There’s one thing we could all use more of during the holidays — balance.
Shopping for presents, cooking indulgent meals (especially desserts), and spending time with family are essential to the holiday season. When you pile work on top of that, your time disappears in the blink of an eye.
With the holidays approaching, it’s crucial to take a break and create a plan to hold onto the balance that’s so easy to lose once the season hits.
If you want a better way to maintain your fitness during the holidays, we have your back.
This post answers your questions about how to balance nutrition and fitness during holidays without sacrificing cherished memories with friends and family. Let’s get this (holiday) party started!
Why Is It Hard to Achieve Fitness Goals During Holidays?
Before you think about achieving your fitness goals during the holidays, we want to point something out.
Your fitness journey isn’t always easy on any day — you can expect to struggle with motivation issues, food cravings, and hitting calorie goals.
The holidays seem to amplify those challenges.
You have less free time, eat more calorie-rich foods, and spend more time relaxing with friends and family. All these factors level up the difficulty of sticking to your fitness plan.
How to Balance Fitness and the Holiday Season
It may sound like fitness and holidays don’t mix, but there’s good news!
Your fitness and nutrition routine doesn’t need to look the same during the holidays to continue achieving success on your fitness journey.
You don’t need to calculate every calorie you eat when you’re gathered around the table with friends and family to celebrate the holidays. In those moments of extra relaxation, you shouldn’t feel guilty about not being in the gym.
To keep your holiday season balanced, stick to the following tips that will help you increase your mindfulness around food and activity.
3 Ways to Maintain Fitness During Holidays
Gym time (or your group sessions at Fit Body Boot Camp) might slow down during the holiday season, but you can maintain your fitness level. Here’s how:
Stay Active Every Day
Just because you can’t schedule regular fitness sessions doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on physical activity. For example, you can:
- Park further away from the store during those long shopping days.
- Add extra standing minutes into your day by wrapping presents at the kitchen counter.
- Go for a walk on chilly afternoons while baking your favorite holiday dessert.
Incorporating extra activity during daily life will help you burn more calories and stay in shape during the holiday season.
Fit in Shorter Workouts at Home
Going to the gym is a great way to disconnect from daily life and reset while you work toward your fitness goals, but getting there during the holidays isn’t always possible.
To keep hitting your fitness goals at home, focus on short bodyweight routines that work your major muscle groups without equipment.
You can also add some yoga flow to your routine to combine muscle-strengthening poses with moments to reset your mind.
Plan for Active Family Time
Rather than taking a nap after a large meal with family or planning on a movie marathon, plan family activities that get your family up and moving.
These activities could include walking the neighborhood to look at holiday decorations after a big meal, taking a trip to the nearest Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree, or planning a group hike to take in the local scenery.
When planning to mix more activity into your holiday traditions, pick something that encourages your loved ones to bond and create cherished memories while staying active.
3 Ways to Maintain Nutrition During Holidays
Trying to avoid all of your favorite holiday foods or substitute “healthier” options could be tempting, but avoiding the food that makes the holidays special is a recipe for an unhappy season.
Instead, try to stick to these guidelines as you navigate holiday eating:
Make Protein and Veggies a Priority
Your protein and vegetable intake should be a priority all year long, but you should especially focus on these food groups during the holiday season.
If the holiday table is full of turkey, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, fill your plate with more turkey and veggies rather than the high-calorie, high-carb options.
Higher protein from the turkey and fiber content from the vegetables will help you feel fuller faster while enjoying some classic holiday foods.
Avoid Going Back for Seconds
Overindulgence is a staple of the holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be. You can stay closer to your calorie goals by choosing to avoid seconds.
Taking your time to eat and savoring a single plate of food makes it possible to enjoy your favorite foods without overeating.
Eating slower will also help you avoid indigestion because it prepares your body to process food.
Don’t Skip Out on Dessert
Dessert is part of the holidays, and you shouldn’t skip out on every dessert just because you want to stay healthy during the season!
Just like avoiding seconds, eating dessert while maintaining a balanced diet comes down to moderation.
It’s okay to have holiday cookies or a slice of pie — just stick to enjoying one dessert or sampling smaller portions rather than eating all of them.
Want More Nutritional Advice?
At Fit Body Boot Camp, we offer the best group workout plans and nutrition coaching to help you hit your fitness goals.
If you want to level up your fitness journey, visit your local branch today!
