Its Holiday Crunch Time :: 5 Ways To Maintain Your Fitness When Time Is Short

Oh yeah babies, it’s coming towards you like a herd of buffalo. Holiday meals, office parties, out-of-town guests, trips to the mall; this season is supposed to be a joyous time of year but it always seems to get out of control.

For women, the holidays are an especially stressful time. We tend to do most of the heavy lifting- adding twice the cooking, cleaning, and shopping to our already cram-packed schedules. Oh, and did I mention that the kids are out of school? For beginners this is a very dangerous time because it its easy to lose momentum in your training program and simply scratch training off your “to do” list.

With all that’s going on, it’s extremely important to schedule (literally) your workouts, even if that means putting aside some of those must-dos for a while. But don’t push too hard. OK, so you don’t have time for your long runs. Don’t worry. Shoot for simply maintaining your mileage week-over–week if you must, or try one of these abbreviated workouts from Jeff Galloway, which can be easily integrated into a hectic holiday schedule:

1) Running Segments (building endurance)

Yes, cleaning house DOES count as exercise, but doing things around the house can also give you an opportunity to get some running time in. Stringing a couple of brief workouts together throughout the day will boost your endurance and leave you energized for picking back up where you left off.

Do This:
In between starting tasks, head out the door and run for 20 minutes at an easy pace. Return home and continue your work around the house for 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Then, go back out and do another 20 minute run. Running segments like these help build endurance and you can include them in your schedule up to three times every week.

2) Hill Workouts (building strength)

If you’ve got access to hills in your area, then you’ve got a great opportunity to do an intense weekly workout that will build overall strength. You’ll notice the effect of hill workouts when you get back to your long runs – guaranteed!

Do This:
Warm up at an easy jog for 5 – 10 minutes, then run up the incline. Walk for 30 to 60 seconds, then, run back down. Repeat this 2 – 3 times. You can do this workout once a week (don’t try it more than that, or you run the risk of injury), adding one or two additional runs up the hill if you can.

3) Short Intervals (building speed)

You may not have time to do your full interval workout, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely eschew your speed training. No track access? A pedometer or Garmin can serve for marking off distance covered.

Do This:
Go to your local track or trail with distance markers, or use your Garmin to note distance. Start by jogging at an easy warm-up pace for 5 minutes, then run easy for an eighth of a mile (half lap of the track). Take note of how long it took you to run that half-lap, then walk the remainder of the lap. Walk for two minutes. Repeat this sequence between two to four times, attempting to run that half lap a couple of seconds faster each time you do it. Do this workout at least once a week, adding additional segments if you can.

4) Stairway to Heaven (strength and cardio)

Stress levels are high at work to get everything done before the holiday break. You might find yourself having to work late – but don’t fret. Likely you have a ready-made workout right outside your office door.

Do This:
Warm up by doing some brisk walking or a quick jog out in the parking lot. Run up one flight of stairs, then walk for 30 seconds. Then, run up two flights and walk for two minutes. If you can, add a couple of three-flight sets if you feel like you can. Cool down with a 2 minute walk, then get back to your computer.

 
5) The Home Circuit (building whole-body fitness)

Can’t make it to the machines at the gym? Don’t stress. It’s easy to create a “home circuit” without the drive time.

Do This:
Walk or run the stairs for one minute to elevate your heart rate, then do push-ups for 15 seconds, walk for a minute, do 30 seconds of crunches, walk for one minute, lift your hand weights for 30 seconds, walk for one minute. If you are stuck in the house cooking or cleaning, set up your equipment and do as many repeats as time allows throughout the day.

Remember, your running is your best friend during the hectic holidays, can serve as a tremendous stress reliever, and give you some much needed “me” time when everyone and everything is tugging on you. Oh, and did I mention the fat that if you do your workouts you really can have that extra helping of stuffing without guilt? ;-)

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