5 ways to keep your health and fitness in check over the holidays

5 ways to keep your health and fitness in check over the holidays

Tis the season…

Grandma’s sweet cookies

Uncle Andrews famous spiced rum & eggnog

& Aunt Janes home-made apple pie…

For many, the holidays can be a difficult time to exercise and eat right. And that’s 100% understandable. Christmas parties, festivities, family gatherings and more… Here at Endure Health & Fitness, we believe in cherishing the holidays with loved ones and with delicious food. Who says that we can’t keep our health and fitness in check while still enjoying ourselves?

Here are some ways that we’ve found helpful to keep our health and fitness in check over the holidays.

Number 1: Eat Mindfully

 When I say Eat Mindfully, I don’t mean sitting down and meditating with your food. Well sort of. I mean turning off your computer, phone, television and all other distractions and being present with your meal, family and friends. Slowly enjoy your food, making sure that you’re adequately chewing your food. In this day and age, we are programmed to eat quickly due to our busy schedules. By eating quickly, we can miss our bodies' signals that let us know we're full, leading to overeating. Now with it being the holidays, hopefully, we have more time to enjoy and savour all the delicious foods at our disposal. When you start feeling full, put down the utensils and reminisce on how delicious your meal was and prepare yourself for your upcoming feast.

Number 2: Strategize your plate  

 Strategizing your plate can be a good way to ensure that you’re not stuffing yourself into an oblivion of ginger snap cookies and gravy. Very simply, start your meal by filling your plate with the most nutrient-dense and satisfying foods at your disposal (salads, vegetables, meat, legumes and beans, whole grains etc.) Aim to fill three-quarters of your plate with these foods. Leave the last ¼ of your cherished real estate for some of your most favourite foods like double stuffed potatoes and pecan pie. By doing this, the likelihood of going on a pecan pie rampage is reduced by filling your body with primarily healthy, delicious and satisfying foods first.

Number 3: Incorporate frequent short walks

Short, 10 minutes’ walks before and after meals can be a great way to burn a few extra calories, prime your body for the barrage of Christmas goodness that you’re about to consume and lastly, aid in the digestion process. At first glance, this might not seem effective but over the course of an entire day can add up to some serious steps and energy-burning which will help keep your health and fitness in check. Plus, getting outside and being exposed to sunlight throughout the day will positively influence alertness, mood and performance. 

Number 4: Make sleep a priority

In our culture, sleep is often overlooked and neglected despite its major implications on our health and fitness. Without going into too much detail, sleep is essential for regulating our bodies’ ability to store the food that we eat. With less than 6 hours of sleep per night (with some exceptions of course), the food that we eat is more likely to be stored as fat, rather than in the liver and muscle. So over the holidays, do yourself a favour and get plenty of sleep. We recommend anywhere from 7 – 9 hrs per night.  Forget the morning alarm and don’t be afraid to have an afternoon nap if the opportunity arises.  

Number 5: Plan fun group activities  

 Over the holidays, it’s really easy to get the routine of eat, nap, sit, eat, drive to uncle Andrew’s, booze and repeat, without any serious physical activity. Believe it or not, the holidays can be an excellent opportunity to get lots of fun and exciting physical activity with friends and family. Plan a trip to the zoo, skating rink, golf course for cross-country skiing, tobogganing, snowshoeing and more! If your family is competitive,

set up competitions with prizes that motivate everyone to get involved. In the process, you’ll gain the endless benefits of exercise while also bonding and creating unforgettable memories with friends and family.

 We get it, the holidays can be a tough time to keep our health and fitness in check. We want to be able to enjoy ourselves while maintaining our hard-earned health and fitness gains. By implementing some of the aforementioned ideas, you’ll be at a major head start come January first while feeling and performing a heck of a lot better.