The festive season has started and it’s hard not to resist the temptation of pigs in blankets and tubs of chocolates. And, let’s face it – it’s tricky to make it to the gym. For one thing, the weather is terrible and the sofa is incredibly comfy. For another, many will be shut so you couldn’t go even if you wanted to (which you don’t!). Because you’ve got a guilty conscience, the last thing you want to do is wait until the New Year to start exercising again. Previous experience shows it’s difficult to get back on the treadmill after a delay.
With that in mind, here are some fantastically festive Christmas exercise tips.
Earn Your Treats
Christmas is the time of year when all bets are off. If you want a turkey sandwich covered in gravy with a trifle chaser, then be my guest. In your head, it’s fine to eat anything at any time of day because it’s the one part of the year where everybody lets loose. Of course, this leads to rapid weight gain, and it’s harder to get rid of it than it is to put it on. A cool trick is to earn your treats by doing the relevant home exercises. If you fancy bubble and squeak, do pushups and situps for five minutes and burn off the calories. The same goes for watching TV. During the adverts, get up and go through a range of squats.
Test Out The Toys
The 25th is an incredible day where the kids get lots of toys. And, in the interest of staying fit, you should try out as many as possible. Playing with your children can result in burning as many as 100 calories depending on the type of exercise and the duration. Plus, jumping on a trampoline or testing out a skateboard is lots of fun so it won’t get boring or monotonous.
Go To Work
Sure, the idea of working over Christmas is spine-tingling, and not in a good way. However, there are added benefits. Nurses, for example, are constantly on their feet over the festive period. As a result, they burn hundreds of calories in the days most people are sat at home watching TV. You can use your spare Xmas time to enroll on an RN BSN online course for next year if you’re interested. Even if your job isn’t hands-on, getting up in a morning and going into the office is more intense than lazing around doing nothing all day.
Stand In Line
Usually, there are big queues at Christmas, whether it’s on the roads or in the shops. Rather than letting them get on your nerves, use them to your advantage. All you need to do is perform basic exercises that you can do in the car or stood up in line. Behind the wheel, try contracting your muscles for as long as possible to raise the intensity. In a queue, do mini calf raises or butt squeezes.
White Christmas? Snowball Fight!
Of course, if you have a white Christmas, get outside with the whole family for a good old fashioned snowball fight!
Christmas is the time of giving, so give back to your body. Then, there will be one less resolution to worry about in January.
Photo by Dan Nguyen.