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Learn MoreThe holidays are HERE! For many that means a hustle and bustle associated with stress, feeling as stuffed as the Thanksgiving turkey and getting off-track from fitness goals, which leaves you overwhelmed and defeated before the New Year even begins. Did I just stress you out??
No time for scrooges here…back to the jolly and joy this season is really about!
We at CAC are in the business of helping others experience the life-changing power of fitness for the better and our team of expert personal trainers are sharing their tips to help you keep working out to feel great and in control this holiday season!
Don’t ditch your 2019 planner yet! Book your workouts.
“Schedule your workouts like you would any other holiday event,” says LVAC Personal Trainer, Katie Morgan.The busier your social schedule gets, the easier it is to eliminate a trip to the gym. If you make it a priority in your week just like attending your holiday wreath-making class or cookie exchange, ghosting your workout won’t happen.
Check in with your long-term goals.
“Summer bodies are made in the winter,” WPAC Personal Trainer, Maggie Priore reminds us. “Your actions now will affect your long-term goals.”“Why should you stop being healthy? Because it's the holiday season? Keep in mind how good you feel when you work out vs how you feel when you've eaten or drunk too much,” says EAC Personal Training Manager, Frank Sasseti.
When it comes time to eat: Moderation, moderation…MODERATION!
While the delight of the holidays is largely about gathering over meals and libations, simply remembering to not overdue the feasting will keep you feeling your best.
“Focus your attention on what truly matters. We eat to live, not the other way around,” WAC Personal Trainer, Matt Hongosh says.
Morgan’s tip for mealtime, “Exercise portion control by using smaller dishes and try to eat slowly.”
“Enjoy the foods you *actually* enjoy! If you don’t really like stuffing, you don’t have to eat it. Save room for pie instead!” CAC’s registered dietician and WAC personal trainer, Stephanie Fiorentino says.
Advocate for Activity with your friends and family.
Sure, piling around the couch to watch football and The Santa Clause is going to happen, (and it should!) but in addition to slowing down and enjoying downtime this season, carve out plenty of physical ACTION within your circles so you can all can get moving together.
“Do holiday activities outside! Go skating, walk around and look at lights. Find hobbies you all enjoy that don't revolve around food and alcohol,” says Priore.
“Bundle up and walk by the lake, it’s a completely different experience from a summer walk,” Sassetti reminds us.
“Ask them to come to your training sessions or classes. It'll be fun and a good change of pace for your workouts,” says LPAC Personal Trainer, Blane Jacobsen.
Do an at-home workout.
There’s nothing like a body-weight workout in the comfort of your home before a holiday meal to set you up for success on a day you might otherwise overindulge at the table.“I love taking a deck of cards and incorporating as many people as possible and do a pushups workout. You can make up however many reps the face cards represent. The goal is to take turns drawing a card and hit that many pushups for the value of the card,” Hongosh says. How’s that for a family Challenge?!
Jacobsen suggests the basics, “Pushups, squats, lunges, and abs.” No equipment needed.
Looking for a bit more structure for your at-home workout? BAC Personal Trainer, Kimmy Escamilla, has you covered, “10 body squats, 50 high knees, 40 jumping jacks, 30 bicycle crunches, wall-sits for 20 seconds, 10 push-ups…and repeat!”
Don’t be an over-achiever when it comes to setting fitness goals.
The reality is, this time of year is BUSY. It is what it is. So embrace holiday joy and don’t stress about setting strict fitness goals for yourself during the final 5 weeks of the year. Your body won’t change drastically from the holidays if you maintain realistic and practical healthy habits that you’ve built all year. “Commit to a few habits you know you can stick to, make sure you get your sleep, and remember what you are working towards and why,” LVAC’s Personal Training Manager, Laura Weiner, says.
“You can indulge, the problem is overindulging and you know what that looks and feels like. You make the choice, no excuse. If you overindulge, just get back to being healthy, accepting that you overindulged and that's over now; it's now time to focus on getting back to living smarter,” Sassetti says.
There you have it! And if at any point during the next few weeks you feel like putting off a workout until tomorrow, remember LVAC Personal Trainer, Jesse Kulla’s, words, “Yesterday’s tomorrow is now. Don't wait.”
With that, let’s welcome the Holiday Season…it’s go time!