Is It OK To Skip A Holiday Workout?

Skip a holiday workout? The short answer is “No.” The long answer is “No,” too. I’ll give a longer answer that explains why you should not skip a holiday workout.

Holidays are typically days that people let their guard down. Especially with food. All sorts recipes and creations are created on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. I know I am not telling you anything new. Still, let’s take a step back and analyze why people typically pack on 3 to 10 pounds and why you do not want to skip a holiday workout.

Skipping the Holiday Workout – Reason Number 1: Too Much Food

Most people I know get together with family. The scene usually involves baking cookies (several different kinds), cakes, pies, and pastries. The morning might start with a special big breakfast or a brunch of extravagant breakfast foods. Mindless munching occurs through the rest of the day with hors d’oeuvres like smoked salmon, candied nuts, shrimp, cheese dips, chips, salsa and more.

After a filling half of the day, it’s time for dinner. This may be a special cut of meat or turkey. Lots of stuffing, potatoes and all sorts of interesting side dishes made with glazes, sauces and cheeses many be offered. Each person tries “just a little taster” of each.

Am I painting a picture you have scene before? Is this something you have experienced? Is this something you participate in year after year?

Well, let’s bring a little more reality into the day…
Dessert! We can’t forget the special desserts filled with pies, cakes and bars. You know, those handed down “special” recipes that have become tradition.

Skipping the Holiday Workout – Reason Number 2: Leftovers & Parties

Now, I am not trying to take away from being festive and forcing you to do a holiday workout. And I don’t want you to not enjoy the holiday. But take a look back at this page and mentally add up the calories a persons takes in. Getting in a holiday workout at the end of the day just isn’t going to happen even when you feel guilty about what you have eaten. That’s not the end though.

This brings me to the next thing. Leftovers. Of course there are those amazing foods that are left over to either store in the fridge or take home. And so, the eating continues for a day or two.

Now, I won’t address the typical food coma people go into and the guilt that sets in following the holiday. I won’t even address the holiday parties, gatherings and events that often occur between holidays like Thanksgiving and New Years. That’s A LOT OF CALORIES. Now do you think it is smart to skip that holiday workout?

Skipping the Holiday Workout – Reason Number 3: You Body Need The Exercise

This blog post isn’t about the eating. It’s about you skipping your holiday workout and that’s not going to happen. The answer is still, “NO!” You can’t afford to skip your holiday workout. You need to keep your body in fat burning mode to even have a fighting chance at the eating sabotage that can possibly happen.

Let’s say you are the person who “eats sensibly” and can survive the food binging pretty easily. You still need to keep the momentum and energy going with a workout. You are worth in and your body and mind look forward to it regardless of the day. Now, if a holiday happens to fall on your “rest day” or “stretch day,” I still say plug in a cardio workout or do some power walking to rev up the metabolism and give your body what it needs to be a furnace for burning calories.

Just because you workout DOES NOT MEAN you get a license to eat everything in site. Be careful!

Skipping the Holiday Workout – Your Plan

So, the ideal thing to do. Decide when you need to get up on the holiday morning. If you plan to sleep in, do it. Just be sure to set the alarm for 1 hour earlier. YES, SET THE ALARM and get your holiday workout done first thing. That way your brain and body will know you are committing to yourself and putting yourself first to get in a workout first thing. Whether it is a 10 minute workout or a full blown one hour P90X workout. You owe it to you. Plus, starting your day with a workout helps you burn calories throughout the day. You know that waiting until later will not happens and that you will feel sluggish or holiday events will get in the way from you getting it done.

So, there you are. Your answer to “Is it OK to skip a holiday workout?” is a big “NO.”

Just do it!

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