7 Ways to Stay Fit this Holiday Season

Let’s face it….the holidays are rough on diet and exercise! It is difficult to maintain a healthy diet with all those tempting sweets and goodies around. And it’s hard to find time to exercise with all the parties happening. So instead of fighting it, try these 7 tricks to tackle this time of year!

Do a fun run with the family: Many towns offer fun runs on Christmas Eve. These runs are usually around 5k (about 3 miles) and are often centered around raising money for charities. Get the whole family involved and sign everyone up for the quick jaunt before all the holiday festivities begin. Check out these fun runs happening this year http://blog.mapmyrun.com/6-holiday-fun-runs-around-u-s/
Take a walk after dinner: Christmas dinner can be quite filling, especially in my family! Instead of sitting around the tv or jumping into dessert, get the whole family to take a 20 minute walk. This can be a great time to check out the holiday lights, enjoy the fresh air or snow, and get the blood pumping!
Drink sparking water with fruit: Instead of starting the night with champagne, try a sparkling seltzer water with cranberries. Throughout the evening you can switch between your wine or drink and the festive sparking water. This will help you remain hydrated and keep the calories off!
Try ONE dessert: Instead of trying every single dessert offered, try focusing on one specific dessert. Pick one that you know you can only get at the holidays (like mom’s homemade apple pie) and bypass anything that you can get every day. Additionally, only have ONE serving of dessert!
Take a ski trip: The wintertime means snow time! So instead of traveling to a beach for the winter, take an active trip for skiing, snowboarding, or cross country. This is a great way to stay active and healthy between holiday meals and parties! On average, downhill skiing burns 400 calories/hour!
Challenge the family to a “steps” competition: Nowadays, everyone’s smart phone or smart watch will track your steps. Challenge the entire family to reach 10,000 steps that day. Whomever reaches it first, gets to open the first present!
Have a holiday dance party: Holiday music can be fun to dance to and since we only hear it once a year, it can be a great way to brush up on those holiday moves. This can be especially fun at New Years and a great way to ring in the new year! Check out this song mashups and get moving! http://mashable.com/2013/12/07/holiday-mashups/#kK6RNuYGJEq4