I am fighting the good fight this year and am planning my ways to stay active during the holidays right from the start.  Holly and I have already decided to switch our weight goal from loss to maintenance until the new year.  No reason to torture ourselves on a hopeless goal of shedding pounds when we only end up being wracked with guilt from failure every year.  Holly blogged about that last week in her post about planning to avoid holiday weight gain.

Planning Ways to Stay Active During the Holidays

So, neither Holly nor I am naturally inclined to exercise.  Trying to stay active during the holidays seems like quite the hurdle. Still, each of us has been working particularly hard at doing at least the minimum amount of healthy exercise on a regular basis for the last several months, and we’re determined not to let Santa and all his awesomeness ruin that.

So, despite our schedules that are busier than normal and the fact that workouts really are something we need to motivate ourselves to do every single day (Every. Single. Day.), we’re determined not to lose all the good habits we’ve built or let those pounds crawl back on. As a part of that, I’ve come up with ways to stay active during the holidays.

My Top 5 Ways to Stay Active During the Holidays This Year

The following are my top 5 ways to stay active during the holiday season this year, as a part of my attempt not to gain weight or lose my good habits.

1 – Setting My Alarm 10 Minutes Early

This decision was not made easily, and it came with a partner step, which is to go to bed at the same time every night.  I start winding down at 10pm, screens off except to read a book.  I do my whole routine of washing my face, brushing my teeth, moisturizing and so on, until I read or listen to an audiobook in bed.  By 11pm, lights out, even if the audio book is still playing.  Ideally though, I switch the track to a yoga nidra session so I can put myself into a place ready to sleep. My alarm is now set for ten minutes earlier than it usually would be.  Ten minutes sounds tiny during the daytime, but huge in the morning.  That said, I’ve been practicing this for over a week now (I started a few days ahead of Thanksgiving), and it’s getting easier. This morning, serious victory, I naturally woke up just five minutes before the alarm was going to go off! What do I use that time for? Exercise!

This is one of my most effective ways to stay active during the holidays so far. I get up out of bed and start a morning yoga session. Or I just start dancing – slow at first, then picking up the pace.  Whatever it is, I get moving, and I keep doing it until my ten minutes is up. Then, after ten minutes, I head right back into my normal morning routine. Interestingly, I’m far more awake in the mornings now!

2 – I Bring My Cross Trainers Everywhere I Go

Okay, not everywhere, but a lot of places. I keep them in a little draw-string shoe bag. It just holds the shoes and that’s it. I toss it into my car or backpack and bring them with me. That way, I can go for a walk at lunch. I can decide to run the stairs on my break. Whatever it is, I can do something that needs proper footwear because I have it with me. It’s one of my killer ways to stay active during the holidays.

3 – Don’t Rely on the Gym

I’m not ragging on gyms. Gyms are great for fitness. However, when you’re extremely busy for a length of time, thinking of being active only at the gym means that if you don’t have time to go to the gym, you don’t do any exercise. Remember that walking, cleaning, raking leaves, and shoveling snow are all activities that fit far more naturally into a busy life at this time of year.

4 – Skip the Elevator and Escalator

At work and while shopping, choose the stairs. You’ve likely heard this at many other times of the year, not just as one of the ways to stay active during the holidays, but it’s extra helpful now, since many of us are in malls and other places that have more escalators and elevators. Get those steps.  Going both up and down stairs have their benefits.

5 – Challenge a Friend

Buddy up with someone and challenge them to reach a certain goal. I’m lucky to have Holly as a friend who doesn’t live far from me, but families can do these things together. Make it a friendly competition.  Maybe it’s a daily step goal or a weekly one. Maybe it’s for completing a certain number of workouts per week or a certain type of workout. Get creative or use the internet to inspire you.  This can make it fun to stay active during the holidays.