Sneaking Exercise and Activity into the Holiday Season

Reframing holiday to-dos

what if you reframed your holiday to-dos as ways to squeeze in exercise and activity?

After all, shopping at the mall for gifts, shoveling the newly fallen snow, and cleaning the house before a party all involve movement and momentum. When we tackle these activities with an intentional mindset we can make them even more impactful.

A growing body of evidence suggests that NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) makes up the bulk of energy expenditure for the average person; it’s what people do when they are not exercising that determines their true level of fitness. So this holiday season, shift your perspective on the holiday list of chores as opportunities to boost your incidental movement.

Consider the following:

Shopping at the mall – burns 160 cal/hour versus cyber shopping at 60 cal/hour
Shoveling snow – burns 400 cal/hour
Wrapping Gifts – burns 90 cal/hour
Cleaning the house for the holiday party – burns 200 cal/hour

More ways to sneak activity in this holiday season:

Stand at parties rather than sit – sneaks in an extra 60 cal/hour
Enjoy the dance floor – burns 500 cal/hour
Go skiing or skating with friends and family – burns 450 cal/hour

*Calories expenditure based on average calorie burn for a 150 pound woman

Need a little more inspiration?

Join us The Walking Book Club this November. We start the novel Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty on 11/18. This round, I’m offering focused offering accountability sessions exclusively to Walking Book Club participants – it’s a great way to keep Healthy-Body Happy-Mind a priority this holiday season and into 2019. More info here.

“The Walking Book Club gave me many more days at at least 10,000 steps! Getting out also keeps me away from the cookie jar in the afternoon….So I often exceeded my goals. I have lost about 10 lbs since we started, and though much of that is attributed to careful eating, every bit helps! …The slow burn of the walk is a wonderful addition to my regular, higher intensity workouts. Plus my dog loves it.”
– Molly from NJ

“I look forward to each session of The Walking Book Club. I have enjoyed the books and they have motivated me to move. I can listen while walking which is my favorite or while doing mundane chores around the house. The group isn’t pushy but always encouraging.”
– Joy from MS

Thank you for being a part of our Healthy-Body Happy-Mind community. I am truly grateful to connect with you.

PS: Here are a few goodies for a Healthy Happy Holiday.

Download your Tips to Managing the Treats postcard for help making mindful choices this holiday season. Post it where you will see it often for gentle reminders to keep you on track.

Get grounded in your values. My guide will help you clarify what’s important to you throughout the holiday season. Peruse the list, pick three values and ask yourself how you can manifest them over the coming months. Download your guide here.

Thanksgiving Swaps to save a few hundred calories to help you walking away healthy and happy.