Adopting a healthy lifestyle and keeping up with your regular fitness is a hard thing to obtain in the first place, and the holiday season can get you completely off track. It is common for the “happiest time of the year” to also be the most stressful. Still, finding the time to better your body and health might be even more important during the holidays due to shopping, cooking, decorating, and more. To stay on track, here are some ways you can find motivation during the holidays.
Work Out at Home
Holiday traffic can be an absolute nightmare, making it even harder for you to get to a gym where you are a member. It can be very easy to simply drive home if traffic gets too crazy. There is also the weather that can keep you stuck at home. However, an easy solution is to just workout at home. This can make it easier on yourself to actually work out regularly. There are plenty of workouts you can do at home that can be just as effective. You can also ditch the whole gym membership in general and invest in a Spirit fitness treadmill, so you can get your cardio done at home. By building a home gym, you can avoid all the headaches of holiday travel and eliminate excuses for not staying active.
Create a Plan
The holiday season is usually the busiest time of the year. This is, of course, due to all the holiday parties, shopping, and travel you will have to do. To make sure that you don’t lose any of that progress in the gym, make a plan for when and how you will work out. Figure out when you plan on having rest days and what time holiday festivities are. This way, you can be sure to get whatever workout you need to get done prior to any important holiday matters.
Get More Done in the Morning
Many people get their regular workouts done in the morning for various reasons. While the idea might be unappealing to some, it can set the tone for the rest of your day and keep you productive. By getting your workout out of the way early in the morning, you then have the whole day to take care of other matters.
Another option you have is to get your workout done during the evening when most people are shopping. If you need to visit a mall or grocery store, get that shopping done in the morning. Of course, you can also devote more time to shopping online to make your life even easier. It isn’t a bad idea to wrap presents and decorate when others in your home are sleeping either.
Have a Partner
You never have to work out alone, and it can even give you more motivation for days when you feel tired. Try to coordinate with someone else who is in a similar position as you and work out together. This is not only safer, but it can make your workout more enjoyable. You can also socialize during your workout too and get some ideas on what gift to get for someone, or just talk about the holidays in general. You can also find a personal trainer who can hold you accountable for workouts during times like the holidays where you feel you might start slacking off.
Get Enough Sleep
It can be incredibly easy to get sick during the holiday season with how busy things can be. You can avoid that sickness by not going to a public gym where it can spread easily, but you should also be getting more than enough sleep regardless. Seven to eight hours of sleep will keep your energy levels high so you will be in the mood for a workout. If you are sick and tired during the holiday season, which can be incredibly easy, then it makes it even harder to motivate yourself to workout. This is part of why planning when you should get your workout in is so important. Not to mention, working out at home can save you some extra time by not traveling on the busy roads, so you can use that time to get other things done.
Be Productive on Your Rest Days
Take advantage of those days when you are on rest. Not only do you need to take rest days when you are busy running around during the holidays for your health, but you can also use that time to get things done. When you are not supposed to work out, take that time of your day to do some shopping, decorating, or wrap presents. You still need to rest as much as you can, but you can also count on getting more holiday work done on those two to three days a week when you don’t need to exercise. Because it is still a rest day for your body, choose to do something that can be calming and quite fun.
Don’t Wait Until the New Year
Many people make New Year’s resolutions to get back in shape and adopt a healthier lifestyle. However, because of how popular this resolution is, the motivation can fade away quickly. It can also be harder to adopt a completely new lifestyle after the busy holidays, because you might be too tired to commit. Instead, try and get back in shape before the new year by getting comfortable with the new lifestyle change.
Use Exercise as a Stress Reliever
Exercise can serve as a healthy escape from daily stresses in our personal lives. Like we mentioned earlier, the holiday season brings a lot of stress due to how much you many need to do to prepare. It can be really overwhelming, but exercising can be used as a stress reliever for when times get tough. This is another benefit to having a home gym because it is easily accessible for any moment. Working out is just as good for your mental health as it is for your physical.
