Fitness Following Festivities

Post holiday fitness is a necessity because of all the heavy eating that is generally done over Christmas and New Year's. Working off those aggravating winter pounds is also made difficult because of the bad weather. The weather tends to keep you indoors, where the exercise options are limited. Being indoors during the winter does not need to be counterproductive to your post holiday exercise goals. Winter activities such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing allow you to remain outdoors to work off those pounds. The biggest challenge to post holiday fitness will come from the mind. You have to motivate yourself to get back in shape after weeks of binging on calorie-loaded festive food.

Winter temperatures and snow shouldn’t prevent you from working to shed those excess pounds. You can still get an effective workout indoors. If you live in a house or an apartment building, you can run the stairs, though even walking them will provide a good workout. With the physical intensity involved with running the stairs, you are sure to burn off a sizable amount of calories. This kind of exercise provides you with an effective cardio workout that is good for your goal of shedding pounds. Try the new “72” class at New Self if you question whether this is a workout!

Knowing that holiday weight gain is a common problem should help you to feel a little bit better about your predicament. But you need to make a specific plan! If you are not a regular gym attender, making a plan to go to the gym seven days a week may not be reasonable. Make a plan that is realistic so that you aren’t setting yourself up for failure.

Because you’re not alone in this desire to work off holiday pounds, it might be easier to find a workout buddy during this time. Reach out to a friend, relative or co-worker to see if he or she would like to exercise with you several times a week. This helps with accountability. It’s much more difficult to skip a workout when you know you are supposed to meet someone. Post holiday workout buddies are especially helpful because they are usually motivated by the same goals.

To break out of an exercise rut or to spice up your post holiday workout, try a new exercise activity. Take a Zumba or Piyo class, plan a spring race, go hiking in a scenic location, or invest in a personal trainer to create a home exercise program. Adding variety to your workout routine will help take your mind off of the weight gain, but still keep you motivated to work out on a regular basis.