Article by: Lorna North
Between Christmas present shopping, social commitments and meeting deadlines at work, it is no surprise that our fitness regime gets neglected during Christmas. But there are 5 time-saving ways running and cycling blogger Lorna North shares to squeeze in some festive fitness without missing out on the fun.
1. Take a walk during lunch
It is very easy to get swept up in the endless Christmas lunches with colleagues and friends. Try to balance out these feasts with lunch outside. An hour’s stroll around the local park will not only be a good team bonding experience, but an hour’s worth of brisk walking will burn 290 calories and help you reach the recommended 10,000 steps per day.
2. Smash it with HIIT
For a workout you can easily fit into all festivities, try HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). These short bursts of exercise are designed to give you a maximum-effort micro workout with a fast recovery time. Studies have shown that just 7-10 minutes of HIIT can burn more calories than a longer workout and it’s easily squeezed into your morning or evening routine.
3. Put fitness in the diary
Schedule your run or gym session in your diary as you would a social event. Writing down your goals significantly increases your chance of achieving them and giving your workout the same level of importance as a festive celebration means you’re less likely to bail on your plans.
4. Hit the shops
Swapping online Christmas shopping for the real thing is an easy way to keep the steps up. Walking around the shopping centre and carrying bags of presents will see you burning about 150 calories an hour. You can also increase the walking distance by parking further away.
5. Play the postman
Turn your Christmas card list into calories burnt by delivering your cards by hand or bike this year. This is an easy way to increase your steps, get your heart pumping and up your intake of vitamin D.
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