What To Do When The Weather Outside is Frightful

If you’re anything like me, you indulged excessively over the Thanksgiving break.  With all the turkey, stuffing, and pies, it’s almost impossible not to.  And now your likely sitting at your desk, as I am, trying to figure out how to feel better about what you put your body through this past weekend. And with the looming December holidays already less than a month away, I feel a holiday food relapse lurking around the corner.

The problem is the weather also brings on the feeling of not being able to get out, be active, and work off the extra feast flab.  It’s dark already upon leaving the office and entering into the winter abyss; it’s too cold, or rainy, or both to go for a hike; and personally, I’m not going to be getting up at 4am to do any type of strenuous activities.  It’s that time of year to find a way to still be active, even while dealing with all the joy (and calories) the holidays have to offer.

1. First and foremost, have fun and enjoy yourself.  It is a special occasion, so just have fun and eat a little of everything and anything you want.   Life is meant to be enjoyed.  It is only one day and one day will not ruin your progress if you are indeed motivated to stick with your fitness routine.  Also, eating whatever you want should make you feel a little guilty (it works for me) so that you are sure to be in the gym the next day.
2. Don’t expect to make your New Year’s resolution to loose what you gained a couple of weeks ago.  Let’s be honest, you might not stick to it.  If you do stick to it, just imagine where you would be if you would have combated the holiday filling before New Year’s.  Plus, and this may be the biggest one, you’re not the only who’s making that resolution (shocked?).  The gyms get overly crowded at the beginning of the year, making it even more difficult to go when you know you’ll be combating people just to get your workout in.
3. Make it a family affair. As you gather together with your family, plan active things to do. Walk around the neighborhood to look at holiday decorations. Play football before the big meal at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Plan contests with the kids to see who can run the farthest or who can do the most push-ups or jumping jacks.  Its fun!
4. It is just about impossible to get me up two hours earlier in the morning to go hit the gym hard.  Between having to get the kids up and ready, dealing with worse traffic due to inclement weather, and whatever else you may have going on in the mornings, for many going to the gym before work just isn’t an option.  However, waking up every morning to 15 minutes of calisthenics is much more workable.  You don’t have to get out of that comfy bed extremely early, don’t have to leave the house, and it only takes 15 minutes!
5. Completely change your fitness routine during the holidays.  If you’re a runner, start lifting, and if you’re a lifter, start running. If you haven’t been in the gym in years, get yourself in there! This change in routine will force your body to adapt to a new stimulus, thus promoting a higher calorie burn.

Perhaps, one or more of these tips will help you to overcome the ‘holiday hungries’.  What do you do to curb the addition of calories?  Let us know what works for you?