Stay Fit Through the Holidays

Good Housekeeping

The days between Thanksgiving and New Years are filled with pie, cookies, and marathon mall sessions. What often goes missing: regular exercise. Workouts aren't just crucial as a way to compensate for holiday indulgences. Fitting them in will help you sleep more soundly and stress less, both key to weight control and a happy and healthy season. Here, four ways to squeeze in more movement this month:

1. Focus on intervals
You could log your usual cardio session, or, slash the time commitment by alternating bursts of high-intensity activity with a more restful pace. Try a 15-20 minute interval routine that alternates jogging and walking... and boost your calorie burn for hours.

Related: Why Daily Exercise Is More Important Than Ever During the Holidays

2. Log on to shed pounds
If you need a little extra motivation, hire an online personal trainer for a fraction of the cost of an in-person one at wello.com. The service will set you up with certified trainers for one-on-one sessions via video chat. You can also join small-group yoga, aerobics, and other classes. (It's also a great place to buy gift certificates for your fitness-loving friends.)

Related: Work Out Smarter, Not Harder

3. Channel your inner kid
I challenge you to do any of these with a frown on your face:

  • Jogging on a mini-trampoline (burns 118 calories in 20 minutes)

  • Jumping rope (burns 13 calories per minute)

  • Hula-hooping (burns 7 calories a minute). A weighted hoop, like the ones from Hoopnotica, will move more slowly and will be easier to keep going than the plastic ones your kid keeps in the garage

Related: 10 Ways to Sculpt Away Fat

4. Make your holiday events more active
Rather than having your cousins over for a cookie exchange, why not meet at the skating rink? The kids will love it and you'll burn 552 calories an hour... enough to earn a hot chocolate and a fitness boost. Other fun winter calorie burners:

  • Skiing (cross-country burns 630 calories/hour, while downhill burns 474)

  • Walking around the neighborhood to see everyone's decorations (burns 300 calories/hour)

  • Snowmobiling (burns 276 calories/hour)

-By Marnie Soman

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