The holidays are a time of joy, celebration, and indulgence, but they can also be a minefield for your health goals. With tables brimming with sugary treats, decadent meals, and endless snacks, it’s easy to overindulge and feel the effects. Excess sugar and unhealthy foods don’t just lead to weight gain—they can also cause energy crashes, disrupt your metabolism, and leave you feeling bloated and sluggish. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can enjoy the season’s festivities with a mindful approach without sacrificing your health and fitness goals.
This guide will help you navigate holiday temptations, make smarter choices, and maintain a balance that leaves you feeling great during and after the celebrations.
Prioritize Your Favorites
Instead of trying everything at the table, pick your absolute favorites—the dishes you look forward to all year. This way, you can enjoy indulgent foods without going overboard.
Benefit: Practicing mindful eating fosters a healthier relationship with food, reducing the likelihood of overeating in the future.
Eat Slowly and Savor Every Bite
Take your time to taste and enjoy your food truly. Eating slowly helps you feel more satisfied with smaller portions. Plus, it gives your brain enough time to register fullness.
Benefit: Cultivating this habit can improve digestion and prevent overeating, aiding in maintaining a healthy weight over time.
Balance Your Plate
Fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and the remaining quarter with holiday indulgences. This approach ensures you get the nutrients your body needs while leaving room for treats.
Benefit: Maintaining balanced meals promotes overall health, boosts metabolism, and helps manage cravings effectively.
Stay Hydrated
It’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger, especially during busy holiday gatherings. Keep a glass of water with you and drink regularly throughout the day.
Benefit: Staying hydrated supports your metabolism, improves energy levels, and improves appetite regulation.
Practice Portion Control
Holiday portions can quickly get out of hand. Use smaller plates to help control serving sizes, and avoid going back for seconds until you’ve given yourself 10–15 minutes to assess your hunger.
Benefit: Learning portion control helps sustain a balanced diet and prevent unnecessary calorie intake in the long run.
Don’t Skip Meals
Skipping breakfast or lunch to “save room” for a holiday feast often leads to overeating later. Instead, eat balanced meals throughout the day to keep hunger in check.
Benefit: Consistently fueling your body with balanced meals stabilizes blood sugar levels and prevents unhealthy binge-eating patterns.
Limit Liquid Calories
Alcoholic drinks, eggnog, and other festive beverages can pack a calorie punch. Stick to water, tea, or black coffee for most of the day, and savor just one or two high-calorie drinks.
Benefit: Reducing liquid calorie intake can significantly impact weight management and reduce risks of metabolic disorders over time.
Move Your Body
Incorporate physical activity into your day, even if it’s just a walk after dinner. Staying active helps burn off extra calories and keeps you feeling energized.
Benefit: Regular movement supports heart health, improves mood, and helps maintain a healthy metabolism.
These bodyweight exercises are perfect for building strength and maintaining fitness from the comfort of home:
Upper Body Workouts (8 Exercises)
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a classic compound movement that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders while also engaging the core for stability. This exercise helps improve upper body strength and endurance, which are essential for daily tasks like lifting and pushing. Regular push-ups can enhance your posture and reduce the risk of shoulder injuries.
How to: Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor, extend your legs, and lower your chest to just above the ground. Push back up, keeping your core engaged.
Chair Dips
Chair dips effectively target the triceps, shoulders, and even parts of the chest. This workout helps tone the back of the arms, which are often underused in other exercises. Strengthening these muscles can improve functional arm strength and prevent upper arm sagging.
How to: Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair, grip the seat with your hands, and lower your body while bending your elbows. Push back up to the starting position.
Plank Shoulder Taps
This exercise works your shoulders, chest, and core, helping to enhance balance and coordination. By alternating taps, you activate stabilizing muscles in your torso, which contributes to better posture and reduces back pain.
How to: Hold a high plank position and alternate tapping each shoulder with the opposite hand while keeping your hips steady.
Arm Circles
Arm circles focus on the shoulders and arms, improving joint mobility and endurance. This low-impact movement can help loosen tight shoulder muscles and is ideal as a warm-up or for active recovery.
How to: Extend your arms to the sides and make small circles for 30 seconds, then reverse the direction.
