Don’t let those Quarantine Blues and Holiday Hustle Strike Out Your Fitness Goals

 

It’s time to celebrate! The holidays are here, and while they may look a bit different this year, the annual question of “how to stay active during the holidays” rings back in our minds as we embark on days of celebration filled with food, loved ones, and traditions. Home Base is here to help you find fitness within the holiday season. No matter what your holidays look like this year, we hope these 9 tips will get you through the next few weeks!

1. Walk it out! 

• • Challenge yourself to get more steps in as you perform your normal day to day errands. Park further from the mall, shopping center, or grocery store each time you are out.  If you are commuting in a city, maybe try hopping off the train a stop early and walking the extra distance to your front door. This quick changes to your normal routine will increase movement without structuring more time into your day for a formal workout.

2. Resist the urge to say, “but I don’t have equipment”

• • Pack a set of resistance bands in your backpack, purse, or suitcase. Resistance bands travel light and offer resistance from 5lbs up to 30 lbs. They are a versatile piece of equipment you can use for resistance training, aerobics, injury rehabilitation, and overall toning. Adding resistance bands to body weight workouts is a quick way to strengthen your accessory muscles in ways you may be forgetting with your general strength training routine. Check out a sample workout from Home Base HERE. 

3. Have a game plan!

• • Think about how much time realistically you will have to spend exercising. Your normal hour-long routine may be interrupted for some time, and that’s okay. Look at the days of the week you feel may be impacted by holiday activities, and set a goal for yourself as to which days you want to workout. You should also plan how much time you may be able to step away. Set SMART goals so that your plans feel achievable and measurable. With a workout plan in place, you will feel that your workouts are more structured, and potentially less guilty for taking a day off if you know when your next workout will be. A flexible workout routine can also include active recovery days. A lighter lift, aerobic exercise, tai chi, stretching, and yoga can be swapped with your traditional lifts during this time to keep yourself feeling like you are getting in your daily movement, while also allowing your muscles time to rebuild. Active recovery also allows for focus on flexibility and can minimize overall delayed onset muscle soreness.

4. Get outside! 

• • Take advantage of the fresh air around you, and use the outdoors as your gym! You can plan some time to look-up running, walking, or hiking trails in areas where you are traveling. With COVID-19, many crowd favorite 5k races likely have been postponed–don’t let that ruin the tradition! Map out a 5k in your local neighborhood and do a virtual run with friends/family. You can even make homemade bibs for participants to wear. Who knows, maybe this will spark a new family tradition!

5. Make it a family function!

• • Working out always feels more manageable when we do it in groups! We will also be more likely to do a workout if we have multiple people on board. Plan a morning yoga or weight lift session together. Or find a local hike and go hiking together. Whatever it is, get a few family and/or friends involved and get going!

• 6. Exercise your mind!

• • Don’t forget to take care of your mind! Our minds are as active, if not more active than our bodies. Taking time to quiet our thoughts by doing some light stretching, yoga, or meditation can help improve our mental state. Mental exercises can help clear up clutter in our brains so we can think more clearly and freely, especially during the holidays! 
• 7. Workout in the morning!
  • Beginning the day with a workout can help get the workout out of the way so you don’t have to think about it all day! It can also free up time for family and friend festivities. Working out in the morning can help kick-start a day and give you a boost of energy. Have a plan before going to sleep, set your clothes out, and execute!
• 8. Utilize your surroundings! 
  • Identify what household items you can use from around the house! COVID-19 has made us familiar with utilizing our surroundings at home, so you know the drill! Grab a water jug, laundry detergent, books in a backpack, canned beans or soup for weights and a stable chair and get moving! Here’s some helpful tips on how to transform your home into a gym! 
• 9. Relax! 
  • There is no need to be perfect and spend time getting down on yourself for falling off your normal workout regimen! Enjoy the holidays with friends and family, and make it a goal to get some sort of movement 10-30 minutes a day.