6 Easy Steps To Fit Exercise Into Your Holiday Schedule

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday down; the holiday season is in full swing. You know what this means: shopping and other holiday activities will consume so much of your time, regular exercise will be put on the back burner- or forgotten altogether.

During this time of the year, our lives can get very hectic, so workout routines can get disrupted or ignored.It's easy to say, "A few weeks without exercise won't harm me" or "I'll catch up after the New Year."

However, it will be more difficult to re-start exercising later, when you might have few post- holiday pounds to lose...and by the way running from store to store is NOT exercise! Ok technically it's better than sitting in front of the TV but still nothing like HIIT( High Intensity Interval Training) or strength training.

Although finding time for regular exercise may be a challenge during the holidays, there are ways to stay on track- it's all a matter of good planning and motivation.

Here are 6 steps to holiday fitness:

• Try a bit of visualization. Imagine yourself on January 1st- and beyond- after not having exercised for several weeks. How much heavier will you be? How much harder/longer will you have to work out to lose all the weight piled on during the holidays? How much strength will you have lost? Often when you think of the consequences of your actions ahead of time, that will be all the motivation you'll need to keep exercising through the holidays!
• Break your usual exercise routine into a couple of small sessions throughout the day.  For example, two or three 10-15 minute workouts may be more manageable than an hour long session.
• Exercise first thing in the morning. It may mean getting up earlier than usual, but you will be done for the day. Plus you'll be more energized for all your other activities. Another possibility is to use  part of your lunch  hour for a mini-workout; even a short session is better than none.
• Choose the right type of exercise. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which is shorter in duration, but extremely effective at burning fat and keeping you in shape. Circuit training is also a good option.
• Ban all the "But I don't have time" excuses. Don't fall into the trap of coming up with reasons why you can't workout. Tell yourself right now that exercise is an important part of your healthy lifestyle, and that you can and will fit it into your schedule, no matter how hectic it gets.
• Work out with a buddy or in a group. Statistics show that people who exercise with a friend or in a group are more successful at exercising consistently. Make a pact with friends to encourage each other should one of you feel like slacking off.

Following these points will help even the busiest of people keep up with their exercise routines and when all the holiday bustle is over , you'll be glad you did! :)