5 Tips for Staying Fit Through the Holidays

Ladies, who’s been naughty skipping your fitness routine during the holidays?

This post is sponsored by Jambu footwear, however, my fashion and opinions are my own.

Most of us tend to forego our regular fitness routine from Thanksgiving to New year’s Day.  I am very guilty of doing this the past 2 months because I was busy decorating offices, homes, and the designer showhouse in Atlanta. But I actually lost weight while moving and walking! (The weight loss will come in handy when I indulge in my favorite foods starting this weekend. It’s my birthday and I will treat myself to a birthday dinner. On Christmas Eve it’s all the Italian food of lots of pizza, appetizers, and pasta!!)

We tend to skip our regular workout routine because of all the shopping, luncheons, and parties have us rushing around. So I have come up with 5 simple tips to keep you fit during the holidays.

    1. Exercise in the morning

The first thing you should do every morning is put on your exercise clothes on the days you’re planning to exercise.when you get up. On the days that I head to the gym, I pull out my athletic clothes because in my mind I will be exercising! Getting your mind into exercise mode is part of keeping fit. We can easily come up with good excuses not to exercise during the holidays because of all the shopping, luncheons, and parties to attend may cause a break in your routine. But if you start your day with a 30-minute exercise it gets your whole day off on the right foot! (No pun intended!)

      2. Get an exercise buddy

If you don’t have a dog like I do, exercise on the buddy system. Having someone to workout with keeps you on track. Even if you don’t work out together, checking in with someone else daily will make you think twice about skipping a session. When I don’t make it to the gym on the 3 days I workout I am always getting a text message from someone asking how I am doing because they missed me that day.

     3. Count Your Steps

One of the easiest ways to stay fit during the holidays is moving and walking at least 30 minutes every day! Walking is so good for your heart and also helps to prevent osteoporosis which I wrote about here.

I keep track of my steps on my Fitbit every day because I believe it’s important to keep moving as we age. Getting 10,000 steps in every day is so simple. When I decorate a home for Christmas I can easily get over 15,000 steps in just 5 hours! Try tracking your steps while shopping or running errands and see if you’re getting in 10,000 steps! You don’t need a gym to get your steps in every day. Invest in a fitness tracker or use a fitness app on your phone to track your daily fitness.

Jambu Spirit Encore

Invest in a good pair of sneakers or walking shoes like the ones I’m wearing from Jambu.

These Spirit encore vegan sneakers feature a performance insole that offers all-day cushioning, shock absorption, moisture-wicking, and antimicrobial lining. Memory foam insoles make every step plush and bungee details make the step-in simple. These shoes have a non-slip All Terra map outsole that is also perfect for hiking, running errands, and travel during the holidays.

4. Eat.Hydrate.Sleep.Repeat

One part of living a healthy lifestyle in midlife is to eat healthy foods that may be forgotten during the holidays. One of the best examples of eating properly while cheating is my daughter Sammy. Sammy has kept off the 25 pounds she lost last year on the Whole30 diet which I wrote about here.

Sammy has omitted sugar from her diet as well as gluten, and dairy but now will have cheat days. As my daughter, Lisa said weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. I also give credit to Sammy’s Fitbit for keeping her accountable for her exercise, food, and sleep. I highly recommend everyone getting a fit tracker watch because it’s part of the buddy system.

Sammy at Thanksgiving in 2018 was just starting on the Whole30 diet.

Sammy this Thanksgiving after losing 25 pounds. She has cheat days where she will eat pasta, pizza, and rich foods but she immediately goes back to eating healthy.

Staying hydrated is so important during the holidays when we may indulge in more adult beverages than usual because of all the holiday parties and rich foods we tend to eat more of.  Your brain can sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. A large glass of water before a meal can help lessen the amount of food you consume. Drink six to eight glasses of water per day, and be sure to have two big glasses of water before big calorie foods.

I have even switched from my usual red wine to flavored vodka and sparkling water as my holiday cocktail and cut out 60 calories.  Vodka with soda or with sparkling water has become the quintessential skinny cocktail! And sparkling water is another way of staying hydrated!

Between holiday parties, extended family get-togethers, and endless shopping and chores to complete, you may barely have a moment to catch your breath. So it’s hardly surprising that you may not be getting your best sleep at this time of year.

Getting a good 7 to 8 hours of sleep is so important to stay healthy during the holidays. If you’re like me going to holiday parties that last until midnight and trying to get a good night’s sleep after heavy foods and cocktails are nearly impossible.

Studies show getting quality sleep on a regular basis can help improve all sorts of issues, from having a better mood to a healthier heart. Read more about the benefits of a good night’s sleep here.

I also wrote about how to get a good night’s sleep last year here.

5. Enjoy the Holiday Season 

Enjoy the holiday but don’t let it go from a day of indulgence to a month of indulgence that leads to unwanted habits that continue beyond the holiday season. We don’t need to add exercise to our New Year’s resolution for 2020 if we take time each day to take care of our health and stay fit during the holidays.

Take walks through your neighborhood and enjoy the Christmas lights. Run and play with your grandchildren during the holiday season. Because they will remember how much fun you are as a grandparent not what gift you gave them at Christmas. If you live in a snowy climate, get out and make a snowman or a snow angel with your grandchildren. Or better yet, for yourself!

I hope these tips will help motivate you to stay fit during the holidays!

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Use my PROMO CODE: 60ISH19

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Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday!

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