The holiday season doesn’t bring just presents, eggnog and good cheer. It also includes many trips to the mall, marathon cooking sessions and hours spent removing snow.
Because the gym will probably drop to the bottom of your to-do list, we found personal trainers and experts who will help you incorporate a little fitness into your everyday seasonal activities.
Mall shopping:
Let’s face it. You’re going to log a lot of time at the mall. An hour of shopping burns about 250 calories, but you can raise that number by making a few minor adjustments to your shopping style.
If you absolutely refuse to take the stairs when you’re carrying all those bags, hop onto the escalator. But don’t just stand there. Stand there with one leg lifted, said Gregg Miele, celebrity personal trainer.
“That is a great exercise, and my fiancee and I compete against each other to see who can hold the longest without touching down,” Miele said. “It works balance and single-leg stability and strength.”
When you’re walking through the mall, make yourself walk at least 500 steps — or a full lap around the mall — between stores.
You can also use the bags to your advantage, and do bicep curls while standing in line or walking. Or keep the bags at your side but put your palms up, your elbows toward your rib cage and reach out and in, with your thumbs on the side, said Andrea Metcalf, personal trainer, creator of the “Keeping Fit” DVD series and author of “Naked Fitness,” who created a program called Shoppilates (think shopping plus Pilates).
“Do it even on your way out to the car, and you’ll tone up your upper body without thinking about it,” Metcalf said.
Online shopping:
If you have a wheelie chair, stay seated and use your heels to dig into the floor. Roll forward using your legs and the backside of your thighs. Do this for a minimum of 30 seconds — or as long as it takes to scroll through one page, Metcalf said. You’ll know when you’re done when your muscles start to fatigue.
Snow time:
Whether on your own driveway or the driveway of someone you’re visiting, embrace shoveling snow, and you’ll find yourself zapping calories and shedding fat.
But before you get to clearing the snow, burn some calories and have some fun making snow angels.
Metcalf said making snow angels will work the tops and bottoms of your arms, and your inner and outer thighs with no negative impact to your body and no stress on your lower back.
Make sure there’s a minimum of 3 inches of snow on the ground before you start. Then, pretend you’re a kid again, and go for it. Bonus: The cold snow will increase your metabolic rate.
Once you’re done, shovel that snow.
Shoveling snow burns about 400 calories in just an hour because the average shovel is loaded with 16 pounds of snow, and if you load the shovel 12 times a minute, you’ll be lifting 2,000 pounds in just over 10 minutes.
Tree time:
A sweaty hour of searching for the perfect tree and dragging it to your car is way more fun than taking a spin class in the gym. Plus, you can burn 250 calories this way. If you want to be extra ambitious, you can try chopping down the tree yourself. But a safer way of getting your workout in would be to simply chop some wood for the fire. Keep your core strong, and make sure it’s engaged and tight, which will protect your back, said Lorrie Sullenberger, creator of the “Fit and Fabulous … Outdoors” TV show.
“Raising your arms up and over your head is the same reason why jumping jacks are so great,” Sullenberger said. “You’re using your shoulder muscles while getting your heart rate up.
Once you’ve finished shopping and chopping, get that tree home and bring the ladder out. It’s time to string those lights. While climbing up and down the ladder, you can work a little harder by wearing Danskin Adjustable 5-pound ankle weights ($28 at amazon.com).
Cooking the holiday meal:
It all starts in the supermarket. While you’re waiting in those enormous lines, put down the gossip magazines and get to work.
Put your hands on your shopping cart, and roll it out so you’re almost in a downward dog position, Metcalf said. Move the cart in and out slowly so you get an upper-body workout. You can even add some core work by doing the same exercise on just one leg.
“You won’t look crazy, and pushing your cart in and out is a great way to get exercise,” Metcalf said.
If you really can’t bear doing that in the supermarket, do a more subtle version with your legs. Face the front of the cart and move your leg in and out, under the cart but on top of the bottom shelf as if there’s a ball underneath it. You’ll be working your calves, hamstrings and glutes.
When you’re back home, cooking your butternut squash soup, hold on to the empty heavy pot and do three sets of 10 squats, Metcalf said. After the soup has cooled, do at least 20 lifts with the full pot to get in a quick arm workout.
Group outings
Some great ways to exercise when family and friends are visiting:
Go on walks after dinner to see holiday lights around the neighborhood
Play fitness-related video games
