There’s shopping to be done and cookies to bake and presents to wrap and cards to be sent. There are cocktails, cookie swaps and ugly Christmas sweater parities every weekend. The sun sets before 5:00pm. It’s cold, dark, and perhaps storming where you live. Whatever the excuse, it is not as good as how good regular sweat sessions throughout the holiday season will make you feel.
Tips | Working Out Through the Holidays
1 // Make it quick!
Sometimes the last thing I want to do after a long day is exercise. It’s dark out, the house is cold, and making a pot of soup is more appealing. Yet, I know if I commit to just 20 to 30 minutes of intense, plyometric or weight-heavy exercise, I’ll feel the positive effects of a quick sweat sesh.
2 // Grab a friend.
Make dates with friends for a hike, run or to hit the slopes. I try to schedule runs with friends most weekends; running with someone pushes me to run farther and sometimes faster than I would running solo. Plus, it’s great time to catch up and vent about the holiday stress chat about the holiday cheer!
3 // Be an early bird.
Get your workouts done early in the morning to leave the rest of the day for the holiday bustle.
4 // Make travel and family time active time!
Pack your activewear when traveling and/or visiting family over the holidays. If spending ample time sitting in a car or plane, aim to squeeze in a quick morning workout before hours of sedentary travel. Also, after opening gifts on Christmas morning – get outdoors!
[post 5.5 mile run + pre dancing the night away at my work’s holiday party]
Workouts | Week of December 1
Monday – Rest
Tuesday – Butt Burner Cardio Blast [7 rounds] + The Holiday Rev-up Workout
Wednesday – No Equipment Plyo Workout + The Boyfriend Workout (only 3 sets)
Thursday – Arms & Abs Superset Workout [coming soon!]
Friday – Rest
Saturday – 5.5 mile park run with Nicole
Sunday – WREC workout with P [random mix of moves, as always!]
- 5 min. Stair Master
- 30 min. treadmill [20 min. run + 10 min. walk] // 3.1 miles
- barbell clean + snatch practice
- 10 back squats @ 45# + 10 box jumps (3x)
- 10 deadlifts @ 75# + 10 decline push-ups (3x)
- deadlift + clean + thruster @ 55lb. [approx. 15 reps]
- kettlebell set @ 18lb.
30 sec. single arm swing / 15 sec. rest
30 sec. single arm clean + press / 15 sec. rest
30 sec. single arm front squat / 15 sec. rest>> repeat on other side
What’s your strategy for exercising through the holidays?
No Equipment Travel Workout
Half-Marathon Training // Week 9
Half-Marathon Training // Weeks 7 & 8
Half-Marathon Training // Week 5
Half-Marathon Training // Week 4
I have to exercise in the morning or I totally slack in the evenings… I do find that if I miss my morning workout and I FORCE myself to get in an evening workout, I end up working out longer than I had planned and feel awesome afterwards. So pretty much I just have to make sure to schedule it in daily, even around the holidays :)
I do yoga in the mornings, but can’t get myself to do more than that at 5:00am! I try to get my workout done right when I walk in the door. I also make my workouts short such as walking/jogging around the block with Ryder and workout videos that last between 12-25 minutes — short but intense!
exercising always makes me feel better, plus my family is really into fitness so usually i have no problem fitting in some sort of activity with them while i’m home for the holidays!
love all these tips, thanks for sharing!
Making a plan! I find if I plan a time and workout to do, I’m more likely to stick to it than just wing it. I’m also a fan of quick workouts during the holiday so I don’t miss out on activities.
This early sunset had been killing me!! It’s hard to spend a full hour working out in the dark, so I like your tip to squeeze in small bursts of intense exercise.
I like to get up early to workout, too. Even when it’s not the holidays/winter, if I don’t workout first thing, 9/10 it doesn’t happen.