Five Ways to Stay Fit During the Holiday Rush

Let’s face it. The holidays are just hectic. Many of us spend the last few weeks of the year scrambling to finish everything from shopping, wrapping, cooking, entertaining, not to mention visiting with friends and family. The holiday season is certainly fun, but there is an element of stress involved, especially if your schedule is already jam-packed. 

Staying fit while feeling festive is one way to relieve holiday stress while doing something good for yourself. Here are five ways to help you get some workouts in while you’re juggling your holiday plans and activities. 

1. Make a plan. Plan and schedule your workouts in advance. Add workout sessions to your calendar as you would any other appointment. Schedule your workouts early in the day --- getting them out of the way in the morning often makes it easier to fit them in before other activities or events start.  
2. Be creative. If you find you don’t have time for a lengthy workout session, find creative ways to fit in some exercise. That might mean squeezing in a 10-minute dumbbell  workout between Zoom meetings and baking cookies or using the stairs instead of the escalator while you’re out shopping. If you’re visiting family out of town, check out some nearby hiking or running trails to escape for a quick walk or run. 
3. Be realistic. Don’t come down too hard on yourself if you don’t stick to your usual workout routine. It’s hard to get everything done at this time of year. Take into account your lack of time by scheduling fewer or shorter workouts until your schedule gets back to normal. 
4. Find an accountability partner. You’re definitely not the only one trying to figure out how to exercise at this time of year. Find a friend or colleague who also needs a holiday fitness plan and see if you can work together. You can schedule time to run or walk together, or just plan to check in with each other on workout days. 
5. Stay at home. As the song says, there’s no place like home for a holiday workout. With some planning and the right equipment, there are plenty of ways to get a great workout at home. You can incorporate adjustable dumbbells and versatile equipment such as the Glute Drive that can help you train your entire body at once without going to the gym. Working out at home also saves time as there’s no need to drive to the gym and you can exercise at whatever time works best for you. 

Keeping the holiday spirit while staying fit can be a challenge but with some creativity and a little planning, you can reach your exercise goals. By choosing the right home gym equipment, you can have a flexible and easy-to-access solution that will help you meet your fitness goals the entire year.