You are here: Home / Archives for christmas exercises

 

Merry Christmas from Free Fitness Tips

 

December 25, 2008 By Tom 13 Comments

Hello Everyone.  I’m just leaving a quick post to wish you all a Merry Christmas.  This blog has grown a lot this year and that is down to the continued support of my readers.  I hope you all have a wonderful day, enjoy spending time with your family and get to have a rest after a tough year.

This month I have been writing about how you can keep your diet and fitness regime on track over the festive period.  I started the month by writing about the common cold & the flu and then moved on to discuss whether vitamin C can help reduce your chances of contracting them.  I then moved on to discuss how a good diet can help strengthen your immune system.  Next I wrote about seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a form of winter depression and how food can have a significant effect on your mood over the festive period.  Following this I talked about why sleep is so important over Christmas.  I then discussed 6 Christmas exercise ideas and 5 outdoor exercises you can do if you have the snow and you’re up to it.  After this I provided you with 4 top tips to improve your mood over the festive period.  I then finished off with a discussion of how important vitamin D is over Christmas and gave you 8 ideas for lightening your Christmas dinner.

I hope you have enjoyed these articles and that they help you keep some form of fitness routine going during the potentially tricky holiday period but if not don’t worry.  Today is about being able to rest and relax in good company – not watching what you eat and going to the gym.  If you have taken advantage of these articles that’s great.  If not it’s only one day and it’s not going to negate a year’s worth of fitness training.  Enjoy your Christmas day and make sure you have a good one.

*****

Want an early Christmas present?  Click the banner below to grab a copy of Lose Weight for the Holidays:

Filed Under: Christmas Diet, Christmas Fitness Tagged With: , , , , ,

 

5 Outdoor Exercises you can do this Christmas

 

December 18, 2008 By Tom 10 Comments

In my previous article I discussed 6 Christmas exercises that you can use to stay fit over the festive period.  In that article I suggested that you join a gym, get some exercise DVDs or get a Wii fit so that you can exercise in an indoor environment that is warm and light.  However, if you can brave the winter weather and the cold outdoors there is plenty of scope for exercising outside this Christmas.  In this article I will be discussing five outdoor exercises that you can try over the holiday period (if you are brave enough).

1) GO SLEDDING:- As long as it snows then sledding is a great Christmas exercise.  All you need is a sledge and a hill.  You can get a sledge from Amazon and your local park should be able to provide you with a big hill.  Sledding is great fun and you can involve your family and friends.  Plus, you will burn quite a few calories whilst lugging the sledge up the hill.

2) HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT:- Snowball fights are another great exercise and this time you don’t even need a hill.  Split your family and friends into two teams and then let the snowballs fly.  Not only will you have a fantastic time but with all the running, ducking and diving you will be getting a good workout.

3) CLEAR YOUR DRIVE:- Your drive is going to need clearing at some point but why pay someone to do it when you can do it yourself?  Shovelling all that snow will help you burn the calories.  Plus snow can get quite heavy so it’s a good muscle building exercise too.  You can even get a little creative and turn it into a game.  Split the drive into two halves and then have a race between two teams to see who can clear their half first.  Not only will you have a clear drive and a bit of extra cash in your pocket but you will also burn some calories too.

4) GO ICE SKATING:- If there’s a frozen lake in your town then your local council may convert it into a makeshift ice rink.  If so why not head down with the family and have some fun?  You can race each other, try some impromptu figure skating or simply just skate around the rink.  Whatever you choose you are sure to enjoy yourself and you will give yourself quite a good workout too.

5) BUILD A SNOWMAN:- You may not think that building a snowman is good exercise but it can be.  All the walking around, scooping snow and building the snowman can quickly lead to lots of burnt calories.  Plus, it’s a great family activity and so is perfect for Christmas day.

Personally, I don’t like the exercising in the cold.  However, if you can brave it these fun activities will provide you with some great winter workouts.  They’re also activities that kids will love which makes them a great family choice.  Even a potentially mundane activity such as clearing your drive can be turned into a fun game so long as you are a little creative.  So if you are up to it put on your hat and gloves and take your family outside to enjoy these winter workouts over the festive period.

