The week between Christmas and New Year’s can be weird. You’re almost always out of your normal routine, whether that’s spent traveling, shopping, hanging out with the fam, etc.
Even if you still go in to the office, chances are it’s pretty darn quiet because so many people are gone, or simply because you don’t want to bother the people you normally do business with because it’s a holiday week. You may actually look forward to this week to get caught up on things without interruption.
While I am a big proponent of building the fit lifestyle incrementally into your existing routine, the best time to introduce changes can often be when we are out of our routine. (Particularly if we notice ourselves getting even a tiny bit—dare we say it—bored.)
Experiment with these things over the next few days while you have fewer responsibilities to attend to, and see which ones you fall in love with enough to in your holiday fitness plan to add to your regular routine in the new year.
STRETCHING: Stretching often falls to the bottom of the fitness barrel, and usually by those who need it most. But stretching makes you feel amazing, prevents injury, adds a lean and graceful look to the body, and helps you do all your daily functions with ease. If that’s not enough, flexible muscles actually allow you to lift heavier weights and thus—there it is—burn more calories. To learn more about how this works, check out this podcast by Chalene Johnson
COOKING: Okay, I know you made your annual scalloped potatoes or pumpkin roll for THE holiday dinner, but I’m talking about something else. Why don’t you take a few days to practice cooking the way you want to eat the rest of the year? The way you keep saying you’ll start? My husband always says that abs are built in the kitchen, so put this to the test during the week that you probably won’t have any late-night work meetings. But don’t do anything elaborate—remember, you’re doing a test-run of healthy meals you can fix when real life hits again. For some tips on keeping things simple, read my post on How to Actually Use Those Pinterest Recipes.
CREATING MONTHLY FITNESS GOALS: This is a little different from New Year’s resolutions, though those may certainly be drifting through your mind. This is an actual, honest game plan based on your real life, your real challenges, and the things that you really want most. They work because they’re built around your lifestyle, not in spite of it.
