The holidays are almost here, and that means our schedules are about to be jam-packed, our fridges will be full of leftovers, and the holiday baking will be in full swing. But that doesn’t mean letting your fitness goals fly out the window. Set yourself up for a fit holiday season by preparing with these five tips.
1. Join a fitness challenge
Nothing motivates us like a little friendly competition. It helps satisfy our need to win, it gives us a reason to improve our performance, and competition encourages us to put in more effort to perform better. Signing up for a challenge also helps keep us accountable. You can find plenty of fitness challenges online, often with a great prize. Some may require you to buy in, but if you can afford it, that adds to the motivation since no one wants to throw away money, especially around the holidays. You can also team up with friends, gym buddies or coworkers to create your own challenges. You can do this pretty simply when you experience Team Training and Studio Fitness classes at FITNESS PROJECT and compete with fellow members to push yourself and take your fitness to the next level. Want to take it a step further, get setup with MyZone. Want to add more motivation? Start with some ground rules, decide if you want to have a buy-in for a pooled prize at the end, and figure out the best system to help everyone track their workouts and then go for it. If you have a friend that is on the fence, encourage them to take advantage of the free 7-day Fitness Project Pass and challenge one another.
2. Bring your workout to you
During the holiday season, we often find ourselves spending a lot more time at home or traveling to see family and friends. Unfortunately, both scenarios can make hitting the gym tricky. Luckily, if you are a Studio Member, you can take FITNESS PROJECT with you wherever you are. Download the free My Fitness Project mobile app and enjoy on-demand virtual training with trainer-curated workouts added weekly; set fitness goals and take your training anywhere, in and out of the club and track all your progress in one place.
3. Log your food
Between the holiday baking, dinners with family and friends, and your favorite festive drinks, all those calories can add up quickly. Start the holiday season with some rules or boundaries for yourself. Logging your food is a great way to keep track of everything you eat. It’s easy to get a little carried away at a holiday party with all your favorite treats. But if you know you will have to list out each and every cookie, it may help you make more mindful decisions. We suggest finding an app and logging the food or beverage as soon as you consume it.
4. Hydrate
Busy can be an understatement during the holidays, and staying hydrated is often the last thing on our minds. However, water is an easy way to boost your metabolism. Experts believe drinking cold water after a good night’s sleep is critical to jumpstarting the body’s metabolic process. Bonus: It can also help you fight off the holiday sniffles so you won’t miss out on any of the festivities.
5. Keep your momentum
If you have created a habit around working out, don’t let the holidays take you off course. Missing your habit once is ok, but don’t bail on your habit twice. In Atomic Habits, James Clear explains how our brain loves routines and hates unpredictability. With our habits, we give our bodies predictable patterns. We adapt to the new cycle when the routine is broken too often. So if your external surroundings change over the holidays, you need to adapt your habit accordingly. Find a way to work out, no matter what. Be ok with shorter workouts, different workouts, and even different times of the day. Fitness Project offers a great selection of classes throughout the day to help you keep your habit game strong.
The key to mastering the art of holiday fitness is planning and preparation. By starting your preparation early, you’ll be ready for whatever this holiday season throws your way. These tips are a great way to get started, but it’s important to recognize what will work for you.
Take a few minutes to sit down and dig deep into your obstacles this holiday season, then come up with actionable steps to avoid letting them derail you. Finally, think about how great it will feel to kick off the new year feeling great about all the progress you made this holiday season.
Interested in more holiday tips? Check out these 10 realistic ways to stay healthy during the holidays.
