Maintaining a healthy routine during the holidays

An important question for many of us leading into this time of year is...

"How can I maintain my health and fitness goals during the holidays?" 

With an abundance of festive feasts, super tasty treats and "binge worthy" television/ streaming—the temptations are endless during the holidays.In addition, there is plenty of family to talk to, lots of traveling and a to do list longer than your arm. You may very well feel like  a chicken running around with its head cut off. As much as you want to stick to your current routine and maintain your goals it will certainly be a challenge. 

You want to get in better shape, eat better, stress less and genuinely be happier. As much as you may want to throw these goals to the wayside during the holidays...do NOT! Especially with all the food, alcohol and temptations, it is even more important that you focus on your goals and find ways to keep them at the forefront. Yes, it is a hard challenge in of itself to maintain fitness goals, but the holidays make it an even bigger challenge. Your family and friends will most likely be eating dessert after dessert, over eating and getting a bit too comfortable on the couch. It will be up to you to stay strong or fall short when it comes to your fitness goals.

If you are committed to staying on track during the holidays, it can be a time to re-invigorate yourself and hold yourself accountable...or have a friend, family member or your trainer hold you accountable. Here are some tips to maintain your health and  fitness goals during the holidays:

1. Prioritize your goals:For most of us, it is pretty important to spend time with family and friends during the holidays. Let’s face it: family is going to be priority number one during this season. So I strongly recommend putting your fitness and health as priority number two. Make sure to get time in with family and then schedule in your workouts. Your body and your mind will thank you. 

2. Do not forget to reward yourself:If you can’t help but drool over that apple pie, let a small slice be your reward. Commit to a hard, brutal workout and then reward yourself. A slice of apple pie once or twice a year won’t hurt, right? Keep track of your diet and everything in moderation, do NOT over indulge.

3. Do NOT overdo your cheat meals: A lot of people have a cheat day: a day where they can have dessert, eat what they want, or skip their workout(s). During the holidays, the temptation will be a lot higher to make everyday cheat day. You can’t do that though. Cheat day cannot be every day. It’s called cheat day for a reason. Don’t cheat yourself. Stay loyal to your fitness goals. Having great health and a fit body will be a reward worth struggling for. 

4. Get your friends, family or colleagues in on the workouts:Holidays often bring people together from all sorts of routines. Don’t let your fitness routine separate you. Invite your friends and family to with you. Even if they don’t join you, you will then have the peer pressure to live up to your word. You told them you were going to go for a run or do a workout, so you should probably go, even if no one else feels inclined to exercise with you during the holidays. Accountability is essential for following through. 

5. Use any down time to push yourself physically and stay on track: This won’t apply to everyone, but some people find themselves with more spare time during the holidays. Use that spare time to do yoga for a little bit longer, run farther, lift more or do whatever you do to stay and/or get fit. Take advantage! 

6. Invest in some portable workout gear: It can be hard to work out if your favorite workout machines aren’t available in your holiday destination. There are easy solutions to this, though. One is going to a local gym, but that can get complicated. That’s why we suggest investing in some portable, lightweight workout gear. It’ll make working out during the holidays that much easier. 

Happy Holidays! 

Be safe. Be happy and if you need some guidance with your health and fitness needs reach out I'll be happy to help.