5 Tips to Stay Fit During the Holiday

It's that time of year again, when your regular schedule is busier and your fitness schedule gets pushed aside. You're travelling more and time just seems to fly by so quickly. Don't lose your new healthier lifestyle just because the holiday season has arrived. Carry your momentum through these last two, food-filled months of the year. Stay active with these 5 fit tips so you can reach your wellness and weight loss goals and create new ones for the New Year.

1. Plan Your Workout Schedule before the Holidays arrive

What do traveling, gift shopping and exercise all have in common. They all require a pre-determined plan in order to be completed with upmost success. Before the challenge of staying active even arrives, come up with a plan of how you can combat it and be specific. What type of exercise will you do? Where will you Exercise? What equipment do you need? When will you exercise? How long will you do it for? How many days/week will you exercise?

2. Prioritize Physical Activity in your life

When times get busy, do you stop bathing? Do you stop sleeping?  Do you stop brushing your teeth? Do you stop eating? If your answer to that is no, then you probably enjoy taking care of yourself. Staying active is arguably the single best thing you can do to take care of yourself. Make it a priority to get in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Even if it is broken up into three, 10 minute sessions, that is great!

If your answer is yes to the question above, then think of prioritizing physical activity as a great way to motivate yourself to bath again, sleep again and eat right again. Oh, and it might not be a bad idea to start brushing your teeth again, too.

3. Use it as a Stress Reliever

Stress is a reality in our lives, but during the holidays it's almost inevitable. Stress is a physiological response to real situations that happen in our lives. Too much stress can cause poor decision making skills, frustration, sadness, and even anger. The great thing about exercise is that it generates a different physiological response that releases serotonin, dopamine, and other hormones that make us feel good afterwards. This results in having more clear decision making skills. What better time to start managing our positive decision making skills than during the holidays!

4. Do Body Weight Exercises

One of the easiest excuses to use when the weather gets bad is "there is nothing to do and no time to do it." Body weight exercises are a great way to terminate that excuse. There is never a time when you don't have access to your body. You need very little time and can use limited space. Here's an example of a workout you could do in the convenience of your own home or even in a small hotel room, without any equipment.

Repeat these movements continuously for 10 minutes:

20 Jumping Jax

10 Body Squats

10 Push-ups against a wall or on the floor

20 Second Plank

5. Wake Up and Work Out

It is great to have intentions of doing something active. But unless it actually happens, those intentions don't help you. In fact, those intentions can lead you to disappointment. Working out first thing in the morning is a great way to make sure you get your needed exercise for the day. After all, it is your number one priority and all you need is your body to perform it! Now that you can think more clearly and make more positive decisions, you can now more effectively execute the plans you made for the rest of your day!



Enjoy your holiday season from Hilton Head Health!