With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it might feel like you couldn’t be any more active. Though this can be the busiest time of year, it can also be full of indulgences. 

How do you set yourself up to enjoy the festivities while keeping your mental and physical health at the forefront? First, it’s good to keep in mind that aside from the obvious physical perks, exercise has proven mental health benefits. Staying active can help reduce depression and anxiety, and less stress is at the top of everyone’s wish list! Eating poorly, overindulging, and neglecting exercise can affect your mood and trigger weight gain or feelings of guilt or anxiety. So how do you motivate yourself to keep moving? 

The benefits of staying active 

In her article, “How to Stay Active Over the Holidays” published by webmd.com, author Ana Gascon Ivey offered these science-backed reasons from kinesiology professor Colleen Hacker, PhD, to make exercise a priority. Exercise can do all these things:   

• Boost energy
• Lift your mood
• Improve your sleep
• Lower anxiety and stress
• Manage or lower the risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes \
• Fight depression
• Build strong bones and muscles
• Help manage pain
• Improve brain health

Small changes can have a big impact 

Still, understanding why exercise is important is only half the battle. A lack of motivation and fewer options for physical activity in the cold winter months can make it hard to get moving. The good news is that you can make small changes in your daily life that add up to big health wins. 

Gascon Ivey shares, “The ACSM recommends healthy adults ages 18 to 65 get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week (30 minutes 5 days a week). But Hacker says it’s OK to have smaller goals. If you’re not walking at all, then walking 10 minutes a day is a win.” Exercise doesn’t always mean stepping into the gym or joining a class. Just finding ways to move more, whenever you have a choice, can add up to meeting those activity minutes every day. 

Whether you’re holiday shopping, stuck indoors due to poor weather, or traveling to gather with friends and family, these suggestions can make staying active easier than you think: 

1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
2. Park at the far end of the parking lot.
3. Work out at home to an exercise video.
4. Walk around your neighborhood instead of driving to look at holiday lights.
5. Walk the mall before you shop the mall.
6. Wear running or comfortable walking shoes whenever you can so it’s easier to get moving when there’s an opportunity.
7. Download an exercise app or video from your mobile device if you’re traveling.
8. Join a holiday fun run.
9. Turn up the music and dance.

The bottom line is, it’s easier to stay active when you add movement to your daily routine. It also helps to choose activities like dance that bring you joy. Try to reframe exercise as something you “get” to do, rather than something you “have” to do, and see how good it makes you feel. As always, if you intend to start a serious exercise program, be sure to consult your doctor for advice. No doctor? No problem! You can find a care provider at Find a Doctor | Premera Blue Cross. 

Healthsource Staff