Holiday Blog and Exercise of the Week #5- Be Prepared to Conquer This Holiday Season
Thanksgiving has come and gone, already completely eclipsed by Christmas decorations and carols on the radio. Hanukkah has already begun. Soon, we will all be swept up into the holiday cheer, complete with the holiday mindset. In the weeks to come, our schedules will become jam-packed with holiday parties and get-togethers, we’ll be shopping for presents and baking treats, and likely traveling to be with family or having them and others as guests in our homes. It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos. After all, this is a season for giving, a season for spending time with loved ones, a season to put others first—in doing all of this, sometimes we put ourselves last, often without even noticing we’ve done so. Until, that is, we’ve set foot in the gym well after New Years Day.
When it comes to working out, I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum—I’m extremely type A when it comes to getting my sweat on! The positive side of this is that I will always make getting a workout in a priority before anything else. But I’m really great at working out… and maybe not so great at planning my workout around everything else that I need to do that day. I’m notorious for packing to go on a trip and arrive with a suitcase that has more workout clothes than “regular clothes.” I’ll lose myself in a workout and, before I know it, will have been at the gym so long I now only have 15 minutes to get ready for that Christmas dinner party my parents were planning (or some such thing). My point is, this hectic season is all about balance. So whether you’re self-motivated to a fault or so busy that you need to be reminded to think of yourself, too, we’ve come up with some tips about balancing your holiday schedule and getting the most out of this season.
- Have a plan—and do your best to stick to it. The holidays should be filled with more enjoyment and less stress about planning said enjoyment. But if filling your social calendar has you wondering how you’re ever going to get a workout in around everything you have to do, making a plan can help dramatically reduce your anxiety. Try to (ahead of time!) identify your busiest days, and strategize the best times to squeeze in some activity. Be realistic about how much time you can commit to a workout, rather than biting off more than you can chew. That time starts the moment you enter the gym!
- Get it overwith If your schedule permits, do your workout in the morning. In addition to increasing your energy levels as the day goes on, the likelihood that work or other obligations can get in the way of your workout will decrease. Getting your workout in first thing in the morning takes some discipline, but it could help you keep your schedule free when it counts.
- Don’t skip breakfast When you know you’re going to have a holiday feast later on in the day, it seems logical to try to save your calories for all the treats you plan on eating later. Most people usually try to do this by eliminating breakfast. In addition to the benefits studies have shown that eating breakfast can have on the metabolism, eating a reasonably sized meal in the morning can help set the pace for the rest of your food consumption throughout the day. Simply put, eating breakfast in the morning could help prevent you from having an all-out holiday binge—and regretting it later.
- Have a Plan B Maybe you snoozed your alarm too many times to get a morning workout in. Maybe you’re a victim of winter weather. Or maybe you had too much (insert delicious holiday food here) and need a quick workout to do some damage control. Don’t forget about bodyweight exercises—they can be done with little to no equipment, in the most limited spaces. Try to combine lower body movements (squats, lunges, and their respective variations) with upper body movements (pushups, triceps dips), with bouts of cardio-based movements (burpees, “jump” rope). Mix your moves up for a different routine every time. But we’ll do you one better: we’ve already taken the guesswork out of the workout for you. Check out our next video in our Exercise of the Week Series, in which we outline an entire bodyweight workout, perfect for busy holiday schedules. Consider it our gift to you.
