Even though Christmas is over, the spirit of the holiday season is still very much alive: holiday parties, gatherings with family and friends, New Years celebrations, etc. There’s not a moment of this week that’s not filled with one outing or another. As much as I appreciate having the opportunity to do so much, I also get weary that I will not have enough time to keep up with my regular workout routine. I workout for approximately 45-90 mins per day, 6 days a week. It takes a lot of planning and discipline to fit my workout into my routine as it is; fitting it in during the holidays seems nearly impossible. It seems that this seems to be an issue for most people, especially at the holidays.
Instead of having an all-or-nothing attitude I have been trying to remind myself that when it comes to exercising during the hectic holidays, anything is better than nothing. Maintaining the routine of exercise is more important during hectic times than the duration of the exercise. For example, this morning I only had time for a short workout so I did 30 minutes on the ARC trainer instead of my usual 45-60 minutes. I could’ve easily rationalized that 30 minutes wasn’t worth it and scrapped the workout altogether, but I reminded myself that 30 minutes is WAY better than zero minutes and I went hard! I got a pretty good sweatfest in that 30 minutes & felt much better at the end of my workout. Not just physically but mentally as well; I knew I would’ve mentally felt awful if I’d skipped it. I may not have done what I usually do but I maintained my routine of exercise and started the day off on the right foot.
I know there will be other similar situations before the holiday season comes to an end, and I will try to remind myself that anything is better than nothing. I encourage you to do the same: keep up the routine, do as much as you have time for, and maintain as best you can!