Exercise During the Festive Season

Exercise During the Festive Season

• Exercise during the festive season
• Why is it difficult to exercise during the holiday period?
• Weight gain over the festive season
• The “Merry Christmas Coronary” and “Happy New Year Heart Attack” phenomenon
• Exercise: Combating stress and depression over the festive season
• Festive season exercise tips

Exercise during the festive season 

A regular exercise regime is essential for a healthy and happy lifestyle. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight range, improves body strength and fitness, and has positive psychological effects. People who exercise regularly generally live happier lives and are less stressed than those who do not. Often described as the cheaper non-pharmacotherapeutic treatment alternative, or “exercise therapy”, the benefits of exercise are widespread throughout the body system.

Once festive season parties and celebrations begin it is all too easy to swap 30 minutes of exercise for an extra drink at the bar. While letting your hair down for a couple of days will not do your health or fitness any harm (within reason!) when this extends from the beginning of the Christmas parties in early December to well into the New Year it becomes a problem. Furthermore, the more time you spend out of your regular habit the harder it will be to restart your regular regime.

Exercise for Brain Health. 

Pilates. 

Remember! 

It is natural to lose enthusiasm for exercise over the holiday period but try not to let this discourage you. Modifying your routine slightly will keep you active and you will be more likely to be motivated in the New Year.

More information

 For more information on fitness and exercise, including stretches, types of exercise, exercise recovery and exercise with health conditions, as well as some useful videos, see Fitness.

 For more information on health during the festive season, including sleep, diet, exercise and stress, see Health During the Festive Season.

Reference

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2. Greve P, Wanderley FS, Rebelatto JR. The effects of periodic interruptions of physical activities on the physical capacities of adult active women. Archives of Gerontology Geriatrics. 2009; 49(2):268-71.
3. Meltzer S, Fuller C. The Complete Book of Sports Nutrition: A Practical Guide to Eating for Sport New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. London; 2005.
4. Baker RC, Kirschenbaum DS. Weight control during the holidays: highly consistent self-monitoring as a potentially useful coping mechanism. Health Psychology. 1998; 17(4):367-70.
5. Kloner RA. The “Merry Christmas Coronary” and “Happy New Year Heart Attack” Phenomenon. Circulation 2004; 110: 3744-3745.
6. Salmon P. Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clinical Psychology Review. 2001 ; 21(1): 33-61.
7. Anonymous. Grief takes no holiday. For people who have lost loved ones, the holidays may elicit dread and apprehension. Here are some ideas that may help, now and year-round. Harvard Women’s Health Watch. 2002; 10(4):1-3.
8. Thorsen L, Nystad W, Stigum H, et al. The association between self-reported physical activity and prevalence of depression and anxiety disorder in long-term survivors of testicular cancer and men in a general population sample. Supportive Care in Cancer. 2005; 13(8): 637-46.
9. Skapinakis P, Lewis G, Mavreas V. Temporal Relations Between Unexplained Fatigue and Depression: Longitudinal Data From an International Study in Primary Care. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2004; 66: 330-5.

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Article Dates:

Modified: 3/6/2010

Created: 15/12/2009

Exercise During the Festive Season