Thanksgiving is next week: cure grocery shopping, crowds and long lines…followed by the cooking, cleaning, traveling, endless stress, etc. etc. etc.
Right now is when your fitness gets put on the back burner as your never ending to do list piles up and takes precedent.
Instead of dialing things back, you convince yourself it’s “OK” to stop exercising altogether or, wait to start.
Now is when the all too familiar, “I can’t workout as much as normal so I might as well skip it altogether” holiday mindset takes over.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to stop exercising just because it’s the holiday season.
You don’t stop eating or sleeping just ’cause it’s the holiday season, do you?
You don’t stop showering and brushing your teeth just ’cause it’s the holiday season, do you?
You don’t tell your kids to skip their homework just ’cause it’s the holiday season, do you?
Everyday life and habits just don’t ‘stop’ for the holidays.
Sure, there may be more stuff going on and it’s very normal to scale your fitness back during busier times.
However, with 15+ waking hours every day, 7 days per week, there is time to stay active and move your body.
It would be a big mistake to completely stop exercising for 6 weeks, especially if you’re already in a consistent routine (and one you will inevitably regret).
Plus, if you constantly do the start / stop thing every holiday season plus take time off during the summer / any time life feels ‘busy’, it IS going to add up and profoundly impact your health and longevity.
The same can be said if you’ve been thinking you’d like to start exercising!
It is always better to start when you’re busier because when you learn how to make exercise fit during the busiest of times, you can make it work anytime!
Thanksgiving is next week and as you prepare to prep your turkeys and stuffing, lemme prep your mindset with a pep talk to guarantee your holiday season is extra merry and bright!
To help ignite that holiday fitness flame, I am giving you a quick and dirty rundown as to why NOT exercising is a downward spiral pitfall that is very bad for you plus, what exactly happens to your body when you stop exercising (yikes!) or delay starting.
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THE NO EXERCISE PITFALL: WHY IT’S BAD FOR YOU
As a coach, I see firsthand how hard our / all you Results Fitness Warriors work!
How you all plan and schedule your workouts weeks in advance because that ensures you will show up, despite what else you have going on.
You come in, you hustle, you improve, you get stronger, and you leave smiling because you are 1% healthier, happier and stronger than when you arrived.
As a coach, I can also appreciate how hard it can be to just start exercising.
Showing up to a new gym where you’re the new kid and don’t know anyone can feel scary.
Plus, life always manages to get in the way and holds you back every.single.time you try to start!
Exercising is hard – and is more mental than physical.
Taking care of your health takes conscious, deliberate effort. It doesn’t just ‘happen’ because you will it.
Buuuut, doing hard things is empowering, makes you more resilient, boosts your confidence and happiness, and makes life better!
If you completely stop exercising for the next 6 weeks or continue putting it off, I can guarantee you will not be happy or like where you’re at come January 1.
Stopping means you lose and forfeit progress, muscle and strength.
And, once you lose months of progress you worked your ass off to achieve, coming back in January will feel like a total scramble.
You will be tired, sluggish, weaker, and super unmotivated.
If you aren’t exercising (yet) but want to, waiting until the New Year just increases the likelihood you’ll never start ’cause something else will inevitably get in your way between now and then.
Plus, regular exercise has so many benefits beyond just staying in shape—it boosts your mood, gives you more energy and helps you sleep better! This stuff is important for combatting holiday stress and chaos.
And let’s be honest – you don’t want to miss out on those feel-good benefits just because it’s the holiday season!
Here are 5 reasons why NOT exercising this holiday season is a very bad idea:
1. You Fall OUT of Good Habits
The more you skip or delay exercising, the easier it becomes to fall out of the habit. Exercise isn’t just about physical results—it’s about creating a routine that helps you stay on track mentally, too. When you stop exercising during the holidays or continue putting it off, it’s going to be harder to jump back in or start come January.
By staying active, even if it’s just a little bit, you build and maintain a routine; making the transition back into a regular workout schedule much smoother come January.
2. Your Stress Levels Will SOAR!
The holiday season can be fun, but it can also be stressful! Shopping, traveling, cooking, and managing family obligations can leave you feeling frazzled. Exercise is a natural stress reliever, releasing endorphins (those feel-good chemicals) that boost your mood and help you manage holiday stress.
If you skip workouts, you miss out on this built-in stress buster, which can leave you feeling more overwhelmed and irritable. Don’t you wanna enjoy the holiday magic?!
3. Your Energy Levels Will PLUMMET
Exercise is a natural energy booster, and staying active during the holidays combats fatigue from all the extra responsibilities and colder weather – not to mention, lack of natural sunlight in Clevland. Without exercise, you may notice a drop in energy levels, leaving you feeling sluggish and less motivated to do the things you enjoy.
A quick workout—even if it’s just 15-20 minutes—will boost your energy and help you power through your to-do list, in-laws and alll that holiday gift wrapping 🙂
4. You’re at Higher Risk to Gain Weight & Fat
Let’s be real: the holidays are full of treats, and it’s easy to overindulge!
