The holidays are in high gear. From now until New Year's Day there is shopping, cooking, baking, concerts, parties, get-togethers with family and friends, religious services, wrapping, and sending greeting cards.
What's missing from this list? It seems that the first thing to be cut when time is at a premium is our exercise. It's tempting to ditch your workouts as your days fill up with holiday preparations, but now more than ever, you need to stay active.
Our muscles will begin to atrophy (lose strength and size) after only about two weeks of inactivity. If you neglect your exercise during the holidays, you will begin to lose some of the gains you've been seeing in your fitness level. How can you find time for exercise when there are so many other things to be done to make the holidays special? Here are some simple ways to continue to exercise during this busy time of the year:
Plan exercise time as part of your day. If you normally go to the gym, try to schedule gym time at the beginning of the day. That way your exercise will be done and you can run your errands worry-free. Another way is to make sure that the gym is on the route that you will take: post office, mall, gym, grocery store, and then home.
If your day is open-ended, make sure that you take your exercise clothing with you in a gym bag. After a day of holiday errands, it is easy to go home and sit on the sofa instead of getting changed and heading out to the gym. If you have your clothes with you, it takes away the excuse of going home first.
If muscles begin to atrophy after two weeks of inactivity, how much activity do we need to maintain them? There are two components to exercise: intensity and volume. Intensity is the level at which you exercise, such as the amount of weight you lift, the level you set the cardio machine or the pace at which you run. Volume is the amount of exercise you do, such as the number of repetitions and sets in weightlifting, the amount of time you spend on the cardio machine or the distance you run.
In order to maintain muscle tone, you can reduce the amount of exercise, but you must continue with the same level of intensity. For example, keep the amount of weight you lift the same, but reduce the number of repetitions. Run at the same pace, but reduce the distance.
Reducing the amount of exercise but maintaining the same exercise intensity is a good strategy for working out during the holidays and will prevent your body from giving up the fitness gains you've made.
The holidays are wonderful, but hectic, and sometimes stressful. Exercise not only keeps our bodies healthy and strong, but it also is great way to reduce stress levels. So, don't give up on exercise this holiday season. Once New Year's Day is behind us, you can get back to your normal exercise routine again.
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