Fitness Friday: Pure Barre’s Ways to Stay Healthy During the Holidays

written by Guest Blogger December 21, 2018

Smarty Note: This article was written by the Pure Barre, LLC teams. You can find the original article by clicking

http://purebarre.com/blog/2018/08/16/ten-ways-stay-healthy-holidays/

With the holiday season, you might be looking forward to the fun, food and parties that are a common part of the season. One thing that you might be worried about, however, is maintaining your weight and staying healthy during the holiday season. Luckily, it’s possible to have a great time while still being focused on your health. These are a few tips that can help you do so.

Fit in Some Exercise on Your Lunch Break

First of all, if you’re like many people, you might have a hard time getting out of bed early in the morning to go for a walk or jog, especially when it’s cold outside. You might find that you have the same problem at night. Instead, during the workday, consider heading outside and getting in a brisk walk during your lunch break. Then, you can enjoy a little sunshine and exercise during the warmest part of the day. Plus, this is a good way to avoid the temptation of any holiday goodies that your co-workers might have brought to the office to share.

Have a Healthy Snack before Going to Holiday Parties

Before heading to holiday parties, consider having a healthy snack, such as carrots or celery with peanut butter. This can help you avoid being quite so hungry when you get there, which can help you avoid overeating.

Enjoy Activities That Aren’t Related to Food

So many holiday activities are related to food, from baking cookies to sitting down for a holiday meal. Every holiday activity doesn’t have to be related to food, however; for example, instead of having a holiday cookie party, consider inviting friends over for a gift wrapping party. Instead of baking with your kids, consider going Christmas caroling or watching a holiday movie instead.

Put a Healthier Spin on Your Favorite Holiday Foods

When preparing holiday foods, consider putting a healthier spin on them. Consider preparing roasted vegetables instead of cheesy, unhealthy vegetable casseroles. When baking holiday cookies or cakes, consider substituting applesauce for some of the oil. Instead of making apple pie, try baking apples and adding a little bit of cinnamon to them. There are a lot of great ways that you can cut calories and make foods healthier while still enjoying your favorite seasonal flavors.

Enjoy Winter Sports

There are lots of great winter sports that can be a ton of fun and that can help you get in some exercise. Try skiing, or head to the local ice skating rink and strapping on some skates. You’ll get in a workout and have a great time at the same time.

Start Exercising Indoors

If you normally work out outdoors, you might have found that the weather is getting in the way of your workout this holiday season. Instead, try doing an exercise video in the house or getting a short-term gym membership.

Spend Some Time at the Mall

If you need another excuse to go shopping this holiday season, consider the calories that you can burn walking through the mall. Try to go outside of the busiest hours so that you can maintain a brisk pace when walking through the mall, and try to avoid the temptation of the goodies in the food court.

Put Some Thought Into the Foods You Put on Your Plate

When you’re getting ready to enjoy your holiday dinner, put some thought into what you add to your plate. If you look at everything that’s on display first and then make your choices, you can ensure that you leave room for the foods that you really want while avoiding wasting calories on foods that you might not care that much about.

Avoid Wearing Stretchy Clothing

It can be tempting to hang out in leggings or sweatpants and cozy hoodies and sweaters when it’s cold outside. If you wear all stretchy clothing, however, you won’t notice subtle changes in your weight. Making an effort to continue wearing your more fitted clothing can make it easier for you to detect minor weight gain so that you can do something about it more quickly and easily.

Be Careful About Alcohol Consumption

Lastly, you should be careful about excessive alcohol consumption during the holidays. Not only can this add to a lot of empty calories, but it’s bad for your health to binge drink. Sticking to just one or two drinks can help you stay healthy and clear-minded, and it can help you avoid packing on the pounds as well.It’s probably important to you to stay healthy during the holidays, but this doesn’t mean that you want to miss out on all of the fun. Luckily, if you follow these tips, you can have a great time this holiday season while still focusing on your health.

*All 3 local Pure Barre studios have flexible class times you can pop into between Christmas shopping & holiday parties. Drop by one of the studios today or check them out online. You’ll be thrilled you did & enjoy your holidays more!!