Wall Push-Ups
Wall push-ups are a beginner-friendly variation that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders. They help build foundational upper body strength and are great for anyone recovering from injuries or just starting their fitness journey.
How to: Stand facing a wall, place your hands shoulder-width apart on it, and perform push-ups at an incline.
Resistance Band Rows (if available)
This exercise targets the back and biceps, improving posture and upper back strength. By pulling against resistance, you activate muscles that counteract slouching, which is especially beneficial for those who sit for long periods.
How to: Secure a resistance band to a door or anchor, pull the band towards your torso, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Handstand Hold (Against Wall)
The handstand hold builds strength and stability in the shoulders and upper back. It also enhances core engagement and improves balance, making it a challenging full-body workout.
How to: Place your hands on the ground, kick up into a handstand against a wall, and hold the position for as long as possible.
Floor “I, Y, T” Raises
These movements target the rear delts and traps, which are crucial for shoulder health and posture. Strengthening these smaller muscles helps prevent imbalances and reduces the risk of shoulder injuries.
How to: Lie on your stomach and lift your arms into I, Y, and T shapes, holding each for a few seconds.
Lower Body Workouts (6 Exercises)
Bodyweight Squats
Squats are a foundational movement that works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. They mimic everyday actions like sitting and standing, helping to improve lower body strength and mobility. Regular squats can enhance your athletic performance and support joint health.
How to: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower your hips back and down, and return to standing.
Lunges
Lunges target the quads, glutes, and hamstrings while improving balance and stability. This exercise also helps correct muscular imbalances between the legs, which can prevent injuries and enhance athletic performance.
How to: Step one foot forward, bend both knees to 90 degrees, and push back to the starting position. Alternate legs.
Glute Bridges
This exercise isolates the glutes and hamstrings, improving hip strength and flexibility. Glute bridges can also alleviate lower back pain by activating the posterior chain and reducing strain on the lower spine.
How to: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Lift your hips towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Calf Raises
Calf raises strengthen the calves and improve ankle stability, which is crucial for walking, running, and jumping. They also enhance lower leg endurance and can help prevent injuries like shin splints.
How to: Stand on your toes, lift your heels, pause, and lower back down.
Step-Ups (if a sturdy surface is available)
Step-ups target the glutes and quads while mimicking functional movements like climbing stairs. They also improve balance and coordination, making them an excellent lower-body exercise.
How to: Stand on a sturdy chair or bench with one leg and push up through your heel. Step down and alternate.
Side-Lying Leg Lifts
This exercise focuses on the outer thighs and hips, helping to strengthen the hip abductors. Strong hip muscles are essential for stability, especially during lateral movements and running.
How to: Lie on one side, lift your top leg, hold for a second, and lower it back down.
Ab Workouts (4 Exercises)
Plank
Planks, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and lower back, engage the entire core. They help build core stability, which is essential for maintaining proper posture and reducing the risk of back pain.
How to: Hold a straight-arm or forearm plank position, keeping your body straight.
Bicycle Crunches
This exercise targets the obliques and rectus abdominis, improving rotational strength and definition in the waistline. It’s a great move for enhancing core endurance and coordination.
How to: Lie on your back, bring opposite elbow to knee, and alternate sides in a pedaling motion.
Leg Raises
Leg raises focus on the lower abs, helping to build strength in this often-neglected area. They also engage the hip flexors and improve core stability, which supports better movement mechanics.
How to: Lie on your back, lift your legs straight up, and lower them slowly without touching the ground.
Russian Twists
Russian twists strengthen the obliques and improve rotational core strength. This exercise is particularly beneficial for athletes who need to twist or turn during their sports.
How to: Sit with your legs lifted and twist your torso side to side, tapping the floor with your hands.
The holidays are a time to celebrate, connect, and enjoy, but they don’t have to derail your health goals. You can savor the season and stay on track by making mindful choices. Small intentional steps like balancing your plate, practicing portion control, and staying active can make all the difference.
This holiday season treat yourself with kindness and prioritize your health. Enter the new year feeling your absolute best. Let’s make it a season of both joy and well-being.
