Your Guide to a Fit Holiday Season

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Staying fit during the holiday season is no easy task. Shopping, traveling and holiday parties all seem to derail our exercise routine or fall off our to-do list altogether. So how can you stay healthy and fit during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Cooper Fitness Center Professional Fitness Trainer Stephanie Hill offers these tips.

Plan Ahead

As with anything else, when you pencil your shopping trip into your schedule, pencil in your workout while you’re at it. Plan other activities around your workout as much as possible. While you will need to have some flexibility with the time of day, plan ahead to get your workout in at some point during the day. If it didn’t happen in the morning, what can you shift around to make it happen in the afternoon or evening?

Eat Right

Don’t let nutrition go by the wayside this holiday season. Stay focused on eating healthy, nutrient-rich foods. Never go to a holiday party on an empty stomach. That’s a recipe for a nutrition disaster. Instead, go into a party knowing how much you want to eat and stick to that amount, or eat an apple or other healthy snack beforehand. Drink plenty of water at your holiday gatherings, too. The more water you drink, the less you’ll indulge in both holiday cocktails and food.

Work Out at Work

Is your evening and weekend schedule packed? Fit your workout into the workday. Take a couple 15-minute breaks during the day for a walk around the building. Do squats, lunges and pushups at your desk. Try some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on your lunch break to get in a quick 300-calorie burn in just 15 to 20 minutes.

Make Mundane Tasks Count

Remember, even little things you do during the day can be turned into a workout opportunity. Park at the back of the mall parking lot to fit in some extra walking before Christmas shopping. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Turn up the music and turn your household chores into a workout. While relaxing in front of the TV at night, don’t fast-forward through commercials. Instead, stand up and jog in place or do some bodyweight exercises during the commercial breaks.

Get the Whole Family Moving

After a big meal, go on a family walk. No matter the age, walking is something almost any family member can do. Play a game of football (or flag football). Go ice skating. Encourage your guests to bring workout clothes so you can include everyone. Do something out of the box and sign up for a family 5K or fun run. When the whole family is involved, working out becomes more enjoyable. 

Set Your New Year’s Resolution Now

It’s most beneficial to set your goals for the new year now, before the calendar rolls to January. Approach your New Year’s resolution the S.M.A.R.T. way by setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals. For example, set a goal to lose 15 pounds by March and to do that by going to the gym three to four days a week and working with a trainer once or twice a week. Write everything down and revisit it at the first or end of every month to see how you did and if you need to adjust.

Work Out On the Road

Don’t let travel keep you from getting in your workout. Here is a sample go-to workout for when you’re on the road, which consists of 15 to 30 minutes of cardio with body-weight resistance training, including:

• Jumping jacks

• Run in place

• Squats

• Lunges

• Pushups

Get your heart rate up and keep it up for the duration of the workout. This video demonstrates a few bodyweight exercise moves you can try at home or at the gym. 

Staying fit during the holidays may be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. Arm yourself with these tips to ensure you have a healthy and fit holiday season. For more information about training at Cooper Fitness Center, visit cooperfitnesscenter.com or call 972.233.4832.

Article provided by Cooper Aerobics Marketing and Communications