The holidays are fun and festive times, but boy, can they get busy! Between all of the shopping, cooking, celebrating, and entertaining, holiday fitness tends to take a back seat. Let’s face it, most of feel like there’s hardly any time to sleep, much less sweat! This week, Future Fitness offers some quick tips for making the holidays just a little bit healthier:

  1. Plan realistic workouts. If you’re feeling crunched for time this holiday season, adjust our exercise schedule and make plans for fewer or shorter workouts.
  2. Do more with less. Experiment with high-intensity interval training group exercise classes and programs such as Tabata Training. By interspersing high speed reps with slower recover intervals, these types of programs can help burn more calories in less time.
  3. Multitask. Incorporate your trip to the gym with other holiday errands and tasks – and always keep a gym bag packed with your gym shoes and training gear. At Future Fitness you can watch the news, tune into your favorite TV shows, and even check your email – all while taking care of your cardio health.
  4. Partner up. Give the gift of fitness to someone you enjoy spending time with and make plans to workout together. Walk and talk on a treadmill or take a group exercise class together. Not only will you burn those extra calories, you can also reduce your stress.
  5. Commit to 10 minutes. On days that you really lack motivation or simply do not have time for your complete exercise routine, commit to do just 10 minutes of exercise. Once you start exercising you might find that you have more energy – and even more time – to exercise even longer.  And if 10 minutes is all you do, it’s still better than no minutes all.
  6. Create new, more active traditions. Instead of throwing a dessert or dinner party, try planning a get together that introduces snowshoeing, cross country skiing or ice-skating as an alternate holiday event.
  7. Laugh – a lot! Not only is laughter a great tension reliever, it burns calories (roughly 125 calories per hour!), reduces stress, and usually means you’re having fun.

For more tips and advice on staying fit and fabulous this holiday season, drop on into one of Future Fitness Centers’ six convenient locations. And if you’re not a member – sign up today. With our special membership offer of just $1 down and $10 a month, now is the perfect time to join!

Healthy Holidays!