Thriving Well
STAYING FIT DURING THE HOLIDAYS
As the year comes to an end, we often find that our fitness routes can get warped along the way. It may be tempting to just give in, but you don’t want to start the new year with regret and wishing you had done it all differently. Here are a few suggestions on how you can stay fit this December.
09 Dec 2019
Prioritize Your Fitness
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to maintaining a fitness routine is will power. If you find yourself making excuses for skipping your exercise regime, then make a more conscious effort to keep yourself on your toes. One way to do this is to work out in the morning so that unexpected circumstances doesn’t affect your exercise time later in the day. Will power is also easier to sustain in the mornings. You might need to wake up a little bit earlier for this, so make sure that you get a good night’s rest the night before too. Use this as an excuse to change your sleeping habits; getting the right amount of sleep means you’re less tired and as such, less likely to cancel your gym visit.
Schedule Exercise Time
When we get more tired, the less likely we are to stick to our schedules. Why not slot in exercise time into your calendar to remind you to make the effort? All you need is a few minutes each weekend to look at your calendar for the week ahead to see how you can plan three workouts for that week. Not only does this mean that you don’t have any excuse to miss your workouts, but you’re also telling yourself that this is important to you! If you are one of those who struggle to wake up earlier to fit in a workout, try to squeeze in a short workout during your lunch break, even if it just means walking up and down the stairs in your office building. Otherwise, fit in a quick visit to the gym after work before you head out for drinks and dinner with your friends or loved ones.
Plan Ahead of Holidays
Whether you’re just going to take advantage of long weeks or going on a holiday to use up your annual leave, make sure to consider your fitness regime as you plan your trips. Among the things you can think about when booking your trips is to look for hotels that are close to running or hiking trails, or that has a swimming pool. If you know who you’re travelling with, or are visiting, see if you can make advance plans with a potential work out buddy – whether to visit the local gym or go out for a run together.
Pack Some Gear With You
Whether you’re only going for a couple of days, or a more extended trip, make sure to pack some exercise gear with you. For one, bringing them along will hopefully encourage you to use them since you have already made the effort. You will want to bring with you your basic gym clothing and shoes, at the very least. But why not also take along smaller items like skipping ropes or resistance bands as well? If you have your laptop with you, look for workout videos on YouTube that you can exercise along to.
Learn Shorter Workout Routines
If you don’t think you can afford the time, can’t find the motivation or will just be busy in the holidays, one way to overcome these issues is to do shorter routines. If you’ve never tried them before, look for HIIT workout or body blast routines, which do not take as long as a full gym workout but will give your body quite the exercise. For more simpler options, use some creativity to craft out a workout session. This could include just walking around the block (or in a shopping centre), using simple things around the house to create a circuit for training or doing squats and other similar activities while watching TV. Or check these hacks out for more suggestions. With these short routines, aim for activities that workout different parts of the body at the same time.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to maintaining a fitness routine is will power. If you find yourself making excuses for skipping your exercise regime, then make a more conscious effort to keep yourself on your toes. One way to do this is to work out in the morning so that unexpected circumstances doesn’t affect your exercise time later in the day. Will power is also easier to sustain in the mornings. You might need to wake up a little bit earlier for this, so make sure that you get a good night’s rest the night before too. Use this as an excuse to change your sleeping habits; getting the right amount of sleep means you’re less tired and as such, less likely to cancel your gym visit.
Schedule Exercise Time
When we get more tired, the less likely we are to stick to our schedules. Why not slot in exercise time into your calendar to remind you to make the effort? All you need is a few minutes each weekend to look at your calendar for the week ahead to see how you can plan three workouts for that week. Not only does this mean that you don’t have any excuse to miss your workouts, but you’re also telling yourself that this is important to you! If you are one of those who struggle to wake up earlier to fit in a workout, try to squeeze in a short workout during your lunch break, even if it just means walking up and down the stairs in your office building. Otherwise, fit in a quick visit to the gym after work before you head out for drinks and dinner with your friends or loved ones.
Plan Ahead of Holidays
Whether you’re just going to take advantage of long weeks or going on a holiday to use up your annual leave, make sure to consider your fitness regime as you plan your trips. Among the things you can think about when booking your trips is to look for hotels that are close to running or hiking trails, or that has a swimming pool. If you know who you’re travelling with, or are visiting, see if you can make advance plans with a potential work out buddy – whether to visit the local gym or go out for a run together.
Pack Some Gear With You
Whether you’re only going for a couple of days, or a more extended trip, make sure to pack some exercise gear with you. For one, bringing them along will hopefully encourage you to use them since you have already made the effort. You will want to bring with you your basic gym clothing and shoes, at the very least. But why not also take along smaller items like skipping ropes or resistance bands as well? If you have your laptop with you, look for workout videos on YouTube that you can exercise along to.
Learn Shorter Workout Routines
If you don’t think you can afford the time, can’t find the motivation or will just be busy in the holidays, one way to overcome these issues is to do shorter routines. If you’ve never tried them before, look for HIIT workout or body blast routines, which do not take as long as a full gym workout but will give your body quite the exercise. For more simpler options, use some creativity to craft out a workout session. This could include just walking around the block (or in a shopping centre), using simple things around the house to create a circuit for training or doing squats and other similar activities while watching TV. Or check these hacks out for more suggestions. With these short routines, aim for activities that workout different parts of the body at the same time.
