Fit in Fitness: Keeping up with your routine throughout the holidays!

One of the biggest challenges of these busy holiday seasons is trying to maintain any type of routine, and balancing time to squeeze everything in. We’re busier for a variety of reasons, but there are always ways to keep up with your health and fitness. It simply has to be a priority, and you’ll find a way to fit it all in! It also requires some mental flexibility; you may have to shake things up a bit, be creative, and open to trying something new.

When time is of the essence, here are a few tips to help you stay fit and healthy through the holidays:

1)     Walk all over and walk often! Try to come up with ways to add in as many steps to your day as you can – if you’re driven by numbers and/or goals, think about getting a pedometer, which tracks how many steps you take. It can be a fun way to motivate yourself to keep getting a higher number (i.e. walk more)! Walking is the easiest form of exercise to do anywhere, anytime and at any level of physical fitness.

2)     Embrace the challenge – have fun with finding ways to stay fit and active, so that you enjoy it rather than see it as a nuisance. Join a friend at one of their favorite fitness classes or ask a family member to join you for a jog. Whatever the “new” thing may be for you, don’t be afraid to try it!

3)     Put it on the calendar/agenda. Making a plan is and actually scheduling a workout is usually an essential factor in the motivation to go and do it. Having a plan, or detailed schedule, can be key to keeping up with your fitness! Feel free to be as specific as you want, creating anywhere from a daily fitness goal to weekly planned workout routine.

4)     Don’t sit still for too long! Use time watching movies and/or TV to get in some easy, at-home exercises like squats, lunges, jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, etc.

5)     Avoid the extremes. There’s no need for extreme workouts or restrictive diets that leave you feeling deprived or fatigued. Stick to what you know works for you in terms of routine, time spent exercising, healthy food choices, etc!

All of that said, this time is about enjoying time with family, friends and the reasons you have to celebrate! Our health and ability to be physically active are both things to be grateful for and to enjoy, so we hope that these tips help you do that.