It can be difficult to motivate ourselves during the holidays and balance our busy schedules with activities that usually lead us to feel stressed and overwhelmed. The holidays are filled with eating, attending family gatherings, and lounging around a lot of the time, leading to weight gain and lack of exercise. However, it is important to stay active each day and dedicate some of your time exercising and taking care of your health.
Here are some fitness tips for keeping your body in good shape during the holidays:
Eat mindfully
It's important to be mindful of what you are putting into your body and maintaining a well-balanced diet. I've noticed that I tend to eat when I am bored, distracted, or binge-watching a show, leading to bad habits. Eating mindfully can help you with portion control, prevent overeating, and keep your body in healthy shape. Try to fill your plate with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, lean protein like fish and chicken, and healthy fats like nuts and seeds. Keep highly processed foods away and substitute for better, more nutritious options. The key is to eat what you enjoy but to pay attention to eating the proper portions.
Walk for 20 minutes each day
It can be more challenging to workout during the pandemic, but you don't have to go to a gym to stay in shape. Taking a brisk walk for 20-30 minutes in the morning or afternoon every day is an easy way to incorporate cardio and is not overly strenuous. Walking is a low-impact form of aerobic exercise that can help burn calories, boost your metabolism, and pumps oxygen to the muscles.
Do quick, high-intensity workouts
Try doing high-intensity interval training, or HIIT workouts, which are essentially workouts that rotate between short, intense exercises and less intense recovery periods. This workout is more effective than regular cardio and shows results quicker. You can burn many more calories during a short intensity workout and build your muscles to perform well each workout.
Try at-home workouts
There are many simple at-home workouts to try during the holidays, like 10-minute ab or leg workouts, planks, jumping jacks, or pilates. Try to incorporate a resistance band into your workout to burn more calories during your workout, boost your endurance, and take your exercise regime to an even more advanced level. It can also help tone your body and target specific muscles as you are working out.
Get enough sleep
A big secret to staying in shape and losing weight is getting enough sleep each night. Sleep is crucial for recharging the body and mind. Lack of sleep can make you hungrier and eat more food due to the overproduction of cortisol levels in the body. Think of it like this: the less you sleep, the less energy you have, and the more you will look to food to regain the energy you lost. Make sure to prioritize your sleep during the holidays!
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