An Uncomplicated Life Blog: Ways to Stay Active During the Holidays

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Ways to Stay Active During the Holidays

The biggest feast of the year is tomorrow! You're either dancing a jig and drooling at the thought of all the goodies you're going to dig into, or cringing at the thought of what it will do to your waistline. Perhaps both.

Regardless of your stance on holiday binge eating feasting, we all know it's important to stay as active as possible. But with the travel, and staying with family, and a schedule that's tossed right out the window, sometimes that seems impossible. Not so! I remain active on all vacations and trips to visit family. Here are a few helpful hints I employ to keep my body moving and my mind sane.


One -- Pack like you're planning to move your body! If you don't bring your sneaks, you definitely won't be moving. Bring appropriate shoes and clothing to get a walk or a run in, whether it's outside, on your granny's treadmill or at the gym your family belongs to. You can't use this as an excuse to lounge on the couch eating three extra helpings of cookies if you indeed came prepared.

Two -- Actually get out there! If your family likes to get the party started early with morning mimosas, wake up a half hour early. Not only will getting your blood flowing and heart pumping feel good, your mind will benefit as well, giving you more stamina to converse with Aunt Jane about why you're still single. For the tenth time in two days. Taking that half hour for yourself is a great physical and mental break from the stress of the holidays!

Three -- Make it a bonding experience! Maybe you've never really talked to your cousin Vinny before, but you know he likes to run. Set up a time to go with him. My sister and I always go to yoga together when she comes to visit me. Perhaps you could explore a new studio by taking a drop-in class with your mom. If you're a social exerciser, this is a great way to spend time with your family! And far more healthy than slitting a second piece of pecan pie with that person.

Four -- Pack light weights! If it's too cold to get outside, there's no family treadmill, and nobody in your family enjoys being active, pack some light weights and do a HIIT or interval training workout in your room. These types of workouts burn mega calories, usually take 20-25 minutes and feel GREAT. You can find tons of them on Pinterest or YouTube. Pull our your iPhone, put on a workout and get your sweat on before mom has even gotten up to make coffee yet.

Five -- Drink water! More water than you think. All those dishes are LOADED with salt. If you're like me and enjoy an extra pour of wine to celebrate, all that alcohol is dehydrating you even more. Flush out the sodium and last night's libations by keeping a water bottle by your side. If you return to your normal schedule hydrated, you'll have more energy to hit up the gym/barre class/yoga upon your return, which will get your body back on track all the more quickly.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow, full of friends, family and great memories! Moving your body and staying active is a great way to stay physically in shape during these celebratory months and a great mental boost to get you through extended family time ;)

15 comments:

  1. love this list girl! my hubby and I are getting up early(ish) tomorrow to make sure we get our workouts in before the feast, you know it wont happen afterwards! thankfully my gym is open, yay! and water all the way! have a great thanksgiving :)

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    1. Haha, it most certainly wont happen after the feast! We're planning a family walk around the 'hood tomorrow, and I'm about to go hit up a power yoga class in preparation for all those calories. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Aussie friend :)

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  2. Really great tips girl!! I think I'm going to do a few extra crunches tomorrow morning to not feel as guilty LOL! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving girl!!

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    1. Get your crunches in girl! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving - hopefully that Nor'easter I'm hearing about isn't too terrible!

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  3. Awesome tips Paige! Last year I was training for a half marathon so I had a long run Thanksgiving morning. I think I'll make it a tradition and go for a run in the morning tomorrow too.
    Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Well that's certainly a way to get your exercise in - train for a race over the holiday season. Two years ago a ran a Turkey Trot five miler on Thanksgiving morning, and it was awesome. Set me up right for the whole day. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

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  4. I definitely needed to see this today! Good call on packing the tennis shoes for the weekend - that way I won't have my usual excuse of "oh, I didn't pack that..." ;) Happy Holidays!

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    1. Exactly! If you bring the right clothes/shoes, there's no excuse. I got up and did a three mile run yesterday, and it felt great! Happy Thanksgiving to you, Katie!

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  5. I love the bonding experience tip! I have plans to go snowshoeing and skiing with my family in the hopes of staying somewhat in shape! I am a big fan of staying healthy over the holidays and not just waiting until the New Year

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    1. Snowshoeing and skiing sound awesome! And I totally agree - people who wait and make it a New Year's resolution are typically the kind of folks who give up on being fit a few months (or even less!) into the year.

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  6. I always make Mark go for a walk with me after dinner......helps not to continue to binge eat and it's nice to get away for a little bit as well. Oh and water is so important!!! Hope you have a wonderful holiday with your beautiful family!!!

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    1. I hope you got your walk in yesterday! We got a mini one in with the dogs and baby, but you're right - it helped cut off the eating! Happy Thanksgiving to you, soon-to-be-bride :)

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  7. Holidays are so full of temptation, it's all about finding a balance and being prepared to get a workout in. You have some great ideas in here on how to stay active and enjoy your vacation time, and it can be fun to include your friends and family in your activities.

    Catarina @ Wild Fitness

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  8. ارتفاع درجة الحرارة ، والتحكم في الحشرات من الباب للسيطرة على البعوض من خلال عدة تعرق ، بما في ذلك الصاعقة الكهربائية التي تتميز بضوء خافت يجذب البعوض ، واستخدام المبيدات الحشرية ، وهي طرق تقليدية ولها نتيجة فعالة وفورية لكنه يسبب مشاكل مثل أمراض الصدر وغيرها من الأمراض.
    شركة رش مبيدات
    شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بحائل
    شركة مكافحة حشرات بحائل\
    شركة رش مبيدات بحائل

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