Top 6 Creative Fitness Fit-Ins for the Holidays

Are you feeling rushed with shopping, partying, packaging, baking, cooking, planning, and...oh yeah, keeping up with your "normal" life?

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!" ~Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or some other year end-tradition, this time of year is always full of way more than most of us can normally imagine fitting in. Yet we do all the "extra's" gladly because of the joy it brings in the end.  With all of this running around, perhaps you may be getting in the movement you need. After all, it's estimated that:

• Wrapping gifts for an hour burns 120 calories, and

• Shopping while pushing a full cart of presents can burn a little over 100 calories in just 3 minutes.

Imagine!  But here's a little secret.  These little blips of movement add up to more than you think- and I will testify that one of the primary reasons Erica and I can stay in the shape that we do is because we have lots of little bouts of lifting, moving, carrying, stretching, and rushing in our days.  It's the perk of being in fitness, yes, but you can create this for yourself too.  All it takes is a little creativity.

A study completed in 2000 showed that subjects who stood and fidgeted burned 81% more calories than those who stood still, and those who sat and fidgeted burned about 50% more than those who sat motionless.  Ah-ha.

Here's our top 6 list for Creative Fitness Fit-Ins for the Holidays...

1. Stand, talk with your hands and act out your stories at parties and family events.  You might need a cocktail to get this one rolling, but your family will surely be entertained.
2. For every present you wrap or open, stop and do one burpee or jumping jack (or better yet, have the person who gave you your gift give you a new challenge for every gift!)
3. Purposely take the stairs as many times as possible per day.  Even if it means you commit to using only the bathroom on whatever floor you happen to not be on. (Oh, and commit to drinking a full glass of water every time someone says "Thank you".  I am banking on the idea that you have grateful families and friends).
4. Speaking of the bathroom, do 50 squats after every time you visit the loo...you are all alone in the room (is my guess) and there's no one to judge anyway.  A 135 pound person who does 50 squats in 2.5 minutes can burn about 22 calories.  May not seem like much, but considering how many times in a week you visit the bathroom, this could really add up!
5. Help with clean up in every way possible.  Do the dishes, take out the trash, help the kids set up their new toys and them put them away, make a "giveaway" box for the things that must go to make room for your new stuff.
6. And finally, if you are willing to get really creative, grab the kids- or just be willing to get a little silly, and learn  this kid friendly dance (includes tutorial)...don't worry- you don't have to do it perfectly, just get up and dance!

Above all- move.  It matters.

P.S.  We are partnering with a phenomenal nutrition coach to lead a 21 day Health Transformation support group for January.  Stay tuned for more info!!