Authored by James Banish, CPT, Wellness Director, ATI Physical Therapy, Hamburg, Michigan
Battle the holiday bloat with some of these great tips to help keep your figure while feeling great during the festive party season.
Be flexible when your days get busy:
Habits can be hard to break but holiday schedules may throw you for a loop. If you have to change your plans for family events, do what you can to be active for at least 20 minutes that day. A little stimulation is better then none.
Mix up your routine:
Research some new exercises or hire a personal trainer this winter. Incorporating variety into your routine will keep things interesting and your muscles guessing. Just when you think you’ve adapted, switch it up again to further progress your results.
Get the most out of family activities:
Run back up the hill after sledding with the kids or take the family ice-skating. Keeping your family active will create great memories and will be fun for everyone. Just be sure not to throw a slush ball during a snowball fight, who does that anyway?
Book that winter vacation:
Plan a vacation between January and March to keep you motivated. Having a set point to stay active for will do wonders for your motivation. What’s the point of all the training if you have nowhere to show it off?
Have a home routine on standby:
Keeping a home routine on the back burner will prevent you from making excuses about not having time to work out. Even if you don’t have time to drive to the gym, you have 10 minutes to kick out some burpees and push-ups!
Keep your meals consistent:
Overloading your body with a giant portion of food while skipping other meals is a sure way to slow down your metabolism. It’s OK to eat, but space out your meals and focus on smaller portions. Keep that fire burning so when you do attack the pumpkin pie, your body stands a fighting chance.