Maintaining a fitness routine can be difficult over the holidays. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools and tips to keep you motivated.
The holiday season is about a lot of things. Food, loved ones, and super cozy sweaters. But exercise? Not so much. Even hardcore fitness fanatics can lose motivation over the holidays. However, there are plenty of fun and effective ways to stay motivated all winter long.
Here are five holiday fitness tips to help you stay in good, er, health.
If you know what motivates you, you can surround yourself with it. That could be a set of holiday fitness quotes taped to your fridge. It could be an ’80s hair metal playlist. Inspiration is different for everyone.
Even small adjustments to your environment and the media you consume can help. In a 2021 study, researchers looked at the Instagram trend #fitspiration. This, many report, is said to have a negative impact on self-image and body satisfaction, especially in women.
Women interpreted a message of self-compassion far more positively. Men, on the other hand, responded best when there was no caption at all.
That said, you may want to take a closer look at how you motivate yourself when you’re feeling unmotivated.
According to a 2021 study, people are more likely to prefer exercise over leisure activities (e.g., watching Netflix) because of a perceived reward. The idea is that we look better when we feel better. The sense of accomplishment is significantly greater than the joy we feel from rewatching five more episodes of The Office.
During the holidays, the joy of not exercising increases dramatically. You’re not watching old series, but you’re hanging out with loved ones and sharing joy. The perceived reward of exercise can hardly outweigh all of that.
You’re essentially negotiating with yourself here. Don’t be afraid to compromise a little. It’s OK to skip a gym session if it falls on the same day as your office party. If you’re traveling to see family and can’t get to the gym, don’t stress.
Working out in groups has been shown to increase our enjoyment and perceived benefits of exercise. If you’re the fitness type who works out alone and your inspiration wanes over the holidays, joining a group can help in the short term.
There’s more than one type of motivation. Autonomous motivation means we inspire ourselves and start on our own. Controlled motivation means there’s an outside source of encouragement for you to do something… like a workout group. Research shows that controlled motivation can help people stick to their regular fitness routine.
Here are some examples of group motivation:
Take a yoga class
Join a gym that offers group classes
Use a fitness app with a social component
Take a daily walk with a friend, roommate, or family member
Familiarity breeds contempt, they say. Since our motivation to exercise is driven by perceived reward, how exactly we perceive that reward is important. If you do the same workout all year long, it can feel stale and thus less rewarding.
Changing up your workout routine can help you get new gains out of it. That means plenty of dopamine rushes to counteract the seductive lure of the couch. Maybe you’ve been wanting to take a new class or work a new muscle group for a long time. Now’s the time.
Hey, it’s the holidays. While you’re busy bringing joy to others, don’t forget to treat yourself. This is especially true if you manage to stick to some sort of exercise regimen. Even a slightly reduced exercise schedule goes a long way to mitigating seasonal health impacts.
With incentives like these, it’s important to make sure exercise is fun throughout the festive season. Some evidence suggests that we respond more positively to rewards when we’re in a good mood and our dopamine levels are high.
When dopamine levels are low, we respond better to guaranteed exchanges. We like to know we’re getting something for our effortsn. That’s not the ideal mindset for exercise, it’s risk and reward that gets the blood pumping.
Bottom line: The holidays are for having a good time and celebrating (or commiserating) the year. That’s not more important than your health, but you don’t have to choose between partying and fitness.
Maintaining the motivation to exercise will allow you to enjoy the holidays without worrying so much about that turkey belly in January. Of course, it can be hard to tear yourself away from the stuffing and get to the gym, but you’ll thank yourself later.