Exercise helps balance out those extra calories and keeps your metabolism active so if you aren’t exercising, those extra holiday calories can pile up much quicker and cause weight/fat gain.
Staying active doesn’t require extreme workouts for hours at a time. Moderate movement helps keep your weight in check and balances out all the festive indulgences.
5. You Won’t Be Your Best Self
Exercise isn’t just about looking good—it’s about feeling good, too!
When you stop working out, you miss out on the mood-boosting benefits that regular physical activity provides. Exercise improves sleep, boosts mental clarity, and even helps with anxiety and depression.
With all the holiday hustle and bustle, you’ll want that extra mental clarity and positivity to enjoy the season.
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WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU STOP EXERCISING
If you’ve ever taken an extended break from exercising, you probably noticed your body feels a bit different when you return to normal activity.
Or, perhaps you recently started exercising and noticed how hard everything feels.
One of the main reasons for this is muscle atrophy—the process where muscles begin to shrink and weaken due to lack of use…womp, womp.
And, if you are not currently exercising, you are losing muscle mass and strength at an even faster rate–making your daily life much harder compared to someone who is active.
Being strong isn’t just for exercising. It’s for hauling that Christmas tree from your car into the house! Carrying grocery bags full of holiday treats! Taking that big ‘ol turkey outta the oven!
Pushing your grandkids around the zoo to see Christmas lights!
While everyone’s body is different, muscles can start to atrophy after about 3–6 weeks of inactivity, depending on fitness level, age and overall health.
Here’s what’s happening inside your body when you take a break from exercise (and why I highly recommend you stay active / start exercising now through the end of 2024!):
1. Loss of Mass + Strength
When you exercise, your muscles are put under stress and in response, adapt by becoming stronger and larger over time – oh, yeah baby!
But when you stop working out, your body no longer needs to keep those muscles as strong.
Without regular exercise, muscle fibers begin to shrink and over time, muscle mass decreases. By about 6 weeks of inactivity, you can start to lose a noticeable amount of muscle mass, which can make your muscles feel weaker, less toned and less defined.
2. Reduced Muscle Endurance
Along with muscle loss, you might also notice a drop in endurance. After several weeks of no exercise, your muscles’ ability to sustain prolonged activity starts to decline.
This means that even if you’re able to rebuild strength, doing a physically demanding task or workout may feel tougher than before. The longer you go without working out, the more
pronounced this loss of stamina becomes.
3. Slower Metabolism
Muscles play a key role in keeping your metabolism revved up! The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest.
When you lose muscle due to inactivity, your metabolism can slow down as well. This is one reason why weight gain can sometimes follow after a period of not exercising—fewer muscles mean
fewer calories burned throughout the day.
4. Joint Stiffness + Decreased Flexibility
Muscles aren’t the only things that suffer after a period of inactivity—your joints can feel stiffer, too!
Without regular movement, the tendons and ligaments around your joints lose some of their elasticity, which can lead to discomfort and reduced flexibility. This means that even everyday
movements (like getting out of bed, shoveling snow or bending down to grab a present under the tree) can feel more challenging after not moving for several weeks.
5. Mental + Emotional Effects
Exercise is a huge mood booster and when you stop moving, you may start to notice a dip in your mental well-being.
Regular physical activity helps release endorphins (those “feel-good” hormones) that improve mood, reduce anxiety and even help with sleep. When you stop exercising, those benefits decrease,
which can contribute to feelings of sluggishness, frustration or even mild depression.
The good news is, once you get back into a routine, your mental health can improve just as quickly as your physical health!!
6. Recovery Time Increases
If you’ve been inactive for a few weeks, you might find that it takes longer to get back to your previous fitness level.
Your body needs time to rebuild muscle mass, regain strength and boost endurance. What may have been an easy workout for you before could feel much harder after a period of inactivity, and
it may take a little longer to bounce back.
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Tips to Prevent Atrophy
The key to staying on track is consistency—not perfection.
If you can’t keep up with your regular workout routine in the coming 6 weeks, try to stay as active as possible in other ways—walking, stretching, or light bodyweight exercises at home to help
maintain some muscle engagement.
Aim to exercise at least 3 days /week – always doing what you can – so that you are regularly moving your body, preventing atrophy and feeling your best!
Remember, your Results Fitness training sessions are only 45 minutes – you are in/out and getting a lot of work done in under one hour.
Even when traveling for the holidays, you can always do a 20 minute bodyweight workout and add in short walks for movement.
You don’t need hours at the gym to stay on track—short, consistent workouts are way more effective than doing nothing at all.
Bottom Line: Stopping exercise during the holidays might seem like an easy option but it won’t make your holiday season merry and bright!
Being more sedentary negatively affects your routine, strength, energy, and overall well-being.
A little movement can go a long way, keeping you energized, happy, and ready to fully enjoy the season—without all the holiday stress!
