When the holidays hit, it can be tough staying trim with all the rich hot chocolate drinks, irresistible cookies and other yummy calorie-laden foods and beverages. It often feels
like one extended celebration from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, complete with one continuous buffet of delicious meals, tasty treats and beverages. Even at work, you can't escape as the break room fills up with special goodies too. The good news is you don't have to avoid holiday food like the plague; you can even indulge a little. The trick, however, is to keep up at least some degree of physical activity during this time and no, this does not mean you have to pay gym fees or buy expensive workout gear. Below are some out-of-the-box ideas to increase your physical activity during the holiday festivities.
Shovel Your Driveway. So, you want to indulge in that piece of pecan pie? Go right ahead — and then undo that slice by going out and shoveling your driveway for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Built-up, wet snow can make one hefty workout. Shoveling snow works your lower back muscles, lateral muscles, biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs. You can even work your legs by lunging into your shoveling. Health warning: Snow shoveling is a known trigger for heart attacks. Take frequent breaks. Choose lighter amounts of snow at one time rather than shovel loads full of heavy snow. Stay in tune with your body and if you think you are showing signs of a heart attack call 911 or your local emergency number.
Run or Jog. Stuffing; small chunks of white bread, seasoned and soaked in butter. While full of calories, you don’t have to avoid it. Just 15 minutes of running or jogging around your home or neighborhood can burn off those calories quickly. Another option would be to try out some healthier stuffing recipes such as:
- Cranberry cornbread stuffing
- Herb stuffing Sausage stuffing
- Spinach-and-couscous stuffing.
Jumping Jacks. Mashed potatoes are a holiday meal tradition, but the typical recipe equates to unhealthy fats and calories. Not to worry, do 23 minutes of jumping jacks and it will be as if you never ate this traditional comfort food staple. This might seem excessive, but doing your jumping jacks while you enjoy your favorite holiday movie will help to pass the time quickly.
Ice Skating. Eggnog can be a whopping 400 calories or more per cup. It's rich in eggs, cream and alcohol, but it's also a holiday favorite and many just “have to” indulge in it. Fortunately, you can burn off that cup of eggnog with some fun family ice skating. Ice skating for 90 minutes will burn off over 500 calories and work your calf and thigh muscles too.
Shopping. There's nothing like going to the mall to catch those "after holiday sales" to save money. And mall shopping means walking. That translates into burning those holiday calories off. You can burn about one calorie every 20 steps. Of course, walking speed and body weight matter too. A 130-pound person can burn up to 140 calories pe
r hour walking at a moderate pace - more than enough to burn off that sugar cookie. Don't just stop at walking around the mall either. Maximize the burn by carrying and unloading your packages after you shop at each store. So if you shop at 10 different stores, you make 10 trips to your car to unload the packages. Those multiple trips to and from the parking lot will burn even more calories. You're meant to enjoy the holidays.
So, instead of torturing yourself trying to avoid all the holiday temptations, focus on sensible control and throw in some physical activity during this busy time.
*See your doctor to be sure you are healthy enough for exercise.
