Fitting in Fitness During the Holidays

You’re double-booked for holiday parties, your shopping days are limited, work stress has got you worked up, and you’re nowhere near ready for the extended family to visit. All this and you’re trying not to gain weight although you always find yourself in a room full of Christmas cookies and decadent finger foods. Sound familiar? ‘Tis the season!

But it doesn’t have to be that difficult. If you’re looking to lose weight during the holidays, that’s going to require a lot of willpower, planning ahead and smart choices on your part but it can be done. Usually I tell my clients not to focus on losing weight during the holidays, however, because I too understand the joy in the nostalgia of a couple Christmas-only treats. Instead, focus on maintaining your weight and not gaining – which is much easier than you may think! Want to indulge a bit but don’t want to see the results in pudge form tomorrow? First check out this handy online calculator that lists the calorie content of popular holiday treats and will tell you what you’d have to do to burn them off: http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blchristmascalories.htm. For example, now that my vino days are on hold for the next 9 months, I’ll probably have a glass or two of sparkling cider. One glass is 120 calories, which means I’ll have to walk around 1.2 miles just to burn my fake vino off. Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? Now that you know what you’re facing (and what you’re putting in your face) and what you have to do to keep the pounds off, here are some tips for fitting fitness into your crazy schedule.

Walk it off
The recommended guideline for walking in order to stay fit is 10,000 steps a day, or approximately 5 miles a day depending on your stride length. Do yourself a favor and purchase an affordable pedometer (there are tons on the market – many good ones under $30, in fact) and wear it EVERYWHERE! Make yourself accountable for 10,000 steps every day, whether that’s spent on the treadmill, on the greenbelt, or just Christmas shopping with your sister. Walk the stairs at work for 20 minutes, walk the dog (Boise winters are mostly mild, my friends, so “it’s too cold” is not a good excuse in these woods), walk to the store, park in the back of parking lots (but in well-lit areas, please) – just get in any extra activity you can even if it’s in short bouts throughout the upcoming days. Walking is truly an underrated exercise and extremely beneficial. Extra credit points for any jogging or running you can fit in the next two weeks. Those steps add up a lot quicker!

Stretch it out
Stress can take a big toll on your midsection. Because stress raises cortisol levels, you’re less likely to be able to resist the pumpkin roll two desks down. When cortisol levels are high, our bodies go into fat-storing mode automatically, which means it’s even more important to make smarter food choices. The good news, though, is cortisol levels usually peak within 30 minutes and often even out within 2 hours of the initial stress point. So if you can get yourself over the stressor and not let it get at you for days on end (who cares if Aunt Tilly brings her smelly cat over – this is small time in the grand adventure of maintaining your sanity), you can outsmart cortisol by taking some time to stretch it out instead of reaching for the egg nog. Pop in a yoga DVD, drop by your gym’s Pilates class, or just take 15 minutes to stretch on your own at work or at home before bed. Most people undermine the benefits of simply stretching at the beginning and end of the day, but I’m here to tell you it can make or break your ability to cope with stress during these highly emotional and frantic times. Sure it won’t get your heart rate up and it won’t make your butt look better, but it’ll help you cope and keep your body active.

If all else fails...
Do a pushup for every ornament hanging on your tree, a squat for every strand of lights you’ve hung inside and outside your home, and crunches for every cookie or treat you’ve made or brought home so far. It’s not punishment, it’s just how Poise does fitness during the holidays!

Meet the Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching them to push their limits beyond what they think they are capable of.