Five Tips to Keep Your Holidays Happy and Healthy
December is a month many of us look forward to; it’s the holiday season that brings with it a full schedule of office parties, visits from relatives, and many social events. It’s a fantastic time, as we close out one year and plan for another. Sometimes these get-togethers can result in more excess (food, alcohol, stress) than your body is used to.
Compounding the issue is as your social schedule gets busier, something has to give way and often the easiest item to drop off the weekly calendar is your time for fitness. As most of us know, a drop in your calories burned and an increase in your intake is hard on your body. It’s not just the possible addition of a few pounds – though that will make January and the rest of 2015 that much more challenging. The other aspect of life that can take a hit from being too lenient with your holiday fitness routine is your emotional state. While most of us equate the benefits of fitness activity to our bodies, our ability to handle stress and our mood are also affected by physical activity. In essence your mind will miss the workouts and it’s natural that you start to feel guilty for missing activity. While it’s understandable that you may not be able to maintain your frequency and intensity, it’s important that you not let fitness drop off the schedule completely. With all this in mind here are five holiday tips from your fitness partners here at Focus Personal Fitness.
1. Schedule some “fitness appointments” over the holidays. Treat those appointments like you would any other business or personal appointment. All you need is as little as 20 minutes to reach your ideal heart rate level and reap the benefits.
2. Consider a group training session. We typically have four or five group sessions per day. Knowing that your workout buddies are expecting to have you join them provides some extra motivation. Check out the schedule here. It’s a fun, easy way to mix up your routine.
3. Embrace aerobic equipment. We’re Canadians. We’re used to the cold, but winter brings with it the challenge of taking our fitness inside. We have added some great new equipment and have a new, unlimited cardio program for those that wish to come in for a quick run, row, or elliptical workout. Being able to take an hour whenever you have the free time is a great option to keep your cardio up, without running beside a snow bank. C’mon on in!
4. Take your bike out of storage. Starting next week we have three indoor cycling sessions per week. Not only is this a great workout, it’s perfect for anyone that has ever wanted to take up cycling. You can learn the basics inside throughout the winter, and be ready to start off outside next spring.
5. We’re here and we’re rooting for you. Especially during the holidays, if you need to juggle your regular schedule around we are happy to accommodate. We can also work with you to switch up your routine to accommodate for all that extra celebrating.
To help you stay focused on your training this month and into the holiday season, we’re offering all of our personal training clients a free pass for a group training session of your choice. Contact Hope at hope@focuspersonalfitness.com to get started, and let the team at Focus Personal Fitness help you finish off the year strong and prepare for an amazing 2015.