It’s the season for peppermint hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, chocolate crinkle cookies and a long to-do list for gift and grocery shopping. If the thought of getting busy in the holiday season have you crossing workout routines off your to-do list, then it’s time to get a little creative with your fitness regime so that you do not fall off the fitness bandwagon.
Every now and then, the holidays can be a little dangerous in the sense that you might forget to stick to your fitness routines due to all the fun you’re having. Nonetheless, with a bit of planning and a whole lot of flexibility, without a doubt, you can maintain your fitness routines as scheduled. Plus, it’s a great way to feel your absolute best!
To help you do justice to your body, we’ve got a series of suggestions to help you stick with your fitness routine during the holiday seasons.
#1 Design your fitness program
It’s always a good idea to have a solid plan in place even before the holiday season kicks in a full swing. Simply write down what you’re doing now for exercise in a book or whiteboard (if you have one at home). When life gets hectic, you don’t need to trouble yourself by worrying about your workout plans because you already have the workout-map planned out. Which means, there’s one less thing to worry about.
#2 Get prepared and stick to the plan
Now that you’ve planned your workout, the next step would be for you to stick to it! Set a recurring reminder on your phone, a post-it note (somewhere you’ll often look at) or best to have both if you feel you might miss either one of the reminders.
The ‘get prepared’ part comes in handy, especially at times when you’re not too sure about your schedules for the day or week, therefore affecting your existing workout routines. Which is why it’ll be best to prepare a plan for some of the worst-case scenarios that might occur any day or any time.
For example, if you’re going to visit your parents or grandparents during the holidays and unfortunately, they do not have any workout equipment, then get your workout tools ready and place it in the car ahead just in case you might forget it at the very last moment.
#3 Holiday workouts
The holiday season can make keeping a consistent workout routine tough, especially if you’re the one who’s usually running around preparing all the necessities to ensure the holidays turn out well.
Although the holiday season is a time full of cooking, baking, parties and family gatherings, the spirit of holidays can never die down easily, especially if you’re a huge fan of holidays. So, this would be the best time to make use of the holiday spirits to lift up your mood when it comes to workouts.
If you need some workout ideas to suit your timing and schedule, we’ve got it covered for you. Here are a few routines to consider during the festive seasons:
- Walking 10,000 steps when doing holiday shoppings
- Strength workouts such as lifting weights, climbing stairs, push-ups and sit-ups
- Resistance band exercises by using a resistance band to do squats and leg lifting
- Cardio training which includes running, jumping ropes, gardening or swimming.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) such as planks, burpees, squats and lunges.
Pen these workout ideas down and use them as an inspiration when creating a workout plan that works well for you. To add on, if you have some extra time on hand, come up with another routine that would be great for your family to join in as well.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be realistic when it comes to choosing your routines and always go easy on yourself. Your holiday exercise sessions might differ from your everyday workouts and it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you still manage to get some exercise going even during the holidays. In addition to that, remind yourself that you can always get back to your routine when you’re back home.
#4 There’s always time and opportunities to workout
Lastly, remember that some exercise is better than none. Rather than skipping on exercising just because you’ve got a whole lot of planning and shoppings to do for the holidays, try and spare at least 30 minutes before or after the shopping for a quick workout routine. This way you’ll feel a lot better when you’re done and you’ll have a feeling of accomplishment. Plus, you’ll definitely feel proud of yourself for not letting anything get in the way of keeping yourself fit and healthy!
Sources: Verywellfit, Health, Breaking Muscles
