Coach Zoe Stay fit during the holidays with these simple tips that make diet and exercise easy and stress free while you celebrate.
The key to fitness is consistency and moderation
The simplest advice I can give you to maintain your fitness during the holidays is to remember consistency and moderation. You want to maintain consistency in your already formed habits, but allow yourself some moderation. So do your best to stick to your after work exercise, but if you miss it one day to prep holiday dinner or to hit the road to the in-laws early, don’t sweat it! Or maybe you maintain your daily breakfast smoothie, but let yourself have a cookie at the party. Do your best and allow some wiggle room. Speaking of food…
How to eat healthy during the holidays
There are a few ways to approach this. To start, be consistent. Maintain your typical eating habits and patterns as much as possible. So if you have dinner as the main event, be sure to eat breakfast and lunch as normal. Try not to spend an entire day (or worse, DAYS) eating in celebratory way LOL. Like cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then lunch out to eat, 2 helpings of the holiday family dinner, all followed by dessert. Because that will make you overconsume, feel bloated, and deter you from tomorrow’s workout. Maybe even encourage you to eat poorly the next day by giving in to those reactivated cravings.
You can also do this by simply making/bringing your own healthy dinner and eat that while everyone indulges. You may catch some flak for it but you can eat “guilt-free” and most likely avoid overeating as well. It makes the entire meal so much less stressful because I take temptation away and can enjoy my meal without worrying about the extra calories.
Another option you have is to take/make healthy version(s) of the holiday meal. So take roasted green beans and a baked potato for your sides instead of casserole and mashed potatos that are loaded with butter, cream, salt, and fat.
Now I know that is the least “fun” way and you may actually want to participate in the holiday meal as your indulgence or “cheat.” So I have some other tricks for you! If you tend to overeat at dinner, you can take a healthy appetizer or snack to fill up on before the big meal! That way the dinner is eaten with appreciation and enjoyed instead of scarfing down food because you’re starving and you just HAVE to taste more *cue sheepish smile.* Also, be sure to drink lots of water that day to “fill up.”
One of my personal favorites is to utilize intermittent fasting. Which is basically just skip breakfast and/or lunch. But proceed with caution. If you don’t ever eat like this you may just make yourself overeat at dinner because your are so starving. But I like it because it “shrinks” my stomach, so I fill up much quicker. Plus, holiday meals tend to be higher calorie foods, so I can kind of save my calories for that meal.
And remember, moderation! Allow yourself one alcoholic drink, or one dessert. You will be sure to enjoy it more because it won’t be mindless consumption and you won’t regret it the next day.
How to exercise to stay fit during the holidays
I should probably title this section how to find time to exercise. How is it that just a couple of days of celebration can throw you off track and back to square one? Priorites. You know that you have a busy day ahead of you, but swap your morning coffee for a morning workout if that is the only window you have available that day. Fit your workout in whenever you can during those busy days. Early in the morning, during your lunch hour, or maybe even when you get the kids to bed that night.
Which is a good segue to adjusting your workout to fit into your day. If all you have is 20 free minutes, then shorten your workout to a 15 minute HIIT! A quick sweat is better than no sweat. Maybe, you arrange your week to use the holiday as a rest day. But be sure that you get back to it the next day. So, if you know that the holiday will wear you out and make you feel lazy the next day, plan accordingly. For me, I prefer to fit my workout in on the holiday if at all possible, that way I stay motivated the following days and I tend to eat better when I feel accomplished.
If you are set on exercising that day and there is just no spare time, get the family involved! Suggest a walk after dinner. Or encourage a friendly game of football, soccer, baseball, or whatever activity gets a sweat going that everyone can enjoy.
Stay HAPPY and fit during the holidays
The holidays are a time for celebration. Although, they can be stressful, don’t let your fitness become another source of stress. If you have been working hard on your routine and a hiccup will throw you off course for the next month, then do what makes yourself happy. Arrive late to the party so you can get in your workout. Prep your own separate meal that you can be sure is healthy.
And that goes both ways. Have that one piece of pie. Enjoy a drink with your loved ones. Try not to punish yourself if you hit a bump in the road. Have you ever heard something like, “if you get a flat tire, you don’t slash the other three”? If you overeat or miss a workout, don’t make yourself feel bad and talk yourself out of the goals you’ve been working toward. We have all drank, ate, or indulged too much on the holidays. Pick your battles and remember what it is all about, celebration and loved ones!
Workout to stay fit for the holidays
I have got a fun holiday-themed workout that is quick so you can fit it into your busy schedule. Enjoy this 10-minute PLANKsgiving workout for a fun, full body challenge that you can find to stay fit for the holidays time to do no matter how busy you are!
Check out another great core challenge here that can be done when youre short on time!
