The holiday season is officially here! It is my job to make sure that you are prepared with fitness options. The way I see it, you can either use your fitness to your advantage this holiday season or lose it and start again in mid January.
Let me start by reminding you why most of you workout; it makes you feel good and it helps you deal with stress. And the holidays are nothing but wanting to feel good while having to deal with stress right?
So for those of you that want to come out ahead and use your fitness to your advantage this holiday season, here you go… These tools will not fail you- I promise.
1) Don’t throw your workout away if you can’t have your ideal and usual situation.
You don’t need more then 10 or 20 min to get some muscles engaged, blood flowing, breathing going, endorphins humming, and a little stretched out. Aim for 10 min a day and consider any extra as bonus!
2) Try not to set yourself up for failure.
Be realistic with your schedule and number of commitments per day. Don’t put your 10 or 20 min workout on the back burner for more then 2 days in a row. You are not really saving time by skipping a 10-20 min workout; that workout is going to give you stamina, energy and a clear head.
3) Have a lot of handy workout options available.
This is the key to your success. The more convenient you make your fitness, the more successful you will be. Workouts on your phone through apps, or online fitness sites like www.mydailytrainer.com where I give you workouts, meal plans, a progress tracker and help from me to keep you going are really quick and easy. Workouts in a magazine (a super effective anytime, anywhere workout created by me can be found on page 180 of this December’s issue of Shape Magazine), some $10 DVDs, or even making sure you always have sneakers and fresh clean workout clothes with you are also great tools to make sure your workouts are always at your fingertips.
As we know from personal experience, each year is different and we are all going to do what we feel takes priority. Whether it’s grabbing a workout, making that extra stop or going back out to the store to get that forgotten ingredient, our goal is to feel ready AND have a good time. So when you are planning and jam-packing your day, remember to use your fitness to your advantage and plan that quick workout! It will give you sanity as well as energy!