Now I’d like to hear from you guys.  Do you have any other outdoor activities that can be performed at this time of year?  Do you prefer working out inside or outside during the Christmas period?  Leave a comment and let me know.

*****

Want an early Christmas present?  Click the banner below to grab a copy of Lose Weight for the Holidays:

Filed Under: Christmas Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

 

6 Christmas Exercise Ideas

 

December 16, 2008 By Tom 15 Comments

As I have been discussing in some of my previous articles Christmas is a difficult time when it comes to fitness.  Tempting foods are all around, the weather is generally poor and common colds and the flu are increasingly common.  This makes it very difficult to maintain an exercise routine over Christmas.  However, if you make proper plans then you should be able to maintain a proper exercise routine.  In this article I will be providing you with 6 top tips for maintaining an exercise routine over Christmas.

1) EXERCISE IN THE GYM:- I personally exercise in the gym so this one is not a change for me.  However, if you normally exercise outside you may wish to switch to the gym over the festive period.  Whether the gym is your first choice location for working out or not it is bright and warm.  Compare this to the outdoors which are generally cold and dark and you can see why the gym is probably the best exercise location for the festive period.

2) EXERCISE IN THE MORNING:- Christmas brings with it social gatherings most of which occur in the evenings.  Therefore, you may not get to exercise as much because you are busy socialising.  If this is the case then you may have to exercise in the morning over the festive period.  You may not like getting out of bed extra early but it may be the only way to fit it in during your busy Christmas schedule.

3) GET AN EXERCISE DVD:- If you normally exercise outside and can’t face the weather but you also can’t stand working out in a gym then an exercise DVD could be the solution.  Exercise DVDs are becoming increasingly popular and there are now DVDs available which cater to a number of needs including dance workouts, yoga workouts and bodyweight workouts.  You can check out Amazon’s entire range of fitness DVDs by clicking here or have a browse of the selection I have included below.  Not only will these DVDs help you stay fit and healthy over the festive period but they also could be the perfect Christmas present for you, a friend or a family member.

4) GET WII FIT:- I’ve only tried Wii fit once at a friend’s house but it’s great fun and an excellent alternative to exercise DVDs for the gamers out there.  It has a range of types of training you can choose including balance, strength and stamina.  Plus, it has a multi-player option meaning the whole family can join in.  This would make it a great present to get out after the Christmas dinner because it will incorporate all the guests and also allow you all to get some exercise and burn some calories.

5) BE INNOVATIVE:- Despite your best intentions the holidays are extremely busy and you simply may not have the time to fit in a full workout.  If this is the case you are going to have to be innovative and make exercise part of other tasks.  Try parking your car a bit further away from work or the shops when you do your Christmas shopping, go for a brisk walk during your lunch hour or do a few quick bodyweight exercises when you find yourself with a spare few minutes.  Consistency is one of the keys to a successful exercise routine and every little bit you do will help.

6) TRY AND STICK TO A HEALTHY DIET:- Christmas is a time when we are increasingly susceptible to the common cold and the flu.  On top of this we are more likely to feel down around Christmas time.  Both of these factors are likely to lower our motivation to exercise.  If you eat a poor diet too your motivation to exercise is going to be even lower.  I know it’s tough to stick to a perfect diet over Christmas and you will undoubtedly eat some junk foods.  However, if you plan to eat healthily when you can your motivation to exercise is going to be much higher.  Try to incorporate some of these mood foods and these immune system boosting foods into your diet and you are much more likely to have the motivation needed to perform your Christmas workouts.

Most of us will have worked hard to maintain an exercise routine throughout the year so it would be a shame to let it all go over Christmas.  Yes it is a difficult time of the year in terms of exercise and yes you want to have some time to relax.  Even if you don’t do as much exercise as you normally do make sure you do some over the festive period.  By doing this you will be in a much better fitness position when the New Year comes around.

How are you guys planning to fit exercise in this Christmas?  Have you got any additional tips you would like to share?  If so please leave a comment on this post.

*****

Want an early Christmas present? Click the banner below to grab an exclusive $10 discount on Lose Weight for the Holidays:

Filed Under: Christmas Fitness Tagged With: , , ,