How to Make Holiday Fitness More Fun
Get family or friends involved
Get family or friends involved
It can be challenging to maintain even the most basic fitness routine around the holidays. But infusing a little fun into your workouts can help you get your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise — and could even inspire friends and family to join in.
“We all know how hard it is to get into a routine to begin with,” says Alex Crane, MD, a family medicine physician at Scripps Clinic Del Mar. “One of the common things that I hear is ‘I’ll put it off till January and it’ll be my New Year’s resolution.’ But by that time, you’ve fallen out of habits and have to work super hard to restart them.”
Make the effort
When it comes to fitness, even baby steps count. You don’t need to commit to running miles and miles each day or spending hours in the gym, especially if you’re traveling and don’t have access to fitness equipment.
Go for a walk if the weather allows. Make an effort to explore or check out a neighborhood known for its holiday decorations. Or if you’re stuck inside, walk up and down the stairs, jog in place or do sets of squats, pushups, wall sits or jumping jacks.
Make it fun
There are numerous ways to make exercise more fun. Taking part in activities you enjoy has been linked to better health.
Getting the family involved can up the fun factor. A “12 Days of Fitness” challenge can be tailored to fit any activity level. Find — or create — a progressive challenge where the difficulty level increases over time. This can include adding moves to a base routine or even working up from one minute of exercise to 12.
“Fitness challenges are like gamifying exercise. It sounds kind of silly, but we find things so much more interesting when there’s a little bit of competition built in,” says Dr. Crane. “It’s all in good fun, and people are much more accountable that way.”
This content appeared in San Diego Health, a publication in partnership between Scripps and San Diego Magazine that celebrates the healthy spirit of San Diego.