5 Helpful Tips for Staying Fit During the Holiday Season

The Fun and Fit twins know a thing or two about staying fit AND staying motivated to get out and exercise. These tips will help you get ready for staying on plan during the holiday season…starting today!

Soon it will be the holiday season. You’ll be busy. You’ll be tired. You’ll be stressed. It will be cold outside. And the kids will be on school break. There just won’t seem to be any time in the day for exercise.

Sound familiar? Who are those people who seem to keep going during the busy season? What’s their secret? And can we copy it without too much trouble?

Of course we can!!

Habit

1. THOSE people don’t have a secret; they have a habit. Just as you automatically brush your teeth and put on deodorant (we hope) each day, so can you do at least 5-10 minutes of exercise. It’s how you think about it. If you see it as a luxury, or extra, then it will get cut as your day fills up with stress and chores. If you think of it as part of your non-negotiable personal care regimen, it will stay in the schedule.

Make It Easy

2. Hmmm, the truth is, #1 sort of covers it, but there are ways to get there. Make it easy to do. You don’t have to choose your toothbrush each morning; it’s right there on the sink. Easy peasy. So why spend 5 minutes deciding on an outfit for a quick walk or run (or group fitness class at the gym – our favorite)? Before you go to bed, pull out whatever is on top – socks, shoes, and workout clothes. Put them on top of your toothbrush. That way they’ll be calling to you, “Hey, we are the easiest thing here to put on. Go ahead, get dressed.”

Enlist Help

3. Ask someone who supports you to phone you and remind you to get going. Not a text message – it’s too easy to sayyes, then do no via text!! You know what I’m talking about! When you’re held accountable, it’s more likely you’ll follow through.

4. Put $7 in a jar at the start of the week. As soon as you are done with your workout for the day, take back $1. If you don’t work out, leave that dollar where it is. At the end of the week, any money in the jar goes to a charity you hate. Not one you like – one you hate!! It’s far easier to go for a quick walk around the block then it is to give money to an organization such as the Ku Klux Klan.

Observe Your Self-Talk

If you want more Healthy Holiday Motivation, click this link to read  five additional tips.

5. Watch the self-talk. Behind the obvious “I’m too busy right now,” is the unconscious belief that goes with it – “I’m being selfish if I leave the kids;” “People will think I’m lazy if I don’t do all the chores;” “I want people to like me, so I have to do all kinds of extra work at the holidays;” “It’s hard (or scary) to make a change” – these are all underlying beliefs that many of us have. If you thought “I don’t care about my health” instead of “I’m too busy,” that would seem weird, right? Sort of dissonant in your mind because of course you care about your health. If you find yourself thinking you’re too busy for even a 5 minute walk (and truthfully, once you actually get out the door, you’ll probably go longer), reword that to thinking you just don’t care about your health and see if you find that acceptable. Chances are you won’t. Self-talk is tricky, but not impossible to change once you realize what’s going on (psssst, self-talk is also a habit, which means it can be changed).