4 Reasons to Keep Up Your Workouts During the Holidays

As the holiday season gains steam, let’s try to keep from gaining weight! This time of year, more than ever is important to keep to your fitness routine. For a number of reasons.

1. Calorie Burn – this is an obvious one but always a good reminder as we indulge a bit more in holiday treats and drinks. That extra cookie, bite of pie and glass of wine adds up. Think of it this way – even a small piece of pie can be 450 calories which is a 4 mile run or spin class in terms of calorie burn.

2. Stress Reduction – Many of us have at least one crazy in-laws or relatives, not to mention holiday travel woes, financial issues, battling the crowds, long work hours, keeping the kids busy…need I go on? Taking 30-45 min just for you to get in a workout will make facing all these stressful situations so much easier!

3. Energy – Burning the candle at booth ends is common place this time of year and zaps our energy. Sometimes the last thing we want to do is exercise, you have no motivation. Even a 10 min walk in the fresh air and sunshine might be enough to wake you up. Longer workout sessions really give you a boost. If you truly are sleep deprived, allow yourself to skip the gym one morning to get a little extra shut eye. Just be sure one day doesn’t turn into more.

4. SAD – Seasonal Effective Disorder can exacerbate fatigue, depression and feeling blue. Getting outside in the natural sun not only ups your vitamin D intake, but can decrease the SAD symptoms. Getting a light box is another ideas if you find it too cold to get out side. Combining both the light box and natural sunlight is a perfect pairing that will give you a sunny smile if it’s grey outside