5 Tips To Staying Fit This Holiday Season

cozy-orange-yoga-sweaterAs the temperature drops, it’s very easy to let your active lifestyle fall by the wayside as well. Days spent frolicking on the beach and jogging through the park are replaced by nights spent by the fire, sipping hot cocoa, watching movies and eating comfort food.

Cozy layers conceal your layers, and you’re no longer worried about perfecting your summer bikini bod. But health isn’t just how you look on the outside, and staying fit in the winter is important not only for your waistline, but also for your mental well-being and longevity.

So fight the allure to stay indoors, and get outside and celebrate your health this holiday season with these 5 fit tips:

1. Warm-Up First

No, I’m not talking about calisthenics – although those are a great way to warm up pre-workout. I’m talking about physically warming up your body with a hot beverage.

Before I head to the gym every morning, I’ll make a hot water, hot tea or hot coffee to sip while I’m en route. The “treat” gives me something to look forward to when I’d rather pull the covers back over my head a 6 a.m. The heat helps ease me out into the morning cold and jolts my body awake.

2. Get Chic Winter Activewear

I’ve said it once. I’ll say it again. Nothing gets you moving faster than a hot new outfit – and in the winter hot clothes are exactly what you need (literally and figuratively).

Treat yourself to a cute new hoodie in some of this season’s most popular colors like cobalt blue or a sangria purple. Once you’re fully prepared for the cold – and looking hot – there’s no way you’ll want to stay indoors.

3. Join a Club (or start one)

Accountability is the best way to keep yourself on track with your fitness goals. When you have other people relying on you, you’re a lot less likely to let the call of your comforter drown out your desire to stay fit.

Join a run club, a holiday exercise challenge, or simply ask a few pals to agree on meeting a couple of times a week to take your favorite workout class.

4. Try a “Hot” Exercise Class.

Ok, so last week I totally admitted that I’m not a big fan of hot yoga usually, but when it’s extremely frigid outside, I see the appeal.

Akin to taking a hot bath or getting a hot stone massage, in the wintertime, hot yoga gives your body that warm hug it’s desperately seeking and keeps you looking fit and fierce.

Here in LA I’ve seen hot Pilates, hot spinning and hot yoga classes. Step outside your comfortable temperature zone and see what your city has to offer!

5. Start a New Tradition

Most families have holiday traditions – decorating the tree together, frosting cookies, caroling, etc. Why not incorporate a more heart-pumping tradition this year?

As I mentioned before, getting a group of people together adds to the fun of exercise and adds the element of accountability. Instead of everyone watching football together on Thanksgiving, my family went for a pre-meal “Turkey Trot.”

Perhaps you take your caroling up a notch this year and make it a 5K Carol?

Or mix two of these tips together: Ugly Holiday Sweater Hot Cycling anyone?

Keep in mind that not everyone will be at the same fitness level, so you should pick an activity that will work for most of your family and friends. Fitness should be fun, not intimidating!

source: liveanddiet.com