Holiday Exercise Tips: How to Stay Active Through the Winter
Considering all the food-oriented family gatherings, the chilly weather, the shorter daylight hours, travel, gift shopping, and in general, keeping up with the rest of your responsibilities, it’s no wonder that many people fall off the wagon when it comes to keeping up with their exercise routines during the holiday season.
Yes, making time for physical activity is definitely more difficult this time of year. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of fun, easy exercise and health tips for you to try this winter. They can help you stay active, keep your energy up, and make this year-end a breeze. Keeping up with these tips will make sticking to your New Year’s resolutions even easier.
5 Exercise Tips for Staying Active This Holiday Season: A Complete Guide
- First of All, Stay Warm!
Before we get started on these tips, remember to always dress warmly when exercising outdoors. While the debate is still out on whether cold weather actually contributes to the likelihood of contracting a virus like the common cold or flu, you’re still better off safe than sorry in weather-appropriate clothing.
- Scold the Cold, Workout Indoors
The easiest way to stay active (and safe from the cold) is to workout indoors. Use (or invest in) indoor equipment like treadmills and ellipticals. Did you know simply going for a brisk, 30-minute walk every day has shown to increase overall mood and decrease risk of diabetes?
Even if you don’t have equipment of your own, there are other options for working out indoors during the winter. You can find great deals on gym memberships, or simply skip the equipment and focus on body weight exercise like squats, lunges, crunches, push-ups, yoga, or pilates.
Even those options are not appropriate for everyone. Check out the YouTube channels and videos below for alternatives or further inspiration:
POPSUGAR Fitness TV – This free YouTube channel offers hundreds of fresh fitness tutorials, workouts, and exercises that will help you on your road to healthy living, weight loss, and stress relief.
FitnessBlender – Another YouTube channel with hundreds of at-home workout videos, run by husband and wife team, Daniel and Kelli.
LIVEexercise – This video is made specifically for people who are overweight or have limited mobility.
- Exercise While Preparing for the Holidays
There are still ways to stay fit while gift shopping and preparing for family dinners. Park further away than you normally would in parking lots to garner some extra steps. Shopping at the mall? You can take an extra lap while you peruse through the shops.
- Bring in the Whole Family
Exercise is always more enjoyable with more people. Start a new tradition with your family to participate in a Turkey Trot, Santa Run, or Jingle Bell Run. These events are tons of fun, with snacks, hot chocolate, decorations, and fellow runners, walkers, and joggers in silly costumes.
Find an event near you at Active.com. Search “Turkey Trot” or “Holiday Run” in your area.
- Staying Fit While Traveling
If you’re traveling by plane this holiday season, you can explore the airport terminal between flights. Staying with relatives? Ask to use their exercise equipment, or for advice on a local gym. Staying at a hotel? Find the gym or take a few laps in the pool for some great low impact exercise.
Happy Holidays!
From all of us at Cernero Surgery & Aesthetics, we wish you all a wonderful holiday season.
Looking for more exercise tips on how to stay active during the winter? Contact us today, we’ll be happy to offer more advice.
Posted in: Exercise Tips