Holiday Fitness: How to Stay in Shape Through the Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time for gift exchanges, holiday parties, family gatherings and so many more fun events! But the holidays also come with their set of challenges. If you’re planning a trip, doing double time at work can really stress you out. So can rushing to finish your list of holiday shopping and planning any events you have on your agenda. And all those fun seasonal social events also come with tons of food, sweets and cocktails. Put it all together and you get a recipe for losing your progress when it comes to fitness and health.

Staying fit through the holidays is super important to your overall health, your positive body image and self-esteem and your energy levels. But with all the extra responsibilities and activities, it can be hard to keep it up. Here are some ways you can ensure you stay up on your fitness regimen through the holidays and get a head start on that whole “New year, new me” fitness newbies wave. 

Keep the Indulging to a Minimum

Be conscious of your calorie and sweets intake. If your holidays consist of just a night or two, or maybe a scattered few here and there, avoid eating treats in between. It can be easy to overindulge on seasonal snacks between events, but if you continue your healthy eating regimen as normal on all the other days, you can allow yourself to indulge at the occasional family events without feeling guilty.

Meal Prep

If you haven’t already been doing this, the sudden increase in social engagements during the holiday season will give you a really good reason to start. You’ll have less time, so you’ll benefit more from having meals planned out. This will help you stick to your healthy eating regimen and not end up settling for fast food on the run. It will also save you time, helping you keep your schedule open enough to fit in your workouts as usual. If you have the budget, maybe investing in a meal prepping service or doing a meal prep schedule with a friend where you both alternate the responsibilities can help. 

Plan your Workouts Ahead of Time

This time of year, being organized and planning out your time blocks is key to not falling behind. Look at your days during the week and note your workouts ahead of time on a planner, in a scheduling app or in your email calendar. Set reminders, lay out your outfits ahead of time, do what you have to so you can save yourself time and make it a priority. Avoid giving in to all or nothing mindsets where you sacrifice the whole day or give up a healthy eating regimen for the sake of catching up on time. Stay balanced and remember, your workouts are high-priority and shouldn’t be up first on the chopping block.

 Try a Fitness App or an At-Home Workout

If making it to a class or the gym is what might end up making you skip the workout entirely, then try adjusting by using an at-home workout. There are youtube videos you find and also fitness apps you can download to help you track your progress and keep you organized as far as what sets and reps to do. 

Choose Fun, Fitness Oriented Seasonal Activities 

Who said you had to sit down and watch tv for a family party? If you’re planning an event, try breaking the norm and booking a night out at the skating rink, a hike in the mountains, a game of laser tag, or even a group yoga class! Make it a fun family event by getting matching family tees involved, or, if it’s all girls, a group yoga legging look.