The holidays are here, and for many of us this time of year is busier than ever. Between shopping, holiday events, and traveling, it’s not surprising that this is often the time when workouts fall to the wayside. So many people take an all or nothing approach to workouts this time of year. It may feel like if you can’t stick to your regular workout routine that it’s not worth doing anything, and you just plan to start an intense routine in the new year. A more effective approach is to learn to maintain and enjoy your workout routine during the holidays, and go into the new year feeling like you already have a good routine in place!
How to Maintain and Enjoy Your Workout Routine During the Holidays
Before I share some tips about how to maintain and enjoy your workouts during the holiday season, remember that if you have been training hard that it is important to take an off-season at some point. Maybe this is a good time to do that! An off-season can just consist of less mileage, easy runs, or more cross-training. If you just a ran a goal race consider taking a week or two off from running to give your body time to recover. You don’t need to feel like your need to run hard all year long!
Come up with a plan
Maybe your goal is to work out 3 or 4 days a week. Add your workouts to your calendar and decide when you will get them done. Maybe even have a back-up day in case something comes up.
Get it done early
Working out in the morning is a great way to prioritize workouts. When you get up early to work out, usually nothing will get in your way. This also works well when you’re traveling with family because you can get it done before everyone else even wakes up.
Make it fun
You are more likely to stick with your workout routine during the holidays if it is something you enjoy! So try to pick workouts that will be fun, whether its a group run, or workout class, or even just playing soccer with your kids for 30 minutes.
Involve others
Sometimes it’s harder to get alone time during the holidays. We are spending time with family and friends, and kids have time off from school. So involve others in your workout! Take your kids for stroller runs or have them ride their bikes while you run. Or do an online workout together. Even just plan to go for a walk after dinner every night!
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Make it festive
There are lots of holiday races this time of year, and also holiday challenges. If getting in the holiday spirit will help you stay motivated, then go for it! Holiday events and challenges are a fun way to keep up your workout routine during the holidays while getting in the holiday spirit.
Get outside
Many of us tend to spend more time indoors this time of year when it’s cold out. But getting outside for a few minutes is good for the body and the mind. So when you can, try to get some fresh air for your workouts. You will probably feel better after getting out there!
Or stay warm
If the weather is just unbearable, or even unsafe, stick to some indoor workouts. If you don’t have a gym there are plenty of workouts available online that you can do from home.
Try something new
This is a great time of year to try something new, especially if you are a runner who is taking an off-season. Maybe you want to experiment with some cross-training activities that you didn’t have time for throughout the year. You could also try some winter activities like skiing or ice-skating.
Set a goal to maintain your workouts during the holidays
Some of us are goal oriented and need something to work towards to keep us motivated. Maybe you can try to run a certain number of miles in December, or work out a certain number of days this month. Write down your goal and keep track of your progress!
Give yourself grace
This time of year is busy and can be stressful. If your workouts don’t happen, that’s ok! Don’t beat yourself up. A few weeks off won’t set you back from your long-term goals and could even be a nice break if you have been following a workout routine all year long.
Hopefully these tips will help you to stay on track this holidays season. Remember that it’s only a few weeks, so try not to stress about getting everything done. But also remember that workouts can help you deal with all the other stress this time of year!
You may also like:
Five Ways To Stay Healthy During The Holidays
How I Stayed Consistent with Fitness for 15 Years
How Can You Maintain Motivation for the Long Run?
Do you stick with your workout routine during the holidays?
What’s your favorite way to get some exercise in when it’s cold out?
Have you ever done a family race?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Runs with Pugs , and Laura Norris Running to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
Great tips, Lisa! I like the idea of starting something new. There are so many other activities I would like to try out, like tennis or swimming.
I usually stick to my schedule during the holidays. Having time off work even makes it easier for me.
Yes when I’m off from work for the holidays I feel like I have more time to work out, which is nice! Trying something new can be fun this time of year.
I do try to stick to a routine during the holidays–sometimes I have to make adjustments, of course. But everything else seems to fall into place if I get my workouts in!
Yes, exactly! If I can keep up with my workouts it definitely helps me to feel better overall.
The practice of having a daily fitness routine helps me stay less stressed over the the holidays. That way, I am already to take on the new year
Yes exactly! Its so helpful to stick with a regular routine.
I stick to my runs during the holidays. Obviously weather may interrupt things. But working from home allows me to run sometimes at lunch when I have events in the evenings.
I bet those lunch runs are great this time of year when its cold and dark at night. As much as I don’t really like running later in the day, at least you don’t have to worry about the heat in the winter!
Great tips, Lisa! For myself, the daily fitness thing is just my norm. It’s like showering and brushing my teeth. While I don’t typically have to “find” the time, my available time may be compromised with all the other busyness of the season. It helps that I’m an early riser, so I can usually get in a good workout before my day really starts 😉
Yep totally agree that being able to get a workout in first thing in the morning is so helpful!
These are great tips. This is why I’m normally a morning runner (or yoga-doer, right now!) There aren’t a lot of things that will keep me from running at 6 am, but if I leave it until later in the day, who knows what may happen. I always feel that if I’ve kept to a good schedule for most of the month, it’s not a big deal if I miss a day here or there. Like I probably won’t go for a run on Christmas morning, and that’s okay!
Yep working out first thing in the morning really is the way to go! The only things that really get in the way at that time of day are a bad nights sleep or really bad weather.
I am all about giving myself grace. 🙂 No need to stress yourself out over something that’s supposed to help you destress!
Absolutely! If it’s stressing you out, then it’s probably not going to be something you stick with over time.
I love all of these points Lisa especially the ones about having some kind of plan/ goals but still keeping it fun! I’m back doing my Run Every Street Project again and it’s really motivating me to get out and run even if December for us is very hot and sticky! I think often when we lose sight of the fun element, things start to go downhill.
That’s so true! It can be a tough time of year to run but when we keep it exciting it’s easier to stay motivated!
Grace and flexibility are key right now. In Florida, this is when the bulk of our training takes place, so we need to be all in, but we also need to give ourselves a break to enjoy the holidays.
I usually stick to short, easy runs this time of year. I like to keep up the routine as best as I can, and shorter runs are the trick to doing that.