Between the parties, cooking and family time running during the holidays is no joke. Here are my 5 hacks to keep moving!
Hi friends,
There are so many magical things at the holidays... parties, lights, trees, family and tons of good food. With all the extras this time of year it can be a real struggle finding time to workout and run. I know there are many days I hit 5 o'clock and wondered what in the world happened to my day.
But I know that running and working out is when I reset my mind, find some peace and de-stress. Even if I’m really busy, it's important for me to find time to do something active or I start to loose my grounding a bit. And let's be honest, it also helps with the enormous amounts of food that I eat around the holidays too. Cookies anyone? 🙂
But even though it's busy running during the holidays can be done! Here are my 5 hacks to fit it all in.
5 Hacks for Running During the Holidays
Make it a Family Event
Sign your family up for Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell 5K! Get the whole family involved in a race that is friendly to walkers too. Our family did the Turkey Trot in Hilton Head this year and loved it!
Lots of these races also have fun runs for the little kids so everyone can get involved. It's also great to show the kids that it's good to be active!
Focus on Quality
Something is better than nothing. If you really are very slammed two or three miles on the treadmill is better than not working out at all. If the weather's not cooperating or you have no time, don’t just ditch the workout all together. Do a shorter version at a higher tempo of what you have planned. You can even try to add some speed work to your miles to get even more out of them.
You may be rushed, but you will feel better than if you did nothing at all!
Get Up Early
When you have a house full of people waiting on your for a holiday meal or to hang out, it's hard to just up and leave to run. This time of year more than ever it can pay off to get up early and get your miles done before everyone else gets up. This works especially well if you have guests or are visiting family you don't see often.
RUNCH
If you are still finding mornings, evenings or weekends too crazy to run, try running on your lunch break. Focus on a high quality short run near a gym so you can change and refresh. Pack an easy peanut butter sandwich, fruit and healthy bars to eat at your desk afterward.
Sign Up for January Race
Sign up for a longer race in late January. If you have something on the horizon that you are training for you're likely to make time to run!
Hope these hacks make it easier for you to keep running during the holidays.
Like this post about running during the holidays? Pin this to your favorite pinterest board!
Thanks for stopping by today for this Throwback Thursday post. I'm refreshing, rewriting and updating some classic Running in a Skirt content (in this case circa 2013!) for new eyes! Tomorrow I have a new fashion post to share.
Your turn!
How do you keep running during the holidays?
Holly Martin says
Amazing post, Julie! Staying active and fit during the holidays has been a quite a challenge for me (in fact, for almost everyone I talk to). I really like the alternatives mentioned in this post. Won't let the holidays affect my health anymore 🙂
Agness of Fit Travelling says
Running during the holidays is a challenging task to do. Reading your post, I've realized that it isn't impossible. Thanks for the motivating post, Julie!
Farrah says
I'm a goner when it comes to the "getting up early" bit, but since I recently started running again (finally), I'm going to try to squeeze in treadmill miles if the weather isn't cooperating!
Erinn says
Great tips! I'm debating about signing up for a January/February race...cold weather running is my absolute favorite.
And I always get up early so most of my running is already done before everyone else wakes up!
Have a great day!
Maureen @ Maureen Gets Real says
Thanks for the tips Julie! Definitely need to run tomorrow after 5 days off and I agree that quality could be the answer just to get up and moving!
Emily Swanson says
YES to making it a family event and emphasizing quantity over quality; I don't usually train for any long races especially during the holiday season, but I love shorter runs.
Rachel says
"Runch" -- hahaha, I love that! I'm not really a runner, I do more HIIT and weight training stuff. But lately I've been taking half hour walks during my lunch break, which really helps clear my head and also get a few extra active minutes in. I think it makes a big difference, especially at this time of year, when I am definitely taking in more calories than I need. Great tips!
Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups says
Great tips! It is so much harder to find time to workout during the holidays! Hope you have a great day Julie!
Gail Brookshir says
cute cartoon... lol
Susan Greene says
Thanks for the recommendations! Had a pace maker put in a couple months ago and have not ran since! Shame on me! However I started my 30 min walk again yesterday. Hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving! 😉
Elaine Orr says
just wanted to say good job on the article about you and young man. My teacher at BBC yesterday even used you and him in her lesson to us. You never know whose life you may touch. Sounds like you did really well on this one. I enjoy following you as I was a neighbor to you when we lived at the Forest Apts. Good luck with you Thanksgiving meal. Your table is lovely. Keep up the good work