Around the holidays, it can be hard to keep up with the clean eating and exercise routines you’ve established over the year – especially if friends and family don’t share your enthusiasm for it. Getting some support can be the key between maintaining the health you want and falling off the fitness wagon. With that in mind, here are three simple holiday exercise ideas your people won’t mind doing with you.
Take an After-Dinner Walk
Big meals and the holidays go together like, well, big meals and the holidays. You don’t need to punish yourself by not partaking, but if you find that you’re eating larger meals, taking a walk afterward is a smart way to keep your body functioning at its best. Meals high in fat create what’s called oxidative stress, where our vessels are trying to expand and allow for increased blood flow, but fat makes the process more difficult. Walking counteracts those effects, and because it’s a low-intensity, accessible activity, it’s a great way to spend more quality time with your loved ones. Walk, chat, and enjoy the cool winter days around Las Cruces.
Start Up a Holiday Fitness Challenge
Maybe you’re planning a big family get-together, or maybe you’re laying low at home this year. Either way, starting up a seasonal fitness challenge can help push you to even better health while keeping you connected to friends near and far. There are plenty of variations: Compete to see who can get the most steps in, who can bike the most miles, or who can increase their push-ups by the highest count. Use an app like Nike Run Club or keep track of your progress the old-fashioned way. The best part is that you don’t have to be in peak physical condition to challenge yourself and others, and you can always adjust the parameters to align with your group’s fitness goals. If you’ll be getting together with your challenge group during the holidays, you can even make it more interesting with a fun wager. Loser does the dishes!
Word Workouts
Vegging out in front of the TV just feels right when you’re together at the holidays – but there’s no reason why you can’t introduce a little activity into your cozy days at home. This year, when you’re watching your favorite holiday films, try assigning an exercise move to key words before you press play. For example, before you turn on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, get ready to run in place for one minute every time you hear the name “Rudolph” and perform 10 sit-ups whenever you hear “Santa.” Figuring out how to fit exercise into the activities you always do together is a smart way to make sure you keep moving.
How are you planning to stay active around the holidays this year? For more health and fitness tips, plus fun ideas for exploring New Mexico, visit our Sonoma Palms blog.