As I look around at the gym and at my clients lately, I recognize all the signs of Holiday Distraction Syndrome: Glassy eyes, faraway gazes, zoning out in the middle of an exercise, puzzled expressions and the oft-repeated question, "Wait, what am I doing?"
Your body may be going through the motions of exercise, but your mind is thinking about the gifts you still need to buy, the parties you have to attend and the work you have to finish before the holidays.
It's hard to stay motivated to exercise with so many distractions, yet exercise is crucial now, not just to prevent weight gain, but to give your mind and body some much-needed stress relief.
The thing is, you don't have to be all that motivated to keep exercising, particularly if you take the do-what-you-can approach. If an hour at the gym is just too much right now, find 10 minutes and get busy with some simple exercises. Remember, it's much easier to prevent weight gain than it is to lose weight. Try one of these workout ideas if you need something short and simple:
- Burn 100 Calories in 10 Minutes
- 10-Minute Timesaver Workouts
- 10-Minute Strength Training Workouts
- 10-Minute Low Impact Cardio Blast
What about you? Is your motivation in the ditch and, if so, how can you keep something going? Or is your exercise motivation extra high this time of year? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment telling us about your exercise motivation.
I voted “other”, so it said to explain in the comments section. I usually lift weights and do high impact yoga (yoga meltdown). My favorite aunt passed away just before Thanksgiving, and I just kind of stopped exercising and just wanted to eat junk for a while. I guess her death combined with all of the crazy holiday distractions from Thanksgiving and Christmas had just kind of worn me down. However, I’m now getting back into my normal workout routines, and boy can I tell I took a break. I am so sore, but it’s worth it.