The Turkey Burner

It's only a handful of days after Halloween, which means two things:  each and every household I know has way, way, way too much leftover candy sitting in a big bowl on one of their kitchen counter-tops, and holiday shopping ads and sales are creeping up on TV and in department stores.  It seems like it comes earlier and earlier every year, but it's almost that season again, and millions of us will be hitting the road sometime this and next month to see family and celebrate by eating too much food, drinking too much ale (or whatever your drink is of choice), and watching too much football.  Those are just three reasons why the Thanksgiving/Christmas season is one of my favorite times of year, and I'm just as excited as any of you to partake in the festivities.  In years past I've celebrated on Thanksgiving with self-induced food coma's, buffet competitions with cousins, a sampling of 4-7 different deserts, the occasional suspicion that my liver was about to completely break down and even asking family members if they were a donor match if I were to spontaneously combust at the table.  All in good fun and way too many servings of Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, but I'm looking forward to it, the impending rebellion of my internal organs notwithstanding.

Even amidst all the eating, drinking, revelry and tomfoolery of the holidays, I've always been pretty consistent with my exercise routine.  Some years I felt like I needed to be more active to keep up with all the empty calories, others I just wanted to continue with whatever current workout routine I was on anyway.  I tell my clients headed out of town for a family gathering to enjoy it, eat, drink and be merry, and try not to make yourself feel guilty about an extra helping of mashed potato's or one too many Christmas Ale's.  For some, holidays can be stressful enough without having to worry about saturated fat and cholesterol, but I find that it's not so much the food that is the biggest issue (although some will struggle, for sure) but it's just finding the time and energy to exercise even just a little bit, or not having enough resources at their disposal (equipment and otherwise) while traveling to and from family events.  I've written about ways to use small space and simple body weight exercises to "create your own gym" but I wanted to send out a few suggestions for the holiday travelers to stay consistent with their routine and make sure they were getting just enough activity in to make it through the holiday season.  We can worry about January 1st and all those new year's resolutions down the road:

• Turn a Rest Stop into an Active Stop.  This one is a lot easier if you have a dog or kids, because you can use them as props to get a little exercise.  Depending on where you are and where you are going, some rest stops will have walking trails and playgrounds to loosen up your legs, but otherwise, give yourself a good 5-10 minutes to stretch those hips, hamstrings, arms and lower back which get super tight in the car.
• Bring along my first two favorite travel items.  Those of you that train with me know how much I love these guys:  my TRX and Foam Roller.  They are both small, light, take up virtually no space and you can use them anywhere.  The foam roller is especially awesome both before and after a long car ride.
• And if you have any back issues, or a really, really long car trip ahead of you:  I've been using this guy for a while now in the car, and it really helps keep my lower back loose and comfortable.  Highly recommend, even if just for daily use.
•  And my last favorite for a trip:  The agility ladder.  Also small and light, takes up very little space and can be used inside or outside, if you are looking for a little cardio jolt on your travels.
• Although if you have one of these, you can exercise anywhere without even thinking about it.  Once I was introduced to the Gymboss (or I introduced myself, not sure) it changed my entire outlook on the how, when and where of exercise, because I realized that I didn't need a gym or weights or anything.  I've written about this before, but all you need to get a good workout is your body and a timer, and you are good to go, anytime, anywhere.
• If you have a timer, or a TRX or an agility ladder, or any of the above, you don't need a lot of time, all you need is a bit of creativity.  Staying at your in-law's for a few days, can't get out of the house to the gym and don't have a lot of space or free time?  Hang up the TRX, roll out the agility ladder and set the timer.  How about mixing and matching a few TRX row's and some agility runs, maybe 30 seconds for each exercise with a 5 second break in between?  Mix and match however you like, but the excuse of time, space and family goes out the window.
• Play football first, then watch.  A tradition unlike any other (except, of course, everywhere in the United States) happens the day after Thanksgiving when my friends and I get together to play tackle football.  This has been our tradition for almost 15 years, and it is definitely a tradition for millions of other Americans as well.  No matter if you are with the boys, family or friends, doing some sort of family activity outside is always memorable.  And when you are done, there is plenty left to watch on TV and throughout the weekend.
• Guess what's open the day after Turkey Day?  The gym!  Little known fact, but the day after Thanksgiving is a super busy day at most gyms, for obvious reasons.  Take advantage of a group class or workout with a friend or family member you haven't seen in a while.  Definitely makes the impending leftover meal much easier to tolerate.

So my advice to my clients is to enjoy themselves this holiday season, no guilt allowed.  Unless, of course, enjoying yourselves means doing absolutely nothing, which should be a little more difficult if you apply some of the ideas above.