06 Dec Six Ways to Keep Fit This Holiday Season
The holidays are a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and enjoy lots of goodies. However, it is also easy to overindulge and get out of our normal exercise routine. Here are six ways we can keep yourself in check this holiday season.
Schedule time to work out
The holiday season is busy and it is easy to get lost in the whirlwind of to-dos. Take a moment to look at your calendar and schedule time to work out; it could be a fitness class or a yoga class or something else, but find an activity to do for at least 15 to 30 minutes per day.
Phone a friend
Staying motivated on our own is hard enough in general, let alone during the holidays. Call up a friend or talk to a significant other and commit to something, such as, “We are working out at this time,” or “Let’s go for a walk at this time.” Getting someone else involved in our fitness routine can help us stay accountable.
Get creative
Perhaps we truly do not have time to get to a fitness or yoga class. There are still ways to get exercise throughout the day. When we are doing errands or holiday shopping, park further away from the store entrance, or take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. When we are moving around your house, do walking lunges to our destination. Think outside the box.
Take a walk
Bundle up and take a walk outside and be mindful of the surroundings. You and your loved ones could go look at holiday lights, or you could just take a moment for yourself while getting some fresh air.
Pause and breathe
‘Tis the season of obligations and an uptick in familial stressors. Time can simply slip away, and it is easy to forget to just take a moment to pause and breathe. If and when we are feeling stressed, take two to five minutes to focus on the rhythm of our breath.
Hydrate, fuel and track
Our body needs water and proper nutrition in order to survive. According to the Mayo Clinic, water is our body’s principal chemical component, making up about 50 to 70 percent of our body’s weight. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that an adequate amount of fluid intake for men is about 15.5 cups per day; for women, the amount is about 11.5 cups. Downloading apps like My Fitness Pal or Waterlogged can help you keep us accountable and track our progress, especially during the chaos of the holidays.
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Samantha Drum, certified 200-YTT and NASM personal trainer, is the co-owner of VIBE Yoga, Health & Fitness, in Waukesha. For more information, visit VibeMKE.com or email Info@VibeMKE.com.
