Before the Holidays Get Busy: Choose the One Fitness Habit You Can Keep
November is here, and the holidays will be here before we know it.
If you're juggling work, family, and everything that comes with getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you probably already have plenty on your calendar.
And exercise? That can be one of the first things to get pushed aside.
I know how busy this time of year can be. But I also think we sometimes make staying active harder than it needs to be by expecting ourselves to keep doing everything we normally do.
What if, instead of trying to fit in every workout, you picked one activity you could count on doing each week?
You Don't Have to Keep Up With Everything
I talk with women who really want to exercise regularly, but between work, family, and other responsibilities, finding the time isn't always easy.
And when the holidays come around, there's even more to fit in.
Maybe you've been trying to exercise four or five days a week. That's great if it works for you. But if you already know the next several weeks are going to be busy, it might make sense to decide which workouts are most important to keep.
Otherwise, it's easy to get frustrated when your week doesn't go as planned.
This isn’t a motivation problem — it’s a strategy mismatch for this stage of life.
You don't need to give up on your fitness goals. You may just need to be more realistic about what you can manage right now.
I've had to make those decisions myself over the years.
My 6 A.M. YMCA Classes Have Been a Constant for Over 30 Years
One fitness commitment I've managed to keep over the years is teaching my 6 a.m. classes at the YMCA. I've been doing it for more than 30 years, going back to when our kids were young.
At the time, Ivor and I were both working and raising our family, so we had to figure out how to make time for exercise along with everything else.
I taught two mornings a week, and Ivor handled getting the kids ready while I was at the YMCA teaching and getting my own workout in. Later in the day, I was available to pick them up and make dinner.
It worked well for our family. I had time to exercise before the workday started, and we shared the responsibilities that came with raising our kids.
Of course, getting up that early isn't for everyone! But for me, it was a time I could count on, and having that regular commitment made it easier to keep exercise in my life.
A lot has changed since those days. I've gone from teaching two mornings a week to one since COVID, and the classes themselves have changed, too. Today, I teach Interval Mix. But more than 30 years later, I'm still there on those early mornings.
I share this because I don't think there's one perfect time or way to exercise. What worked for our family might not work for yours.
Maybe it's a walk with a friend, a short strength workout at home, or a fitness class you enjoy. The important thing is finding something you can realistically make room for, even when life gets busy.
And with the holidays coming up, that might mean keeping just one activity on your calendar rather than trying to fit everything in.
If you're not sure what kind of activity makes sense for you right now, our Readiness Quiz can help you think through where to begin.
What Would Be Worth Keeping on Your Calendar?
Let's say you normally exercise four days a week, but November and December are filling up with family plans and other commitments.
Rather than planning four workouts and being disappointed if you only manage one, why not choose the one you feel most confident you can do?
Maybe Saturday morning is usually a good time for a strength workout. Keep that one on your calendar. If you can fit in another workout or a walk during the week, that's great, too.
Or perhaps you're just getting back into exercise. Your one commitment might be a 10-minute walk after lunch on Tuesdays.
There's nothing wrong with starting there.
I also encourage you to think about what would make that activity easier to do. Maybe it means asking someone to help with a family responsibility, having your workout clothes ready, or choosing a time when you're less likely to be interrupted.
That's something I learned from our arrangement when the kids were young. My YMCA mornings weren't separate from family life. They worked because we figured out how to make them part of it.
And if you miss your planned activity one week, you can try again the next. You haven't lost everything you've worked toward.
One Thing to Do This Week
Take five minutes to look at what's coming up on your calendar.
Think about the days that are already busy, and find one 10-minute opening when you could be active.
Choose something you enjoy or feel comfortable doing, and put it on your calendar.
That's it. You don't need to map out every workout between now and New Year's.
For me, those early YMCA classes have been part of my life through raising our kids, changes in our schedules, and now a different stage of life altogether.
I'm glad I've kept teaching, even if it's only once a week these days.
As you head into the holidays, think about what one fitness habit you'd like to keep. It doesn't have to be a big commitment, and it certainly doesn't have to happen at 6 a.m.
It just needs to be something that works for you.
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