Holiday Hacks: 5 Ways to Stay Active This Christmas
- thehealthyham
- Dec 19, 2017
- 2 min read
Last week the focus was food. This week I want to focus on activity.
Christmas is just around the corner and there is sure to be plenty of food and family in your future. And that means there will most likely be a lot of sitting.
Sit too long and you may notice your hips are tighter, your lower back is sore and you have a general feeling of lethargy.
To combat that, I have some tips to help you sneak in some extra activity this Christmas. Some of these you can do without even leaving the house, so there's no excuse not to move!
1. Park Farther Away
I'm sure many of you will be making last minute trips to the mall or grocery runs for that one ingredient you forgot. Park towards the back of the lot to get a few more steps in. Plus, there's always more parking spots at the back. It's a win-win.
2. Take A Walk
You can make it a family activity. Round up the troops after your Christmas meal for a short stroll. It doesn't have to be anything intense, just enough to get the blood pumping.
3. Play With The Kids
No one know how to stay active during the Holidays better than kids, and I'm sure there will be plenty of small children at your Christmas gatherings. Chase them around the house, play in the yard, wrestle on the floor, just have fun.
4. Take The Stairs
Take a break from sitting and do some laps up and down the stairs. You can even take advantage of a short flight of steps. Taking the stairs will get your quads firing and your hip joints moving. You can even use the stairs to loosen up you hip flexors:
-Stand at the base of the steps
-Take a lunging step with one leg and place it squarely on the first step (your other leg will be back behind you and bent slightly)
-Without moving your feet, push your hips forward and sink down into the lunge while keeping your torso straight. (you should feel a pull in the front of your hip)
-Alternate legs and repeat
*You can increase the stretch by taking another step up when you lunge
5. Home Workout
There are plenty of free, home workout resources on the internet if you're looking for a little more intensity. Check out YouTube for some body weight exercises you can do at home. Some variety of body weight squats, push-ups and pull-ups are my go-to body weight exercises, but there are many more.
My good friend, Nate Johnson, has several home workout videos on his channel that require minimal to no equipment. Click the link below to check them out!
Follow these simple tips and you'll be squeezing in aaaaallll kiiiiiinds of physical activity during the busy Holiday season.
Got any other health or fitness tips for the Holidays you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them. Shoot me an e-mail at thomaszkry@gmail.com.
Keep moving and have a merry Christmas!
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