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Stay Fit Despite Your Busy Holiday Schedule

November 26, 2014 by Cat

On Monday, Natalie wrote about the importance of getting a family history over the Thanksgiving holidays. I thought that was a great idea, and although I was going to write more about Grenada today, I was inspired by the holiday season.

Recently I’ve seen an interesting trend of holiday health challenges. I saw one yesterday that asked you to commit to healthy eating all of December with Christmas as your one cheat day. This is definitely a different vibe than it has been in prior years. Slowly but surely, this “trend” of staying fit despite a busy holiday schedule is catching on.

I know it’s difficult to resist awesome food around the holidays. I’m obsessed with cookies just as much as the next person, but I’m just a big believer in moderation. I worked hard to get back to my pre-baby weight. Many people wisely say that it takes you 9 months to put on the baby weight and 9 months to take it off. Well, my kiddos are 8 months old, and I still fluctuate about 5 pounds here or there but overall I’d say I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out.

However, I do not want to mess up 8 months of being healthy and gain 15 lbs this holiday so here’s what I’m going to do:

1. Cardio

I know the holidays are busy. With parties, Santa responsibilities, and kids home from school, it can be a real challenge to get in a workout. However, don’t forget that a simple yoga class or a run on the treadmill is good for your mental state as well. It doesn’t matter how prepared you are or how excited you are for the holidays, everyone gets stressed for some reason or another, whether it’s having to deal with the uncle you don’t like or being responsible for cooking for 20 people.

2. Fruit

Sometimes fruit can be the sweetest dessert there is. You can definitely sample a pie here or there but when the craving strikes, some fruit can usually curb that craving or at least take up some space so you grab a smaller piece of pie. I know because I eat a lot of strawberries at night when I really want ice cream!

3. Use What You Have

When you’re busy and life is hectic, use what you have to exercise. Run up and down your stairs. Lift your 20 lb baby in the air a few times (or is that just me?). Walk the dog. Find a quick 10 minute dance routine to jam to on YouTube. Remember, you don’t have to do this big, formal workout at the gym to burn calories. Doing what you can when you can is really all that matters during this time of year.

Do you work out during the holidays to try to curb your appetite? Or do you usually just go all in and eat well starting in the new year? You can tell us; we won’t judge.

16 thoughts on “Stay Fit Despite Your Busy Holiday Schedule”

  1. Erin @ Journey to Saving

    I have no idea how you lost the pregnancy weight so fast, Cat, especially with twins! You looked amazing at FinCon. These are great tips. I guess I’m “lucky” in that I have a small appetite no matter what day it is, so I just eat as I normally would. I don’t really go crazy for food around the holidays, but that’s one benefit of working from home – no goodies in the office to tempt me!

  2. Petrish @ Debt Free Martini

    Replacing fruit for sweets is a great idea that I try on a regular basis. I have a sweet tooth and if I let myself I would overdose on sugar for real. Also during the holidays regardless of how I feel I eat small portion meals and do a lot of walking. This way I can sneak that sweet pie at the end of the meal without guilt.

  3. Good tips– things I do all year! I actually don’t have a problem during the holiday season. I stopped doing holiday baking a long time ago- and so did most of the people in my family. We just don’t want all of it around, and know that even if we aren’t added to it, there will still be stuff around.

    Love #2- fruit is my fav dessert! I do add a bit of greek yogurt to it often for a boost of protein, too.

  4. Pingback: Thanksgiving Break

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