Holiday Fitness and Exercise

You're busy, you're stressed, it's chilly out … so why not just take a break from your fitness program until the New Year? It's difficult enough to exercise during a normal week, but add holidays to the mix and many of us find exercise moving to the bottom of lengthy to-do lists. One thing you don't want is to add more stress to that which already exists this time of year by trying to maintain your regular exercise schedule. At the same time, staying active in some way will give you energy, help lessen holiday tension and, of course, help mitigate some of the extra calories you may be eating. Sure, you can always come up with an excuse not to exercise. But slacking off on your fitness program during the holidays will only leave you with more pounds -- and more stress -- come New Year's. So how do you find that balance?

Increase your time management skills over the holiday season. It's important to keep fitness a priority in your schedule. Whether or not you already have well-established exercise habits, make sure you actually schedule time into your day for your exercise. Organize your day the evening before. Prioritizing your tasks beforehand will help you find time to exercise. Fitness experts recognize that this time of year is difficult for many people trying to stick to an exercise program, so they have some suggestions to keep you motivated and disciplined.

The first step is acknowledging the holidays probably will affect your exercise program to some extent, then you can make adjustments that will help you stay fit during the season. Be flexible and mix it up when your days get busy. For example, if you usually take exercise classes only offered at a certain time, skip the classes and take a hike or a swim at an indoor pool instead. Instead of simply blowing off your 5 p.m. trip to the gym in favor of an office party at the same time, wake up an hour early and walk or jog before work, or fit a brisk walk into your lunch hour, or create a home workout routine (crunches, push-ups, and many other exercises can be done without any gym equipment). Take an honest look at your schedule, and instead of trying to squeeze exercise into your schedule, take other things out. The goal is not to do more (as we all have a tendency to do this time of year), but to do less, but do it all well.

To save time, try combining exercising and family commitments. For example, hauling the kids up a hill a few times can make a sledding trip as beneficial as a jog. Taking the family snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or on a backpacking trip will provide exercise as well as quality time with loved ones.

Mix up your routine to avoid boredom. If you usually run four days a week, try running once, swimming once, and lifting weights twice. And remember, walking is an exercise that can go anywhere, from the woods to the mall (add a heavy book to a backpack to make your walk more challenging). The novelty of the new exercise will hopefully be a stronger motivator than the 'need' to do something else during your normal exercise time.

Traveling or just looking for more advice? Read on to see more suggestions by experts on keeping exercise part of your to-do list.

Plan Ahead

If you're traveling, planning ahead can make all the difference. Take some time to figure out what your options are so you're ready for anything. Just a few ideas:

• Search for walking, running or park trails nearby

• Look up information about the hotel you're staying at and find out if they have an exercise room
• If you're staying with family, ask if they have any fitness equipment
• If that's not an option, find any nearby gyms and ask if they let guests use their facility
• Talk to your family in advance and suggest taking a walk or doing something active together
• If they aren't into fitness, call them before you visit to tell them you want to squeeze in a workout. Ask what they recommend so that you don't interfere with family plans or hurt their feelings if you take time away from them for a workout.
• Try to plan your workout schedule beforehand. Even if you have to change it (which is likely when you're traveling), you've already made a commitment to exercise. It's easier to stick with it when you have it planned than to squeeze it in later.

Get Prepared

If you're not sure about your schedule or whether you'll even have time to get in a workout, plan for the worst-case scenario. That may be staying in grandma's basement with no equipment and only 10 or 15 minutes to yourself. Try these quick tips for squeezing in a workout even when you only have minutes to spare:

• Bring a workout plan with you. Plan a 10-minute routine you could do right in your bedroom. For example, you could choose 10 exercises and do each for 1 minute (squats, lunges, pushups, jumping jacks) or check out the holiday workouts below for other ideas.
• Bring resistance bands. They travel well and you can use them for quick strength exercises whenever you catch a few minutes.
• If you have a laptop, bring along a workout DVD or try streaming workouts online such as those offered by demandFitness.
• If guests are staying with you, move your equipment (weights or bands) into your bedroom so you can sneak in some exercise at night or in the morning.
• Wear your running or walking shoes as much as you can. You may find a 20-minute window when people are napping or before dinner for a quick walk or run.
• You may even want to invite some family members for a walk. Sometimes there are others who'd love to workout, but they're just waiting for someone else to step up first.

Use Every Opportunity

Planning and preparing are nice, but even the best-laid plans get derailed, especially during the holidays. If you find there's just no way to get in a workout, get creative and find ways to move your body any way you can:

• Walk as much as possible. Take extra laps at the mall, use the stairs, volunteer to walk the dog.

• If you're hanging out with kids, set up a game of football, tag or hide and seek.
• Offer to help with the housework, shoveling snow or raking leaves.
• If everybody's sitting around watching football, get on the floor for some situps or pushups. If that's too weird, try isometric exercises -- squeeze and hold the abs, the glutes or even press the hands together to engage the chest.
• If you don't have equipment, pick up some full water bottles or soup cans for quick lateral raises or overhead presses. Something is always better than nothing.

Consider the Weather

If cold weather is derailing your fitness activities, consider these 5 winter weather workout tips:

• Lace up your skates. During the winter it's often too cold, too dark, or too slippery to walk or run outside. To get in a great workout, try ice skating at the local ice rink. It's a great way to sneak in some exercise and a fun family acitivty during the holidays!
• Try thermal underwear. If you really need to be outside in frigid weather, add a layer of thermal underwear, which will keep you both warm and dry by wicking sweat away from your body.
• Don't push it. On days when the air feels too cold to even breathe in, heed your body's signals and stay indoors. Cold air can trigger exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Symptoms include wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
• Try a new home routine. Bodyweight routines are exercises that need no equipment and can be done in your own home. There are many types of bodyweight routines, such as yoga, Pilates, and aerobics. Pop in a fitness DVD or download a workout on your MP3 player to get you going.
• Set up your own gym. Now's the time to think about getting a treadmill, elliptical machine, or stationary bike. Having your own equipment and knowing how to use it will keep you motivated and help you stay on track.

When all's said and done, it's important to be realistic. Give yourself a little slack during the holidays. After all, it's a time to have fun and be with family and friends, and if you have a rigid attitude toward your diet and exercise, you may end up just giving up because you've set the standard too high. So allow yourself some cheat days. In reality, what matters is the overall total calories you consume and the overall total you expend through physical activity over the entire holiday period. One or two splurges aren't going to derail your efforts. Remember, though, even if you find yourself simply too bogged down to exercise at all during the holidays, that's no excuse to stay inactive once the season is over. If you do fall off the exercise wagon, there's no reason not to climb back aboard once your post-holiday routine is established.  

Post Title : Holiday Fitness and Exercise

Holiday Fitness and Exercise,

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Holiday Fitness and Exercise