The holiday season is well underway. Thanksgiving brought friends and families together, and now people are celebrating the light of the season. It’s easy during the winter to forego an exercise routine. Most of us start and end our work days in the dark. But, this season is the perfect time to re-focus your commitment to exercise. It will pay off when you are considering your New Year’s Resolutions come January. In this post, I’ll give you 10 tips to keep you exercising this holiday season.
Why Exercise?
Exercise is an essential part of being healthy—both for your body and your mind. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, there is scientific evidence that exercise lowers your risk of:
• type II diabetes
• heart disease
• stroke
• high blood pressure
• colon cancer
• breast cancer
It has also been show to be effective in preventing weight gain and helping with weight loss. This is perfect during the holidays, when our eating habits might not be the best for our bodies.
Physical activity not only has been found to give your body benefits, but it has also been found to help your mind by lifting mood and reducing depression. And, exercise has been shown to improve thinking/reasoning ability in older adults. Again, because of these added benefits, what a perfect time to exercise when most folks feel the stress of the holiday season. And, feeling less stressed will allow you to enjoy this time of year with family and friends–bringing your best self to the holidays.
Here are ten tips to keep you exercising:
1. Wake up 45 minutes earlier each morning to exercise
2. Take a morning walk, run, or cycle in your neighborhood
3. Use a lunch break to walk around your office building
4. Read up on strength training. I recommend starting with The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises
5. Buy Resistance Bands
6. Watch exercise videos to get you started. I have enjoyed Billy Blanks: Ultimate Bootcamp
7. Tap into your inner child—try jump rope
8. Find a buddy to exercise with you
9. Visit your local park for a hike
10. Check out a local fitness center or yoga studio for exercise classes that might interest you
What exercise tips do you have? Let us know by commenting below!
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