The most wonderful time of the year is approaching fast. With that, so are the plates and plates of yummy holiday treats. These next few months especially are a time for joy, love, giving and celebration. However, it can also be a time where excessive relaxation and indulgence goes from being a well-deserved reward into a bad habit. If you tend to get lazy and forget about your fitness goals during your holiday breaks more than you would like, I have gathered a few tips that will help make this season both happy and healthy.
Fitness Festivities:
1. Go for a stroll
Take a brisk walk to view the Christmas lights and decorations in your neighborhood. Who knows, you might even encounter some carolers! Make it a family affair and bring along your loved ones for an active night walking in a winter wonderland.
2. TV & Tone
Sit on a yoga mat by your television instead of laying on the couch. While binging on ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas, do some floor exercises to burn calories while being merry and bright.
3. HIIT it
Busy plans with your family all fa la la la la day? Complete a quick HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine before you go downstairs for breakfast. They are one of the fastest and most effective ways of burning fat while providing a great mix of strength training and cardiovascular exercises. That way if your family wants to have a lazy day, there will be no need to feel sorry for taking yet another day off from the gym or treating yourself to an extra slice of pie; because you already crushed your workout for the day. (Even if the weather outside is frightful!)
4. Create a holiday music workout playlist
You know what they say… “When in doubt, Mariah Carey it out.” I don’t know about you all, but all I want for Christmas is rock hard abs while eating all the pizza I want. Until that dream comes true, I’ll be setting up a holiday playlist to motivate myself to get moving while getting in the holiday spirit.
Food Festivities:
1. Traditions with a Twist
This year, try your hand at creating a healthy spin to your usual favorite holiday indulgences. Lover of apple pie? Bake yourself some homemade apple crisps drizzled with cinnamon and honey. Addicted to candy canes? Add peppermint hot tea into your daily routine. Do you bake and decorate cookies with your loved ones? Perhaps this year donate them to a family in need. To live a healthy lifestyle, you do not have to sacrifice your traditions. Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of a twist.
2. Eat good, feel good
Binging on carb-rich and high-fat foods surrounded by some of your favorite friends and family may feel good in the moment, but if you take it too far you will feel sluggish and possibly sick. Try not to overindulge and therefore under-experience time with your loved ones. Treat your body with foods that will help you feel energized and fit so you can live each moment with your loved ones to the fullest!
3. It is not about the cocoa, it’s about the conversations.
Remember, the holidays are not about how much food you eat, but partially the fact that you get to prepare a meal and share it with the ones you love. Instead of joining together in a Thanksgiving leftovers food coma, try to unite together in an epic Christmas Carol Karaoke sing and dance off.
4. Holidays can be healthy and happy at the same time.
When surrounded by various platters of your guiltiest pleasures, try to remind yourself of the goals you have set long after the holidays have ended. Do you want to finish that 5k race with a record-breaking time or rock your favorite bikini even more by the time spring break rolls around? Every healthy choice you make now is setting you up for future success. Never forget it!
My Fitness with Finesse warriors, we have come so far in our individual fitness journeys. Now, as the toughest and most tempting season for cheat meals and rest days is upon us, it is time to remain focused on our goals and remember what the holidays are truly about. Do your best to enhance old habits into re-vamped healthy habits. Although it is important to remember that it is perfectly okay to treat yourself, be careful to not fall into old ways and regress on your journey to a fit and fabulous lifestyle. At the end of the day, the only person who is in your body is you. Treat it with all the love and dedication you desire, even if people think you are crazy for doing so!
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