Staying Active During the Holiday Season – Guest Post from Olives ‘n’ Wine

December 19, 2014

Need a little extra motivation as we get closer to Christmas and New Year’s eat-a-thon Eve? I invited Becky from Olives ‘n’ Wine over for a guest post while my vacation wraps up (booo!) so I can get back, re-read this, and try to swing into some healthy habits — and to help keep everyone else on track this holiday season, too. Have you checked out Becky’s blog yet? She keeps a great balance between staying healthy and giving in to some indulgences, and I especially love her Treat Yourself Tuesday posts. Let’s see what tips she has for us!

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Hi there Hidden Fruits and Veggies readers! I’m Becky from over at Olives ‘n’ Wine – a blog where I share my passion for keeping a balanced life through eating well, tasting great wine (at least before I was preggo…), staying active, and traveling to new places – and I’m excited to be doing a guest post for Kelly today while she’s enjoying the gorgeous weather in my state 🙂

We’re in the midst of the time of year where sitting in your sweatpants, diving into a pan of brownies with a fork, and watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory sounds much more appealing that hitting up the gym. Who’s with me? Please don’t tell me I’m the only one…

Oh the holiday season, the wrecker of all things healthy and destroyer of fitness motivation. At least the lights are pretty 😉

source: http://www.jokideo.com/holiday-workout/

I’m here today to give y’all a few tips and tricks on how to stay active over the next few weeks. Now, don’t run away! I know it’s difficult this time of year so I’ve decided to go the realistic route for this post. Yeah, we’re going to eat a lot more than normal. Yeah, we’re (or at least you better be making up for me!) going to drink more than normal. Yeah, we might put on a pound… or five. BUT, we can at least get some extra activity in our day-to-day lives to keep our spirits high and get us in a good fitness routine for 2015.

1. Don’t make yourself food “promises.” If you tell yourself that you’re going to avoid the martinis or the hors d’oeuvres spread or the cookie plate, you’ll fail. Sorry, just being honest. And if you fail, you’re going to be more likely to throw in the towel and tell yourself to forget the gym until January. C’mon now, the holidays only come once per year so indulge in an extra cookie, drink a dirty martini or the entire bottle of wine, just don’t make yourself feel guilty about it!
2. Get your fitness done in the morning. I know, I know… you’re NOT a morning person. Get over it. It sucks to wake up and get out of bed on a cold morning no matter what the time. I’m just talking 30 minutes early here, that’s it. 30 minutes is all you need to fit a few extra steps into your day! If you don’t have a gym membership, purchase a workout video that you can do at home… Target has A TON of affordable options. You could also do 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks and 10 push-ups – repeat it 5 times and you have yourself a workout. No. Excuses!
3. Find yourself a buddy. No, not a drinking buddy… although those are fun too 😉 A workout buddy! Accountability is key if you’re lacking motivation. You might be willing to stand yourself up but I guarantee you won’t be able to leave your friend high and dry when you’ve made plans. Plus, chatting your way through a workout makes the 30 minutes fly by!
4. Buy yourself a cute workout top. Bribery is key to success. It works with adults just as well as it works for children. I’m sure you’ve been eyeing a few things you’d like for yourself lately… Why not treat yourself after 5 solid workouts? Once you get to your first goal, set another… and another… and another! Pretty soon you’ll have an entirely new fitness wardrobe and some rockin’ arms to go with it.
5. Get the family involved. Go on an after dinner stroll. Host a push-up challenge with your cousins. Arm wrestle with your nephew. Challenge your neighbor to a snow shoveling contest. Do whatever it takes to make fitness fun. Moving your body doesn’t have to be a boring chore!
6. Try something new. When all else fails, try something new-to-you! Maybe it’s a new fitness class at your gym. Maybe it’s checking out the yoga studio downtown that you’ve been eyeing for quite some time. Maybe it’s challenging yourself to hold a plank for a full 2 minutes. New things keep us interested and excited and that is a great way to keep yourself motivated!

Okay, so we’ve set a deal, right? Eat a cookie. Drink a bottle of vino. Challenge your brother to a push-up contest. Easy peasy.

Source: http://happylifehealthylife.com/2013/11/29/fit-tip-friday-surviving-the-holiday-parties/

If you loved this post, check Becky out on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

I’ll be back next week with limited posts (it is Christmas after all!). Thanks to Becky, Erin, Marcie, and Julia for all the help while I was out relaxing in the sun!

Tagged with: Active • Exercise • Guest Post • Healthy • Tips