Stop using holidays as an excuse to skip workouts. Your body needs movement on December 25th just as much as any other day of the year.
Listen to the episode here
The Holiday Workout Excuse Stops Today
The old me used every holiday as an excuse not to work out.
Fourth of July? Can’t work out, it’s a holiday. Thanksgiving? Can’t work out, spending time with family. Christmas? Can’t work out, too busy. My birthday? Definitely can’t work out, it’s my special day.
I had an excuse for every single occasion.
The Excuse Factory
Holidays are convenient excuses. They feel legitimate. Of course you can’t work out on Christmas. You’re with family. You’re cooking. You’re celebrating.
But here’s the truth. You probably have time. You’re choosing not to make time.
And that’s fine if it’s a conscious choice. But don’t lie to yourself and call it something it’s not.
What I Do Now
Today is Christmas Eve. Tomorrow is Christmas Day. I’m still working out both days.
Not for hours. Not some intense, grueling session. But I’m moving my body. Even if it’s just a walk or some stretches.
Because the holidays don’t stop my body from needing movement. They don’t pause my fitness progress. If I stop moving every time there’s a holiday, I’ll be stopping all the time.
It Doesn’t Require Much
You don’t have to go to the gym. You don’t have to do a full hour-long workout. You don’t have to change into fancy workout clothes.
Walk around the block. Do some squats in your living room. Stretch for ten minutes. Play actively with your kids or your dog.
Movement doesn’t require special equipment or special circumstances. It just requires you deciding to move.
The Compound Effect of Excuses
One holiday missed seems like no big deal. But one becomes two. Two becomes five. Five becomes “I’ll just start again after New Year’s.”
Each excuse makes the next one easier. Each skipped workout makes it harder to get back into the routine.
Before you know it, you’ve gone weeks without moving. And starting again feels impossible.
Family Time Can Include Movement
This is the excuse I hear most. “I can’t work out because I’m spending time with family.”
Why can’t family time include movement? Go for a walk together after dinner. Play tag with the kids. Have a dance party in the living room. Suggest an active game instead of just sitting around.
Movement doesn’t have to be solitary. It doesn’t have to take you away from your people. Make it something you do together.
The Holiday Food Reality
Let’s be honest. You’re probably eating more during the holidays. More cookies. More pie. More heavy meals.
Which means your body needs movement even more than usual. Not as punishment for eating. But because movement helps your body process all that food. It helps you feel better physically.
If you’re eating more and moving less, you’re setting yourself up to feel terrible. Sluggish. Bloated. Uncomfortable.
Moving helps. Even a little movement helps.
Make the Commitment
Don’t let holidays derail your progress. Don’t use them as permission to stop taking care of yourself.
You deserve to keep moving. Your body deserves attention even on special days. Especially on special days when you’re probably treating it roughly with food and drink.
What Christmas Means to Me Now
This Christmas, what I want is for more people to move their bodies. That’s my wish.
If you’re listening to this and you haven’t worked out today, do yourself a favor. Work out. Do something that moves your body.
You’ll feel better for it. Your body will thank you. And yeah, you might be sore. But the rewards far outweigh any temporary discomfort.
Action Items
- Plan movement into your holiday schedule
- Suggest active family activities instead of only sedentary ones
- Even 10-15 minutes counts on busy holiday days
- Stop treating holidays as automatic fitness breaks
- Remember that your body needs movement regardless of the date
