5 Best Holiday Exercise Motivation Ideas That Actually Work

Finding the motivation to exercise on regular days is hard enough as it is. During the holidays, it becomes even harder. Especially when all you want to do is eat and lay around all day.

It is usually difficult to get and stay motivated during the holidays, even for people who love the gym. But it is difficult, not impossible. 

With the right motivation ideas, you can exercise regularly during the holidays. In this post, we’ll share some of our favorite holiday exercise motivation ideas to help you stay motivated.

1. Reward yourself

One of the best ways to keep yourself motivated during the holidays is by treating yourself to real rewards after a week or days of regular exercise.

Why? Because everyone loves rewards!

Here’s the thing: rewards don’t have to be something vague or abstract now. Some people are motivated by the simple fact that exercising will benefit them in the long run. 

If that doesn’t cut it for you, why not find real rewards? Like that scarf you have always been wanting to get, or a new bag, just something that you know you will appreciate.

And something you might have noticed is that rewards feel better when you feel you earned them.

There is just satisfaction that comes with knowing that you worked for something.

Just make sure the rewards you are getting yourself are not food or junks, as those will most likely prove counter-productive in the long run.

Related: 20 Easy and Guilt-Free Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

2. Recruit the help of others

Having someone to workout with all through the holidays is also helpful.

This is because if the journey gets tough later down the line, you can have someone to reassure you.

When you have a partner to work with, it becomes a lot difficult to skip exercises, as you would not want to disappoint the person. Especially if you and the person are working towards the same fitness goal.

And it doesn’t even have to be someone you know now.

You can join support groups online, as they have been proven to raise general adherence to exercise routines.

The same thing happens when you make promises, commitments, or contracts in front of friends. You are more likely to keep promises that you make in front of friends.

So, you can commit in front of your friends, and if you break it, you have to send every single one of them 50 dollars. Now, how’s that for motivation!

3. Change things up

Having a monotonous workout routine can be very off-putting during the holidays. You’d be surprised how much good simply changing your workout routine to a more fun one can do.

And it makes sense if you think of it. Imagine someone that runs across a street every morning for three weeks; after a while, the person may get tired of seeing that street. 

The excitement compared to when the person first started running on that street is no longer there. The person can get motivation by simply changing the street to run on. 

The person can also make it fun. For example, deciding to take a hop every time they sight someone wearing a red shirt.

It’s the little things like this that can keep you wanting to get back working out as soon as possible.

4. Try positive thinking and mental contrasting

Before you chuckle, hear me out on this one. Positive thinking is the act of focusing on the good or positive side of every situation. It doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?

You can visualize the benefits of an act as a motivational tool. Let us link it to working out during the holidays.

If you are feeling demotivated, you can simply imagine how good you’ll feel when you come out of the holidays in even better shape than you entered it.

Or something as simple as how you will get to enjoy the scenery and fresh air for those that plan on jogging or walking.

Although, you need to identify everything holding you back if you want this strategy to be successful. This is known as mental contrasting. 

I don’t want to lose you, so I’ll spell it out in simple terms. After imagining the positive benefits, imagine the obstacles, and find how you can overcome these obstacles.

Don’t let the psychological terms deceive you. It’s quite simple. Try it out yourself.

5. Keep it on schedule

You should have a schedule for your workout. And more importantly, you should stick to it, especially during the holidays where you can do anything at any time you want.

This is one of my favorite holiday exercise motivation tip. Because if your workout is scheduled, it’d be more difficult to skip or miss them. You may even begin to look forward to them.

Start by drawing out a plan of your workout routine for the week, including the duration, location, and type.

Then incorporate this plan into your weekly schedule. Studies show that having a daily routine with physical activity included will help to improve the consistency of exercise.

Related: Should You Exercise Before Bed?

Takeaway

The holiday do not give you a pass on exercise and you need motivation. If anything, this should be when to buckle down on your workout routine.

With the right motivation, as listed above, you will have little problem working out during the holidays. (Also read: 21 Tips for Eating Smart During the Holidays) 

Note, though, that the goal of the holidays is to rest your body and enjoy yourself, so make sure you do just that. Rest when you have to, and work when you have to.