Holidays are a fun time of the year to enjoy with family and friends. Weight gain can happen to all of us during the holidays. Skipping workouts can easily happen during the holidays and this can knock the most serious gym-goer out of their fitness routine. Having a strong support system, like your family and friends, can aid in your ability to stay disciplined and focused to stay on track with your exercise plans and weight loss goals. Staying fit and active can prove to be useful, not just to you, but also to the rest of your family!
Holidays can also add stress which can elevate cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone released into our bloodstream in response to stress. This is considered a “fight or flight” hormone and can lead to harmful weight gain. Unfortunately, due to the increased amount of cortisol receptors around the abdomen, a higher level of stress during the holidays can produce targeted weight gain in the midsection which means more belly fat! One of the best ways to combat this phenomenon of increased stress is through regular exercise. Although exercise can be seen as a stressor, working out during times of elevated stress allows our bodies to release dopamine and endorphins which help to fight against the negative effects of an abnormal amount of cortisol.
Cortisol may have been useful for our ancestors when encountering harmful stressors, like fighting a bear or a tiger, but for current day stressors such as answering emails or telephone calls where a physical response is not needed, exercise is important. Although cortisol does increase while you workout to ensure enough energy is available to your body, individuals who exercise regularly show a lower cortisol response to stressful situations. Even the smallest bit of exercise can prove to be beneficial, not only in the realm of stress but in addition to ensuring that your body stays at a healthy weight, especially during the holidays. It is not necessarily the length of the exercise but rather the quality and intensity that affects the body in different ways.
Binge eating can easily happen during the holidays. If attending a party in which healthy foods are limited, it may prove to be increasingly difficult to stay around the recommended amount of calories which can easily result in additional weight gain. However, this is where exercise comes to the rescue. To avoid packing on the pounds over the holidays, just 30 minutes of cardio exercise performed in the morning on an empty stomach can prove to do the trick. Choose exercises like jumping rope, jogging or sprints for burning lots of calories in a short amount of time.
One of the best ways to prepare your body for the holidays is through adding weight training exercises to your workouts in order to help build lean muscle tissue. By building muscle, your body has a better chance of maintaining a higher metabolic rate which helps boost your metabolism to burn additional calories throughout the day. The point is: Exercise can be the key to staying lean and fit over the holidays by working out yourself or by encouraging your friends and family to also take part. By monitoring your levels of stress and building quality lean muscle, weight gain will be limited if you decide to indulge a little on your favorite treats over the holidays. Just remember to avoid going overboard and binging. Everything in moderation!
Let’s now go over some specific workouts to help you stay fit during the holidays! If you have time to sit down and watch a 30 minute TV show, you have time to exercise. You may not be able to get your full workout in, but don’t forget that even 20 minutes is better than nothing! Here are a couple of quick and easy workouts you can do at home to stay on track through the holidays. You will need dumbbells, a bench or a sturdy chair and a jump rope. Let’s get started!
Holiday Workout Routine #1
Warm up 3-5 minutes by walking, jogging or jumping rope.
Workout – Set 1 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each, then move on to set #2):
Workout – Set 2 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each, then move on to set #3):
Workout – Set 3 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each):
- Glute kickbacks
- Front deltoid raise
- Ab crunches
- Finish your workout by jumping rope for 5-10 minutes, stretch and you are done!
Holiday Workout Routine #2
Warm up 3-5 minutes by walking, jogging or jumping rope.
Workout – Set 1 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each, then move on to set #2):
Workout – Set 2 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each, then move on to set #3):
Workout – Set 3 (Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each):
- Dumbbell deltoid lateral raise
- One arm dumbbell rows
- Oblique crunches
- Finish your workout by jumping rope for 5-10 minutes, stretch and you are done!
