How to Survive the Holidays With Exercise
December 21, 2015This time of year it’s easy to forget everything we know about weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
It’s easy to make cold weather and shorter daylight hours an excuse for not walking or exercising outside. Running around to prepare for holiday gatherings can become an excuse to not go to the gym. It’s easy to not pay attention to what is being put on our plate as Aunt Sally is talking to us about the past year. It’s also easy to say “It’s just one meal a year. I can have a little extra to celebrate all I’ve accomplished this year.” Most of us have been there, done that.
I’m here to encourage you to break old habits this year, ask you to pay attention to what you are doing and help you survive the holidays with pride.
5 Tips To Survive the Holidays With Exercise
- Stay flexible: It’s okay to break up your normal one hour routine into smaller 30-minute sessions so that you can visit with family. It becomes more manageable when you allow just 30 minutes for exercise when you are running around trying to find the perfect gift for the in-laws. By taking a break from the holiday rush to give yourself time to exercise, you are able to recharge your batteries and feel less frustrated when the toy store is out of that one doll your daughter has been begging for. Maybe instead of taking time to drive to the gym you can take Fido for an extra walk during lunch. You could also start a new game (neighborhood scavenger hunt) or create a competition (see who can jump rope the longest) to get the whole family involved.
- Take Active Time to Visit with Family: Instead of spending time with your cousins and other relatives lounging around the TV or snack table, talk with them while going for a walk. Instead of zoning out in front of the football game after a big meal, take a family walk around the neighborhood to admire all the decorations. It’s a great way to bond and work off a bit of the festive food. Or maybe it’s family you are trying to get away from? What better way to escape than going to a gym class? You can tell them you left to get more milk.
- Make Shopping an Activity: Instead of window shopping this time of year, make a habit of taking a few laps around the mall at a quick pace before you holiday shop. Also remember to park further away from the stores so you can get a few extra steps in. Manually opening doors instead of going through automatic doors is a mini arm workout. I loved hearing about stores such as REI closed for Black Friday. They won’t even let you shop online before having a popup encouraging you to go outside to play.
- Put Fitness on Your List: Ask for fitness stocking stuffers instead of candy or give some fitness gear to your family and friends so they can be fit with you. Simple items such as jump ropes, and an exercise mat or even a dance video make for great stocking stuffers. During recipe exchanges or the ever famous cookie exchange, use recipes that are lower in fat and use less sugar. Better yet, instead of exchanging cookies, exchange homemade granola or power bars.
- Be Sure to Forgive: Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up. Just get back on track and remember why you are doing this. Staying fit is the best way to ensure a happy and healthy New Year. My favorite mantra is “what you can, when you can.” I believe this saying is great this time of year especially when schedules are tighter, days are shorter, meals are larger and time for yourself is narrow. When you slip up, acknowledge what happened and try your best to not allow yourself to give in to that slip again. Be a coach to yourself encouraging you to get back up and start again versus a yelling drill sergeant. And please do not punish yourself by doing double your exercise routine the next day.
Exercise: How long and what intensity is best?
New Years is a great time for “New Year, New Me” pep talks. Why wait until the new year to start being better? Start now. Start today. Give yourself time to create the habit of exercising.
Habits take time to develop and great results don’t happen overnight. What I suggest to most people is to set aside two days each week for exercise. Make those days and times set in stone. Once they are set, and only once they are set, add a third day. Repeat this pattern until you are up to 6-7 days each week of exercise. Start simple with only the duration you can currently tolerate. This may be 5 minutes or 10 minutes for you or it may be 30 minutes. Wherever you start, do not increase that duration until you are up to 6 days/week of exercise.
The minimum amount of exercise needed just to maintain your current fitness level is 150 minutes/week. This comes out to 5 days/week for 30 min/day and, of course, some days may be longer and some may be shorter showing the total time is for a week versus just a day. If you are looking to improve your endurance and strength, and lose weight you should aim for closer to 300 minutes/week which averages 5 days/week for an hour.
To recap, build your foundation by starting with the frequency first, then the duration and finally increase your intensity. Increasing intensity can be as simple as increasing your pace walking or biking, finding routes that incorporate more hills or increasing the amount of resistance you use while doing strength training. Be sure to add variety to your routine as well so your body does not get used to the exercises you do. Increasing intensity is a good way to add variety.
You can also do speed intervals while running, biking or walking. You can use the “hill climb” or “random” setting on cardio equipment at the gym. You can do circuit training either through a group class, exercise video or creating your own. Circuits and interval training are a great ways to help build endurance especially if you are training for a race or competition.
As with all new exercise programs, safety is first. Before you start, check with your doctor to make sure you are ready to exercise. Ask a professional for assistance if you go to a gym with using new equipment or trying new classes. Take a buddy with you to parks or trails. If you are new out of weight loss surgery, make sure you start back with exercise slowly and allow 6-8 weeks before returning to strength training.
Exercise is a great way for "me" time as well as "family or friends" time!
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melissa Bell, ACSM CEP, EP-C is a Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. Melissa helps weight loss surgery patients prepare for surgery by introducing exercise and counsels patients on ways to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. She received her Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Appalachian State University. Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn.Read more articles by Melissa Bell! |
