How about it, have you started enjoying those holiday meals and parties just a little too much, yet? We know that the holiday times of year usually starts off with that Thanksgiving feast. And who’s to blame you for tackling all that food that you only have the opportunity to enjoy at this time of year. But maybe, just maybe that first helping unleashed a craving for everything you enjoy about eating your holiday favorites. Not that it’s a bad thing, but for some of us, we simply cannot say no to that second helping or taking a supply of left-overs home with us to make both us, and mom happy that you enjoy her food, and you do, maybe just a little too much!

However, if you give in to eating more than you know you should be doing this time of year, it may not be too long before you start leaving that top button on your shirt collar unbuttoned, or finding that you need to squeeze into those pair of pants or skirt that only a month or two ago, fit like they were made for you. That’s got to be a big wake up call, one that you should be paying attention to and not chalking it off to well, it’s that time of year and I’ll put things to right after the holidays are past.

You aren’t destined to gain those holiday pounds you know. In fact, with the right types of exercise and planning already worked into your holiday schedule, you can maintain your fitness and waistline, while still enjoying time with family and friends. We are going to list a few things you can do to enable you to stay on track throughout the holiday season, and avoid backsliding with your health and fitness.

If you’re going to be traveling to and fro this holiday season. Planning ahead of time to have some sort of schedule of when and where you can work in your exercise routines can go a long way of keeping you focused on what your priorities are. Which also helps in keeping you aware of the fact that you want to maintain the progress you’ve worked so hard on throughout the year. After all, why would you want to put the brakes to your exercise routines and eating habits, which were part of your commitment to getting in better shape? When during a few short weeks at the end of the year, can find yourself sabotaging not only your fitness routines, but also your waistlines.

Keeping yourself on track isn’t always an easy thing, especially at this time of year. It might be a good idea to get yourself an early Christmas present. One that you can use now, and every day this year and for years to come. No, I’m not talking about a new pair of exercise shoes or a new exercise outfit. What I’m talking about is a good multifunction Activity Watch. There are many out there but one that fits the bill now, and when that sun starts to rise earlier and stay brighter later in the day and evenings is an Activity Monitor that performs tracking on multiple conditions of sports activities. I’m suggesting the Garmin Forerunner 920XT Multisport GPS Watch . It can help you be aware of what you need to do in between all the holiday visiting and partying and help you stay on track with your exercises that still need to be done, even at this festive time of the year. Then after the holidays, it can help you continue to accomplish your goals of maintaining your fitness regimen along with proper nutrition. And when the seasons turn to a warmer time of year that allows you to Bike and Swim the Forerunner 920 can be with you then, through all your different activities. It offers the most advanced training features into one unit, like VO2 Max, running dynamics, and live tracking. The 920xt even has smart notifications to keep you connected, on the run outside or in the gym!

During this time of year, you may find it’s possible to hit the gym or get outside and do some running, jogging or walking early in the morning, before your hectic day even starts. This way, if you get into the groove of an early start, you can accomplish your exercise routines without it interfering with your busy daytime commitments, which seem to escalate during this time of year. And remember, if you’re traveling and can’t get to your gym, that’s still no excuse for not exercising. In fact, you can still get a great workout in, using just your bodyweight. Bodyweight workouts can be done anywhere using little to no equipment, and usually, take 20 minutes or less.

For example, set a timer for 20 minutes and see how many times you can go through the following circuit:
10 Burpees > 20 Mountain Climbers > 30 Jumping Jacks > 40 reps jumping rope > 30 Jump Squats > 20 Pushups > 10 Reverse Lunges.

Except for the jumping rope and jacks, these can be done in any hotel/motel room, if done quietly! And it’s just enough to get the heart pumping and your muscles toned to start or finish the day

And remember, you may not have an hour at this time of year to devote to your exercise routines, but even 10-15 minutes at a time can be beneficial. And remember, some exercise is better than no exercise at all!

Now we know that at this time of year we would be labeled a “Grinch” if we told you to NOT eat those favorite foods that only come around for most of us at this time of year. But we’ve said it before and we can’t stress it enough. “Moderation” is a key element that you and everyone need to adopt and OWN during this time of year! It’s ok to have a helping of that holiday food, Aunt Mary dished out, but take a helping, albeit, a small helping so you have your taste and memory in tack and be satisfied that you did not deprive yourself.

If you keep in mind all the hard work you did this past year in getting your lifestyle turned around to a healthier one, and make “Moderation” your new keyword. You should be able to get through the holidays without too much damage. And maybe, just maybe you won’t have to invest in a larger pair of pants, slacks, or skirts, let alone one of those button extenders for your shirt collar.
Happy Holiday Season from the gang here at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com!