Squeezing in a Workout During the Holidays
From visiting with family, to shopping for gifts, to overcompensating at work for your upcoming time off - the holiday season has a way of taking over your schedule.
Here’s how to squeeze in a workout when the mistletoe hits the fan.
Get a Day Pass
Sure – gym memberships may spike after the New Year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a head start. If you’re staying home for the holidays, investing in a temporary gym pass or trying out a new fitness class (did someone say free trial?) can keep you motivated.
Likewise, if you’re traveling this holiday season, you can find a local gym with a day- or even a week-pass option. Just don’t forget to pack your gym essentials (here’s a handy checklist).
The Gym Travel Checklist:
- Waist Trimmer - to turn up the heat and cut excess water weight
- Sweet Sweat - to sweat harder and sweat faster
- Sweet Sweat Towel - to dry off comfortably and fashionably
- Trimmer Cleaning Spray - to easily clean and freshen your waist trimmer
If this isn’t for you, however, and you still want to get a good (and quick) workout in, fear not.
You still have options…
Pack a Portable Home Gym
If you can’t find a gym to pump out your sets (or understandably don’t want to), bring the gym to you!
Although your bodyweight may be enough, having a traveler’s kit of versatile equipment can elevate your workout tenfold. Our Performance Collection has all the equipment you need for your workouts!
This is also a great option for those home for the holidays who just don’t have time to make it to the gym.
If you’re looking for a quick full body workout that you can do without the gym, this Plyometric Total Body Workout with Jen Heward is one of my favorites.
Set a Time and a Limit
There’s a common misconception—especially among everyday workout fiends—that you need to work out for a minimum amount of time to maintain progress. 30 minutes? An hour? Two?
Yet how many times have we skipped our workout altogether because we didn’t “have enough time” that day?
If you anticipate your holiday season to be packed to the brim, plan a modified version of your workout in advance—doing a little something is always better than stressing that you’ve done nothing.
AMRAP (“as many reps as possible”) workouts are a great idea for when you’re short on time because you’re chasing a time limit rather than a rep range. With AMRAPs, you know your workout will be contained within 15, 20, 30, or however many minutes, so you don’t have to stress about it going over.
The holidays are certainly full of stressors but squeezing in a workout shouldn’t be one of them.
Enjoy more holly and jolly and less endorphin-less melancholy!
This article was written by Melissa Pelowski
