10 Holiday Exercise Strategies

10 Holiday Exercise Strategies

Ideally we’d treat our eating on Thanksgiving like any other day, but unfortunately the associations with this holiday typically involve inactivity, drinking, and poor food choices.

Here are a few damage-control exercise strategies you can employ before, during, and after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Strategy #1 - Deplete Your Glycogen Levels

Perform a depletion workout before the feasting bonanza. A depletion workout typically involves moderate intensity exercise (e.g. weight lifting, swimming, cycling, incline walking) performed for a relatively high volume in an effort to deplete muscle glycogen levels.

If possible, perform a depletion workout the morning of Thanksgiving, but if your schedule does not allow this, perform this workout the evening prior. By depleting muscle glycogen (re: carbohydrate for muscle cells) levels you’ll help to offset the increased caloric intake that typically occurs during Thanksgiving and prevent all those extra calories from going straight to your waist line.

If you’ve really overdone it on the eating, perform a depletion workout the evening of or following morning to bring your muscle glycogen levels back to a reasonable amount. One of my favorite depletion workouts is a bodyweight circuit for 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes walking at a brisk pace on the treadmill at a relatively steep incline.

Strategy #2 - Fuel Up, Then Smash Personal Records

Set some Personal Bests (PBs). As mentioned in the prior tip, many of us over-indulge on Thanksgiving, but you can use this to your advantage. You can utilize the extra muscle glycogen and slightly increase bodyweight to perform a higher intensity and/or higher volume workout.

I typically find myself setting strength and volume PBs the day after, which indicates that I’m at least putting the calories to good use.

Strategy #3 - Move Early, Move Often

Get involved with Thanksgiving prep. Instead of sitting on the couch all day, offer to run errands, prep, cook, and/or serve a portion of the Thanksgiving meal.

You’ll burn some extra calories from moving around, potentially learn some new cooking skills, and you’ll gain the respect of the most important people at Thanksgiving – the host(s) and head cook(s).

Strategy #4 - Help Clean Before You Sit (And Sleep)

Join the clean-up crew. Offering to help clear the table and clean the dishes after the Thanksgiving meal will burn calories and remove the temptation for you to keep sitting around and eating.

Plus you’ll gain the respect of your hosts or guests (if you’re the host), because you’re taking the initiative to provide everyone else with a relaxing dining experience while they’re in a food-coma and you’re shredding fat.

Strategy #5 - Stroll After Feasting

Take a brisk stroll post-meal. Walking for just 30 minutes will improve digestion, keep you away from the fridge, and burn 190 calories.

This low-impact activity can help to partly offset spending the rest of the day on the couch alternating between watching football, movies, and sleeping.

Strategy #6 - Go Lumberjack Mode For a Serious Calorie Burn

Chop wood for an upper body workout and serious calorie burn. A 180lb male chopping wood for 30 minutes burns about 250 calories. 

Chopping wood works the shoulders, traps, arms, and back in ways you won’t know were possible. Not only is it a badass activity, but it gets outside away from the dining room table. The results of your activity will provide hours of enjoyment for those huddled around the outdoor or indoor fireplace.

Strategy #7 - Use Commercial Breaks to Break a Sweat

Perform bodyweight exercises during television commercials. During commercials, complete as many push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, lunges, or squats as you can with good form. If you are unable to perform reps during every commercial break, try every other commercial break.

Not only will this framework burn some calories, it will also force you to consider how “worth it” a particular show is - the longer you watch television, the more reps you’ll be performing!

Strategy #8 - Rake Leaves for a Quick 30

Get outside and rake those leaves! A 180lb male raking leaves for just 30 minutes will burn about 170 calories.

Not only will this activity improve the appearance of your lawn or local park, but it can also provide a few hours of entertainment for the neighborhood kids and/or children in your family.

Strategy #9 - Start a Pick-Up Game

Play team-games outside. Thanksgiving provides an excellent opportunity to gather friends, family, and loved ones.

Encourage group physical activity by setting up a touch football game in the front yard, a softball game at the local park, or a pick-up basketball game. You’ll not only burn off that second helping of stuffing, but you’ll also have some fun and bond with those you cherish.

Strategy #10 - Deck the Halls

Set up Holiday decorations. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season for many Americans, so take the post-meal time to set up decorations.

This will burn extra calories, keep you from eating leftovers out of the fridge, and showing your neighbors that you’re the most festive person on the block.