Staying active over the silly season!
So it’s coming up to that time of year when we are all going to be taking holidays, traveling back home to see the family and just generally giving ourselves a bit of a break. And that’s great! You’ve worked hard all year and you and your body deserve a break. But! That doesn’t mean you have to undo all that hard work either.
We're not saying you can’t have all the snacks and enjoy days of scrolling in the sun, we're only trying to encourage you to keep active juuuuuust enough so that you won't have to start from the scratch with your exercise routine in the new year!
When you've been keeping your exercise routine up consistently throughout the year, starting over or starting again after a break can be rough! So why not avoid that? Here are some tips for keeping you on track for coming back just as strong as you left in 2026 💪🩷
Keep up your normal routine for as long as you can! Don’t let the fact that Christmas is coming up give you an excuse to slack off early. Yeah, maybe Christmas is just over two weeks away (when did that happen?!!), and there are lots of events coming up. But that means there is still 2 weeks to keep at it before it gets here! Just because your trip home is approaching, doesn’t mean you need to change your routine leading up to it! 😉
Do something small every day you’re away. It doesn’t have to be anything big like a full hour long workout, or a 10km run (don't know about you but those are definitely off the cards for me for a few days after eating at Christmas lunch / always when it comes to running! 😂). But try and go for a 20 minute walk around the block or do a quick at home 10 minute workout. Every little bit you do now will help when you come back to reality!
Make a game out of holiday behaviour! There are usually a few things you know you'll experience over the holidays - maybe it's hearing Mariah Carey on the radio, or listening to your relative talk about their car they've been ""meaning to do up"" for the past five years. Whatever it is, think of a few things you know are bound to occur and then associate an exercise with each thing! (Examples below). Then every time it happens, do the exercise! Get your friends and whanau in on it too, trust us - it can be pretty fun!!
Dad burns the sausages = 5 jumping jacks
Someone forgets the dessert = 10 sit ups
You hear that song on the radio = 8 push ups
Add some virtual classes/tutorials into your day. If you know you struggle to motivate yourself and need a bit of direction - then signing up to some online classes that you can do from wherever can be a great help. Yoga on YouTube, fitness challenges on Instagram, or if you're an Altitude member - signing up to Virtual Altitude!
Find an exercise buddy. Whether that's a family member, friend, neighbour or partner - anyone that can help keep you accountable and vice versa. Beach walks, bike rides or even a trip down the road to get an ice cream, anything that gets your body moving counts! 🩷
Breaks can do wonders for your body, but keeping even just a little bit active can help a lot too. And remember, however your holiday pans out, be kind to yourself returning to reality. Give yourself time to ease back into your routine and listen to your body so you don't go too hard too fast! 🩷
Happy Holidays everyone! 🥳🥰
