Christmas is a festive time of year. You spend time with friends and family, eat delicious food (often over the entire holiday season) and you gain weight. The good news? Claims of 5 – 10 pounds of weight gain are overblown because studies show a realistic 0.5% increase in weight 10 days after the 25th.
However, it’s far too easy to fall off track with your exercise routine and fall into bad habits because everyone is having fun.
If you want to have a fit and festive Christmas, try our recommendations below.
1. Have Fun with Festive Workout Challenges
Want to make it easy to stay active during the holidays? Participate in fun, holiday-themed workout challenges. Wear festive attire and do things you enjoy so that you look forward to your workouts.
Challenges will keep you motivated and give you new and exciting ways to stay active. Here are some fun ones to try:
- 12 Days of Fitness: Set a goal to do one workout a day for 12 days straight
- 12K Steps Challenge: Go beyond the recommended 10K steps a day and aim for 12K
- 25 Days of Fitmas: Challenge yourself to do a series of bodyweight exercises for the entire month of December (squats, planks, push-ups, etc.)
If you want to do your workouts at home, make sure you have all of the equipment you need for your workout challenges. If you have a small space, a foldable treadmill, like this one from REDLIRO, will help you stay active without taking up too much room in your home.
2. Stay Active with Outdoor Winter Activities
Another great way to stay active during the holidays is to plan some outdoor activities.
Go ice skating outdoors
Go for walks at a winter park
Go to fun local events that will keep you on your feet, like holiday lighting ceremonies and parks
Plan a ski or snowboarding trip
In addition to helping you stay active, these activities will also allow you to enjoy plenty of time outdoors in nature. Plus, they’re fun things to do that you will look forward to.
3. Don’t Have That Second Helping – Be Mindful About Holiday Eating
The holidays are a time for celebration and spending quality time with family and friends. Often, those celebrations and parties involve lots of eating. While you should still enjoy yourself – it is the holidays, after all – try to be more mindful of your eating during this time.
Eat small portions more often throughout the day. Don't go for that second helping. Limiting yourself means that you can still enjoy all of the delicious food at holiday gatherings without going overboard.
Bonus tip: Focus on eating healthy meals throughout the rest of the day. You may indulge a little during a party or gathering, but eating healthy food the rest of the day will help you avoid going too far off track.
4. Create a Like-minded Tribe of Health Enthusiasts
Your “tribe” should celebrate with you around the Christmas tree. Why? If the group of people that you spend the most time with overeat, guess what? You're likely to overeat, too.
Surrounding yourself with people who commit to health and fitness will encourage you to:
Avoid skipping your workouts
Eat healthier meals
Stop adding in just “one” more cheat meal
How do you find these like-minded people?
You'll need to dig deep into your friend circle or make new friends. If you have a gym partner, they’re a great source of motivation for a lot of people. However, if you exercise at home, you can join communities, such as:
Fitbit
MyFitnessPal
Jefit
Dozens of others
Being a part of the fitness community and seeing everyone else pushing their limits and looking their best on Christmas may motivate you to stay on track this holiday season. In fact, research has found that having a fitter friend can increase your workout intensity and time by 200% or more.
5. Drink Plenty of Water
Cornbread, stuffing, treats – they’re everywhere during Christmas. You'll find temptation around every corner, and you need a way to curb it. Drinking plenty of water is a go-to way of tricking the brain into thinking you’re full.
When you drink water, it stretches the stomach and rapidly passes through the system.
If you’re satiated, you’re less likely to overeat during the holidays. Another trick is to drink two glasses of water right before you eat. Studies show a 22% reduction in food intake when you drink prior to eating.
And water can also stimulate your metabolism. Metabolic rate in 14 adults rose by 30% after just two cups of water.
If you want to feel and look your best this holiday season, be sure to load up on water before any big meals.
Staying or getting fit is a long-term commitment. Incremental changes to the way that you eat, drink or exercise can help you avoid packing on extra pounds this Christmas.
