You’ve got gifts to buy and menus to plan, family to see, and friends to gather with. The holidays are a time to relax and enjoy time with family, friends and loved ones. But for many people, the holiday season is also a time when their exercise routines fall by the wayside. If there’s one time of year that it’s harder to stay consistent with an exercise routine, it’s during the holidays.
As your to do list grows, it’s easy to skip workouts. Yet you still need stamina to get through the stressful holiday season. Exercise helps with stress management and with sleep quality. Plus, there’s the weight gain that comes from eating too much pumpkin pie and fruit cake. That’s why you still need to stick to your exercise routine – and it’s easy to fall off the wagon. Let’s look at some ways you can stay on track even during the busy and stressful holiday season.
Consistency is key
Consistency is the key to fitness, and this applies to everything from working out to eating healthy. In fact, being consistent is one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. Don’t tell yourself that it’s all or nothing. It’s less important how long you work out than that you DO work out. If you’re pressed for time, scale back the length of your workouts on days you’re too busy and ramp up the intensity to compensate. The holidays are the perfect time to add more 20-minute high-intensity interval training sessions (HIIT) to your workouts and don’t beat yourself up if you can’t devote your usual hour to a workout.
Schedule your workouts
We’re more likely to follow through when we put something in writing, so schedule your workouts ahead of time. This may seem obvious, but it’s a good idea to set aside time for exercise in your calendar before the holidays hit. It may be more beneficial if you keep the time consistent, so you can build a habit around that schedule. But also, be flexible enough to compromise. If you can’t make time for the 30-minute exercise session you penned in, compromise with 10 minutes when you have the opportunity. Even short periods of exercise have benefits, especially if you ramp up the intensity.
Double up on your fitness journal
A fitness journal helps you stay accountable, so you don’t cast it aside because you’re busy. There’s no denying that holidays can be hectic and stressful. Writing in a fitness journal also gives you an outlet for your thoughts, feelings, and emotions — good or bad — while also helping keep you focused on your goals. You can also stay motivated to exercise when you keep a fitness journal because writing something down makes it easier to stick with it. When you write down your goals, they become more concrete and accessible and it’s more likely that you’ll achieve them. You need that extra push and structure during the holidays.
Don’t set new goals during the holidays
Don’t set new fitness goals during the holidays. Instead, focus on being consistent with your current workouts. If you set new exercise goals now, it’ll be harder to stick with them with all the distractions. There’s plenty of time to set loftier goals after the holidays. Focus on keeping your workouts fun instead, so you look forward to them. Add motivating music in the background to keep the environment upbeat.
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a bunch of missed workouts due to last-minute plans or emergencies. The best way to avoid this is to ensure that your daily routine doesn’t change much during this busy time of year. Remove barriers to getting a workout done by keeping things simple and familiar.
Take advantage of the morning hours
Morning workouts are your best bet when you’re busy and stressed out by too much holiday shopping and meal prep. Start your workout as soon as you wake up and before other activities get in the way and distract you. There are other perks of morning exercise. You get the mental satisfaction of knowing you did it and can focus on other things. You’ll also have more energy after the blood flow boost you get from a workout. Plus, exercise releases endorphins — hormones that make you feel calmer and less anxious. That’s important during the holidays when we are all running around trying to do so much for so many people! A study even found that exercise boosts your body’s ability to handle stress.
Don’t beat yourself up
If you miss a workout, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on the horse and work out the next day. Missing a workout or two during the holidays won’t affect your fitness level and a day off can give your mind and body a much-needed rest. Just get back on schedule the next day. You might discover the break did you good!
Keep your eye on the prize
If you’re tempted to set exercise aside until after the holidays, remind yourself of why you do it. When you’re tempted to skip exercise, remind yourself why you do it. If you’re doing it for your mental and physical health, you need exercise more than ever during the holidays when you’re surrounded by sugary foods and lots of pressure to eat them. Plus, your brain will function better — research shows that regular exercise helps improve memory, concentration, and decision-making skills. You’ll make smarter choices! Exercise improves sleep quality too and you need quality sleep when you have a long to-do list.
Conclusion
Exercising during the holidays and other hectic stressful times is more challenging, but you can set yourself up for success by:
- Emphasizing consistency over workout length or intensity,
- Scheduling your workouts.
- Not setting new, lofty fitness goals during the holidays.
- Keeping a fitness journal.
- Trying morning workouts.
- Being kind and not beating yourself up.
- Remembering why you do it.
Enjoy the holidays but keep moving!
References:
- “Study: How exercising in morning impacts body differently than fitness ….” 10 Mar. 2020, https://studyfinds.org/study-how-exercising-in-morning-impacts-body-differently-than-fitness-at-night/.
- Rachel P. Tillage, Genevieve E. Wilson, L. Cameron Liles, Philip V. Holmes and David Weinshenker
- Journal of Neuroscience 23 September 2020, 40 (39) 7464-7474; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0973-20.2020,
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