Fitness Fitness Tips Healthy Living
December 19th, 2022
3 Fitness Tips for Enjoying the Holidays
Many people find themselves out of sync with their regular fitness habits over the holidays. In addition to missed workouts, there are food treats galore, indulgent office parties, and – often – wine to wash it all down.
Here’s what we tell our personal training clients who are worried about all their hard work going out the window during the holidays. Read on for our 3 fitness tips for the holidays – and any time of year!
3 Fitness Tips for the Holidays
1. Plan Ahead
Unless you are preparing for a race or competition that involves a strict training timeline, give yourself permission to enjoy this time of year. A sustainable healthy lifestyle means INCLUDING indulgences.
It’s better to be honest with yourself and prepare for an indulgence than to say you won’t have any, lose your willpower, and feel bad about it afterwards. When you plan ahead, you allow yourself to really enjoy your treat, and can schedule a workout to offset. This will leave you feeling better both mentally and physically.
If you love good food and wine, life’s too short to deprive yourself completely of the things you love. You heard it here first.
2. Offset
Other than working out, here are 3 great tips to help you offest any of those extra treats. Keep in mind these tips are beneficial all year long, but can prove especially helpful during the holiday season.
- Eat slowly. Research has shown this leaves you feeling fuller longer, plus you will be able to savour your food more.
- Drink 8 glasses of water per day. By staying hydrated, you’ll not only feel better overall, but you’ll also be less likely to reach for every treat you see.
- Take a walk. Enjoy the new season with a brisk walk outdoors. Studies have shown that walking just after a meal seems to be more effective for weight loss than waiting for one hour to walk! It’s a bonus if you can get friends or family members to join you for some quality time.
3. Be Strategic
Choose to indulge in the things that bring you the MOST enjoyment. This is where being strategic comes in. Repeat after me: “I don’t have to eat – or drink – everything”. If you don’t really love something, take a pass and save yourself for a treat you’ll really enjoy.
In other words; just because something is put in front of you doesn’t mean you have to eat it. If you are at the office, and someone brings you a box of chocolates or a slice of cake, but you know already that you have a really good meal ahead of you later on, then hold off and use those indulgences on what you know you will enjoy most.
Once the big meals have been eaten and the decorations down, some people find themselves with extra time off over the holidays. If this is the boat you’re in, why not schedule an extra workout or two or, if a new fitness regime is on your list of goals for the new year – get a head start?
It’s business as usual for us over the holidays and we have a free fitness assessment and workout with your name on it to get you started. Contact us to claim yours today!
