Maintaining a fitness routine can get hard over the holidays. Thankfully, there are lots of tools and tips to keep you motivated.
The holiday season is about a lot of things. Food, loved ones, and super snuggly sweaters. But exercise? Not so much. Even hardcore fitness fanatics might lose their motivation over the holidays. However, there are lots of fun and effective ways you can stay motivated all winter long.
Here are five holiday fitness tips to help keep you in good elf, erm, health. 😉
Here are five fitness tips to help keep you motivated over the holidays:
- Figure out what inspires you
- Adjust your expectations
- Workout with others
- Switch up your routine
- Give yourself a present
Keep reading for the deets on each.
If you know what motivates you, you can surround yourself with it. That might be a bunch of holiday fitness quotes stuck to your fridge. It might be an 80s hair metal playlist. Inspiration is different for everyone.
Making even small adjustments to your environment and the media you consume can help. In a 2021 study, researchers looked at the #fitspiration Instagram trend. This was widely reported to have a negative impact on self-image and body satisfaction, particularly among women.
Women interpreted a self-compassion message far more positively. Meanwhile, men responded best when there was no text caption at all.
That said, you might want to look in detail at how you’re pumping yourself up if you feel unmotivated.
According to a 2021 study, people tend to prefer exercise over leisure activities (e.g. watching Netflix) because of a perceived reward. The idea is that if we feel better, we look better. The sense of accomplishment is sufficiently greater than the pleasure we’ll get from rewatching another five comfort episodes of The Office.
During the holidays, the pleasure of not exercising increases dramatically. You’re not binging old shows, you’re connecting with loved ones and exchanging joy. The perceived reward of exercising might seriously struggle to outweigh all that.
You’re basically bartering with yourself here. Don’t be afraid to compromise a little. It’s fine to skip a gym session if it falls on the same day as your office party. If you’re traveling to see family and can’t get to the gym, don’t …….