Do you tend to find that your usual fitness plans just don’t happen during the holidays? To make sure you can stay on track with your fitness this year, have a think about what it is that derails your good intentions. Is it lack of time? Are you too tired to get enthusiastic about working out? Or do you dread doing workouts when the weather is colder?
Once you know about the trigger(s), you can take action to work around them. A few of the common hurdles that can affect your fitness over the holidays include:
Time: Maybe you’ll need to free up more time or switch your workouts to first thing in the morning so you can be sure of fitting them in. Or maybe you’d benefit from switching up your workout completely over the holidays – either with the type of workouts or how long they last. Working out in shorter bursts can be a great option if you’re pushed for time and you can fit a lot into just 10 or 15 minutes if you work to a high intensity.
Energy: Struggling with your energy levels during the holidays (or winter in general)? Getting plenty of sleep is super important for this, as is a healthy diet and good hydration. In the meantime, be kind to yourself and don’t push yourself too hand. Downgrade your workouts if you need to and aim to work fairly hard and smart in shorter sessions.
Motivation: Can’t summon up the enthusiasm to work out over the holiday season? A workout buddy can help to make fitness more enjoyable when your motivation isn’t quite there. An accountability buddy can keep you on track too and encourage you to work out when you’d probably give it a miss otherwise. If you want to do early sessions but don’t think you’d stick to it, rope a friend in and you’ll find it a lot harder to back out!