How to Stay in Shape During the Holidays

Sharing my thoughts on how to stay in shape during the holidays. This blog post was titled for The Man aka search purposes, so please read on for my full thoughts 😉 

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having a lovely week! I have a couple of meetings this morning, and am looking forward to putting up our Christmas tree tonight!

For today’s post, I wanted to chat about maintaining fitness and “staying in shape” during the holidays.

The holiday season is a magical time filled with joy, gatherings, and celebrations. With everything going on, it can be easy to let healthy habits fall to the backseat a bit. Today, I wanted to share some realistic tips to help you maintain your fitness routine and stay motivated during this busy and festive season.

How To Stay In Shape During The Holidays

Instead of thinking about “staying in shape,” think about staying healthy, fit, energized, and centered. Focus on the habits that make you feel GOOD so you can get through the busy season feeling happy, vibrant, and peaceful. A deeper goal than vanity-based goals will help motivate you when things feel hard. 

Here are some of the things I like to emphasize during the holidays or busier seasons of life.

1. Plan Ahead

Look at your holiday schedule and carve out time for physical activity. Every workout, even short workouts, are still worth it. It can be a huge stress reliever and chance to move your body, which feels good when you’re bombarded with extra to-dos!

Every Saturday, I sit down and plan my workouts for the upcoming week. If it’s scheduled, I’m more likely to make it happen. On the days that are packed, I make sure that I can at least do some steps on my walking pad or take Maisey for a walk.

2. Take a Moment for Yourself

Make self-care a priority, even though it can be tricky. A quick 20-minute workout or walking or running session can be your moment of peace amidst the chaos.

Incorporate relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation to reduce stress. I love the short Peloton yoga and meditation classes, and the Calm app is also a great resource for meditation. During this season, I tend to get overstimulated easily – it’s a lot of people-ing- and taking at least 10 minutes to breathe or meditate makes a huge difference.

3. Be Realistic

Even though it can be tempting to try and make drastic changes before the New Year, I think that December is best spent focusing on maintaining instead of adding in a bunch of new wellness goals. Instead of trying to hit personal records, focus on consistency.

I also think consistency is more valuable than intensity, so feel free to modify your routine based on your schedule and energy.

4. Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is so important for mood, metabolism, performance, memory, immune system function, hair, skin, so many things. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep to support recovery and stay motivated during the day. If you have to choose between sleep or a workout, I almost always recommend choosing sleep.

5. Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially if you’re indulging in festive treats. You might like adding in electrolytes if that’s something that works for you. Proper hydration can help keep you energized and helps with digestion during this indulgent time of year. It’s also helpful to be mindful of caffeine and alcohol intake.

6. Exercise Regularly

Consistency is key to any solid fitness routine. Remember, it’s not about intensity; it’s about sticking with it for the long haul. Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week and alternate intensities throughout the week. If you’re short on time, I like to focus on strength training, smart intervals, and steps/overall movement. I also like to remind myself that something is better than nothing; if I only have time for a 15-minute workout, I just make the most of that time.

7. Enjoy Festivities in Moderation

It’s important to enjoy the season and all of the fun treats and drinks. I like to choose the ones that are “worth it” to me, and still focus on protein and fiber in all of my meals and snacks. If I know that a party or activity will be low on the protein side, I’ll have a jerky stick, some meat, or scrambled eggs before we head out. This can also help with blood sugar response because I’ll be buffering the treats with a little protein.

Check out these festive outfits that are perfect for holiday parties but comfortable enough for a quick post-dinner walk.

So often I’ll see posts about the detriment of holiday sugar and booze, but the reality is that it doesn’t really matter. What you’re doing the rest of the year will have the biggest impact on your goals and how you feel.

How To Workout On Holiday

1. Bodyweight Circuits

Simple and effective, bodyweight circuits elevate your heart rate and burns calories without the need for equipment. These are excellent travel workouts – I like to just do some squats, lunges, planks, quadriped work, and core.

Try these holaday circuits to stay fit with minimal space and time commitment.

2. Walking or Running

Walking or running is an easy way to maintain physical activity while spending time with family and friends.

Consider a morning run before festivities to keep energy levels high throughout the day. A morning hike is also a peaceful little escape when you have a lot giong on!

3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT workouts are perfect for the holidays as they’re short and effective, helping you burn calories quickly.

Squeeze in a quick HIIT session before heading to a holiday gathering. This is one of my favorite at-home HIIT workouts.

4. Home Workouts

Home workouts are convenient and require minimal setup—perfect for the busy holiday season.

Keep your workout clothes ready and do a quick 20-minute session whenever you find a pocket of time. I LOVE the Sculpt Society workouts for quick at-home workouts. This link will give you. a month free!

So tell me, friends: what do your fitness and wellness goals look like as we finish out the year?

xo

Gina

*For more:

check out this holiday strength circuit workout

and this healthy for the holidays post