Maintain Your Motivation During The Holidays

The holidays can be a stressful time trying to keep up with the endless responsibilities from getting your holiday cards out, baking, cooking for friends and family, decorating the house inside and out, shopping for the perfect gifts for your loved ones, and friends and attending every social party and get-together! Whether or not you buy into the holiday season, this time of year can definitely make it tough to stick to your workout routine. But there’s lot of things you can do to maintain your motivation during the holidays.

Do Less:

• It can be hard to find the time to get in your full workout, but if you tell yourself you’re only going to do 20 minutes, it will be a lot easier to stick with it. So opt for a quick 15-30 minute express workout to keep your energy levels up and you won’t feel like you’ve got to start all over in the New Year. 

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Try Something New:

• One way to stay motivated is by signing yourself up for a new activity or class you’ve never done before so you’ve got something fun to look forward to. Maybe you always do spinning classes, so you decide to sign up to try a Bootcamp, Rowing or Muscle Strength class. Maybe you’re ready to try the Barre class that everyone has been raving about. Or maybe it’s a great opportunity to register your family for a rock-climbing course. Perhaps you and your partner would enjoy signing up for a dance class.

Workout with Your Friends & Family:

• It’s easy to use “Family is in town” as an excuse to skip workouts but instead, include them. Many gyms and training studios will allow you to bring in a friend for free – especially during the holidays. It can be a ton of fun and you’ll be more likely to stay on track!

Head Outdoors:

• Plan active outings with your friends and family. It can be as easy as going for a walk or hike, or maybe plan a snowshoe trek or Ski outing. The fresh air will be good for all of you and will be a great opportunity to try something new and adventurous.

Just Move:

• The reality is that you probably won’t have the time to exercise as much as usual so instead focus on incorporating more ‘non-exercise’ movement. For example, go for a walk with your family and friends, in the mall take the stairs instead of the escalators, and park at the back of the lot.  The little bits of extra activity will help you feel better and make up for the fact that you’re not adhering to your normal routine.

Eat:

• That seems like odd advice during the holidays! But instead of focusing on what you shouldn’t be eating, instead focus on what you have to eat! Instead of forbidding any treats over the holidays rather, focus on drinking 8 glasses of water, consuming 5 vegetables and 3 fruits, eat breakfast, and consume 5 small meals/snacks each day.  If you’ve still got room for your favorite Christmas treat, go for it.  But eat it slowly and really enjoy the taste. By eating consistently and consuming a lot of the good stuff, you’ll feel so much better and will be more likely to stay motivated and less likely to over-indulge in the not-to-good choices. 

Sleep:

• If you’re tired, stress appears worse than it is and you just won’t have the energy to do what you need to do. Solid sleep will definitely help maintain your motivation.

 

 

Join us for the….
COUVE CLOVER RUN – 3, 7 & 10 MILES – March, 26th 2017 RUN, GIVE BACK & PARTY AT MAIN EVENT AND OTHER DOWNTOWN PUBS!
We will make you earn your post-event party by running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles, but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.