It can be hard to stick to your fitness routine and keep moving over the holidays. You think we’d be used to the disruption, as it comes every year! It’s also not the only time our “regular” schedules are interrupted, especially if you have school-aged children. There’s spring break, daylight savings time, summer vacation, and all those long weekends. Exercise is an important part of my life (and I hope yours), which means I get creative during these interruptions so I can get my daily dose of movement.
Embrace the Break
Like many people, I take a break from work over the winter holidays. I end up with some extra time to exercise, which is fun because I can do things that don’t normally fit into my schedule. I’ll try new locations for a run or try something new. A fun thing to keep moving over the holidays is to do seasonal activities like skiing or snowshoeing, too.
Last weekend, my husband and I travelled out of town for a Christmas party. Rather than “miss out” on our usual fitness routine that we would do at home, we decided to check out a class at a local boxing gym. It was fun to try a different style of class together while moving our bodies after the flight to Alberta.
Relieve Stress
While I tend to have more free time over the holidays, I still fill my calendar with the many common to-do’s of the season, like visiting, hosting, shopping, cooking, etc. These extras in my schedule definitely make me feel more stressed than usual, and it can be hard to feel like you have the time to work out. Honestly, though, I feel so much better after I exercise and it helps me to handle stress way better. I never regret a workout – just the ones I did not do.
Exercise reduces the levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. By making time to keep moving over the holidays, you’ll be more relaxed and happier, which is a win-win for me.
4 Tips to Get Your Workouts in During the Holidays
- Plan ahead. Whether you map out your own workout schedule or you have a coach who works with you to do this, you’ll be much more likely to do a workout when it is already on your schedule.
- Adapt. Look ahead to what the week has in store for you. There are likely parties, travel, and events over the holidays that aren’t your norm. Plan around those events rather than letting them cancel your workout altogether.
- Take a day off. Yes, it’s okay to take an extra day or two off from exercise. You might even need it! Rest days are essential for proper recovery from exercise to reduce the risk of injuries, prevent overtraining, and help you get the most out of your workouts.
- Move in different ways. The holidays are a good time to try moving in other ways, even if they are less intense forms of exercise. Going for a walk, shopping, or visiting a Christmas market are nice ways to get up, get out, and move. Or, as I mentioned above, do seasonal activities like skiing, snowshoeing, or ice skating.
Don’t Give Up
Christmas time is not the only time of the year that our schedule gets interrupted by a holiday, it’s just one of the longer holidays. If you worry about taking the odd day off or your schedule being interrupted, (or worse – throw in the towel,) you’ll never get anywhere. Accept that vacations and seasonal disruptions are part of life, and learn to work around them. Be flexible and keep going; you’ve got this!