Staying fit and healthy during the holiday season can be a challenge, especially with all the tempting treats around. With all the celebrations and gatherings, it’s easy to put your diet and fitness goals on the back burner. But with a little bit of planning and motivation, you can stay fit and active over the holidays without breaking your diet. From adapting your favorite holiday recipes to scheduling regular workouts, here are five ways you can stay fit and active over the holidays without compromising your health goals.
Adapt Your Favorite Holiday Recipes
A healthier twist on your favorite holiday treats will help you stay fit while still enjoying the season. Instead of baking traditional cookies, try making raw cookies with oats, peanut butter and coconut oil or protein-packed muffins with almond or coconut flour.
Instead of eating a bowl of mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese, try a baked sweet potato or a bowl of quinoa. You could even go for a fresh salad with roasted vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing. For dessert, try fresh fruit with whipped cream or hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows.
Beyond food, you can also try to incorporate other aspects of the season into your fitness routine. For example, if you’re hosting a Christmas party, you can go for a walk to the park or the beach before or after the party to get some fresh air and sunlight. Or, if you prefer to stay indoors, you can try indoor cycling or find an indoor yoga class near you to enjoy the festive ambiance of the season.
Schedule Regular Workouts
If you’re an avid exerciser, maintaining your fitness routine throughout the holidays will help keep you on track with your goals. If you’re not used to exercising, now’s a good time to start. Since you’re likely to be busier during the season, scheduling regular workouts can help you stay active and motivated.
You can even try to exercise with a group, whether it’s your family, friends or colleagues, to stay motivated during the holidays and have fun while doing it. Depending on your fitness level, you can try different types of exercises like running, cycling, swimming, yoga, indoor cycling, walking, hiking, strength training, etc.
You can even try new activities like rock climbing or skating to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. If you have kids, you can also try exercising with them to set a good example and have some fun while staying fit.
Get Creative with Exercises
As the weather cools down, you might find it harder to enjoy outdoor activities, so you could try getting creative with indoor exercises to stay fit. For example, you can try simple exercises like squats, lunges, crunches, push-ups, dumbbell curls and planks. You can even try out fun activities like table tennis, badminton, indoor cycling, indoor rock climbing, indoor soccer and basketball.
You can even try some games with your family to get some exercise and have fun together. You can play indoor board games like chess, checkers, cards, scrabble and connect four or try a game of indoor tennis or basketball on the court or indoor soccer with a ball in the gym.
For kids, you can try indoor games like board games, table tennis, mini golf, indoor soccer, indoor basketball and badminton. You can even join kids in their favorite outdoor games like basketball and soccer.
Set Reasonable Goals
While you may want to lose a lot of weight or fit into your old clothes by New Year’s Eve, it’s important to set reasonable fitness goals for the holidays. Depending on your fitness level, you may want to focus on getting more active and eating healthier during the holidays. Or, if you regularly exercise, you can set goals for improving your strength and endurance for the upcoming year.
If you have certain fitness goals you want to achieve this season, make it a priority to find time for exercise, create an exercise routine that works for you and track your progress. In addition to exercising, you can also try to get more active throughout the holidays.
You can walk more often, try to avoid unnecessary sitting at work or home, and try to incorporate some stretching and yoga into your day. You can even consider hosting a family fitness challenge or game night to stay active with your family during the holidays.
Take Advantage of Online Resources
If you’re looking for ways to stay fit over the holidays, there are lots of online resources you can turn to. There are hundreds of free fitness apps and websites that can help you create an exercise routine and track your progress. You can also find lots of healthy holiday recipes and diet tips to help you stay on track during the season.
In addition to apps and resources, there are also plenty of social media groups and forums you can join to meet like-minded people who can support you during the holidays. You can also use these platforms to share your progress and set fitness goals with other people.
Now that you know how to stay fit and active over the holidays, all you have to do is put these tips into action. Start by making a list of your fitness goals so you know what you want to achieve. Then, try to incorporate these tips into your daily routine to help you stay fit and healthy during the holidays.
