By: Kelly Bonner

Let’s be honest – We barely have time to be active and get a workout in during the non-holiday season, so there is a pretty slim chance that during the holiday season we will all of a sudden have more free time to fit in all these amazing workouts that are now trendy.  It just isn’t going to happen.  For most, being fit for the holiday is really just a dream and never a reality; however, this season, I have decided to take a new approach to fitness so that I may actually be able to fit it in to the busy holiday schedule. Plus, all of the benefits one gets from exercising like, more energy, better sleep, and feeling good about yourself, would all be really nice to have during this crazy month.  My fitness routine used to be pretty hard core, but since then, my life roles as a mother and wife have changed the amount of time I have to dedicate to my workouts.  Instead of designating a few hours of every day to a workout, I now try to fit physical activity into my day through the routines I am already doing or by sharing it with my family.  It is a big change that I am not always successful with, but I have found that if the thought of exercise is not constant, it becomes a non-existent thought – and that isn’t healthy for anyone!

Currently, I am participating in a “thirty miles in thirty days” hike challenge for the month of November.  The challenge includes taking your toddler with you on all your hikes.  By doing this, I now have a goal to work towards, and I get to spend uninterrupted time with my daughter in the great outdoors.  We both love it!  If I tell my daughter we are going on a hike, her face lights up and she runs to get the pack I carry her in.  She doesn’t stop talking about it until we are on our way.  Both the designated time with her and the actual exercise have been something I truly look forward to now instead of dreading like I used to for my old workout routine.

Since this hiking challenge ends in November, I have decided to create a new challenge for December.  I invite you to join along.  We’ve all heard of the 25 days of Christmas and all the fitness crazes that go along with the movies… well, here’s mine:  Twenty-five miles in twenty-five days.  Before you blow it off as another unreachable goal, read through what makes this challenge so doable during the busy holiday season:

1.    It doesn’t matter how you get the miles, as long as it’s not a motorized vehicle.  Maybe that means walking the mall for two miles (while Christmas shopping), hitting the elliptical for a few more, pushing around a track, hiking with a friend, or even taking your dog to the dog park.  It doesn’t matter what mode you use as long as you reach twenty-five miles at the end of the challenge.
2.    This also means that you don’t have to do something every day.  We all know there are just days when it’s impossible to get a workout in.  This challenge is flexible since it only requires a total miles at the end of the challenge.  As long as by the time December 25th rolls around and you have completed twenty-five miles – you did it!

This is a great way to stay active during this busy season all while enjoying some of the most important things in life, like your family and your health.  Hopefully like me, you will begin to see that finding ways to add miles to your day isn’t as hard as you once thought.  These burst of exercises will increase your energy levels when typically, this time of year, they would start to dwindle.  So starting December 1st, get moving and feel free to tell us about it.  Use the #NCHPAD25 in any of your social media posts, and we will be sure to give you a shout out to encourage you along your journey.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season from the staff here at NCHPAD.