The holidays are a time to be thankful. Unfortunately they are also a time to gain weight. The average American gains almost 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Everywhere we go everything is about food and there never seems to be enough time to squeeze in a quick workout. This year, redefine what the holiday season means and make it about spending time together as a family. Here are some suggestions to help get you moving without sacrificing quality time.
-Take a Taekwondo class! A number of schools will offer a holiday special that makes it affordable for you to try martial arts as a family. You can even burn up to 800 calories in one hour-long taekwondo class!
-Instead of watching football start a game up on Thanksgiving. That extra movement will make dinner taste even more delicious.
-On a tight budget this year? Volunteer your time as a family working at a local charity instead of making a donation in someone’s name.
-Offer to walk a neighbor’s dog when they’re out of town, or see if you can foster a dog through your local SPCA so they don’t have to spend the holidays in a kennel!
-Skip the fake tree this year and find a local tree farm where you can walk around and pick out your own (or get a second tree).
-How many benefits have you and your children gotten from taekwondo? Give that same gift to someone else instead of a video game.
Keeping active will certainly help, but make sure you watch your portion sizes too. Check back soon for our next blogpost on what to eat during the holidays!