For the first time in my not-so-short life, I’m not going home for the holidays. It took a lot to pull this off. There were many years of dutifully flying off to relatives’ houses to eat too much, drink too much, and argue about politics. But this year, rather than wind up in a home for the holidays, I’m going on vacation instead.
But I realize not everyone is so lucky. And whether you’re traveling to see family or escape them, you’ll be a lot happier going into 2023 if you don’t fall off the wagon this December. It takes some planning and strategy, but you can maintain a workout schedule even while traveling for the holidays. Here are my favorite ways to take control, maintain your fitness, and finish this year on top.
The first thing to do is set aside time during your trip. Whether it’s 20 minutes when you first wake up, or an hour after lunch, commit to yourself that this is your time to focus on your fitness and health. Let the people around you know that you’re doing this. Once you’ve completed this appointment with yourself, the rest of the day is more relaxed.
One of the most underrated forms of fitness is walking. It’s also the most accessible. Taking a brisk walk elevates your heart rate and breathing, and it can serve as a head-clearing break from the holiday heaviness. If your travel destination involves snow, ice and sub-freezing cold, this might not be an option for you. (Maybe take a brisk walk at the mall?) But if you can swing it, even a 10-minute daily walk will make a big difference for your physical and mental health.
If you can carve out a little more time for yourself (and a few extra square feet of space), working out with resistance bands is the best way to stay strong without an actual gym. Bands are lightweight, they fit easily in your luggage, and they can provide a lot of resistance for strength training.
Search the web for large resistance bands that look like huge rubber bands (41” is ideal). Grab a few different resistance levels, and a door anchor if possible. There are a ton of great band exercises on YouTube. Do some research before you travel, and bookmark the workouts that look like you’d actually do them.
Another hugely underrated component of fitness is sleep. Quality sleep improves every other aspect of your physical health, from strength to cognition to appetite regulation. And being well rested makes you less likely to snap at your annoying uncle who watches cable news for 12 hours a day. But all of the heavy food, excess drinking, and disrupted schedules have a way of eroding sleep quality.
One way to mitigate this is with a nightly wind down routine. In the same way that you set an appointment with yourself to work out, take 10 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on the day, focus on your breathing, and set some intentions…whether it’s for tomorrow’s workouts or next year’s accomplishments. These small acts have a way of calming your mind down so you can fall asleep faster and sleep better.
There’s no cure for holiday stress or travel-related insanity. You’ll probably eat too much. You may want your trip to be over yesterday when you still have three days left. But if you take some time for yourself and bring a few accessories, you can take care of your body and keep doing what’s important to you.
I’m sure I’ll be in the trenches again next year. But until then, travel safe, eat well, and stay fit.
