside time for them intentionally. You don’t want to fall out of the exercise habit and it’s not a good idea to just stop for a month or so and plan to pick things back up later. Exercise also helps reduce stress, so it’s definitely not something you want to go without during the holidays.
Even if you need to cut back on the time you spend exercising, make sure you’re still setting aside a specific time for exercise. Doing a 20-minute workout instead of a 60-minute one is better than skipping altogether. If you’re staying local, then you might be able to just stick with your regular routine. If you’re traveling, plan to set aside some time for yourself to get moving.
2) Plan Travel Exercises
If you’re traveling and can’t get to your regular gym, that break in routine can make it hard to stick with fitness goals. Before traveling, have a plan in mind for how you’ll still exercise. The hotel you’re staying at might have a gym or maybe the family/friends you’re visiting have equipment you could borrow. You could also plan to do bodyweight exercises or bring resistance bands since they’re so easy to pack.
For those of you who’ve been working with trainers here at Extreme Studio Performance, chat with us about exercising while traveling. We can help you come up with an exercise plan when you’re on the go or out of town that will help you stay on track with your fitness goals.
3) Eat Healthy, but Also Guilt-Free
It’s okay to indulge a little during the holidays. Just remember that you’re in charge of your healthy eating plan. You can decide to eat a cookie or two without gobbling down a dozen or have a slice of your favorite pie without eating the whole thing.
Registered Dietitians counsel that it’s okay to indulge occasionally. What you want to avoid is feeling so guilty about the cupcake you ate or the big holiday meal that you give up on your health goals the rest of the time. Remind yourself that if you eat healthy most of the time, it’ll balance out the occasional holiday treat. No need to beat yourself up over enjoying Mom’s cooking.
4) Focus on Maintaining
If you don’t have time for your regular fitness routine during the holidays, you can aim for maintaining where you are currently rather than work on an ambitious new goal. Maybe this isn’t the time of year to focus on increasing your max speed, getting big, or building strength.
Talk with one of the trainers here at Extreme Studio Performance about switching to lighter, less time-consuming workouts during the holidays if you’re strapped for time. We’re happy to answer questions and help you set realistic goals during this busy time of year. Then, after the holidays, we’ll help you set up a new plan to work toward your individual fitness goals.
5) Get Connected
It’s much easier to stick with your fitness goals if you’re surrounded by people with similar goals and interests. While you’re keeping healthy during the holidays and then getting back into your regular routine after the holidays, put yourself in an encouraging environment.
Extreme Studio Performance makes it easy to connect with other people who are passionate about fitness. Whether you work out here on your own, join small group training, or work with a personal trainer you’ll be surrounded by a community that supports you in your goals to keep in shape and stay healthy during the holidays and all year around.