How to Take a Holiday Break From the Gym: Personal Trainer Tips

• Science shows that if you stop working out, you won’t lose the benefits you’ve gained.
• Personal trainers say you can stay fit by planning short, smart workouts in advance.
• By slowing down during the holidays, you’ll be more likely to stick with it in the long run.

You don’t have to feel bad about sleeping in without eating Thanksgiving dinner or substituting your usual gym session for a late-night pie. Personal trainers say it’s natural to take a break from your workout routine, and cutting back on exercise doesn’t erase your hard-earned fitness gains.

It’s a misconception that you have to take an all-or-nothing approach to fitness during the holidays. That’s because you can reduce your workout volume and still see results, said Melissa Boyd, a certified personal trainer and head coach at home fitness technology company Tempo. insider.

“There’s this idea that if you do more, you’ll make more money, and that’s not true,” she says. “You have to be flexible and in tune with yourself. You have to work hard, that’s part of it, but don’t let that hard work take away from other things in your life. Hmm, otherwise you’re going to stop.”

Instead of pushing yourself too hard, aim to be kind to yourself and plan ahead to make and maintain lean gains while spending less time at the gym, Boyd said.

You can reduce the amount of your workouts and still see benefits over time.

Boyd says one of the biggest mistakes people make when building a year-round fitness routine is overdoing it, which backfires and leads to burnout and then giving up. It is said that there is a possibility.

“People hibernate and panic. [and overdo it]Repeat. It’s an all-or-nothing mentality,” she said.

Progress is about continuing to challenge yourself a little bit each week to allow your body to adapt and grow, a principle known as progressive overload. If you try too much at once, even if you achieve short-term goals, you may fail because your body won’t be able to sustain the effort for long.

“There’s only so much you can do. Your body will only allow you to burn a limited amount of calories before it starts taking them out of your life,” Boyd said.

Instead, Boyd advises her clients to incorporate small habits into their daily lives and focus on making one change at a time.

When it comes to exercise, a 20-minute workout that you can actually do several times a week is better than a two-hour workout that leaves you sore and stuck for days.

Choose the right exercise to cut down on your gym time on vacation

To get the most out of your time at the gym, Boyd says, start by being realistic about what you’ll actually be doing.

A good goal for many people is Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes at least twice a weekResearch shows that this is enough time to see progress.

For best results, include a combination of the following: Resistance training to increase muscle strength Aerobic exercise is also necessary for overall health, Boyd said.

Another great way to save time during your workout is to choose a smart warm-up that incorporates movements you’ll do later. Activate your muscles without wasting timepersonal trainer Eva Peña previously told Insider.

Finally, you can make your workout even more efficient by choosing compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once and using: muscle building techniques Like an eccentric rep, Trainor previously told an insider.

Maintaining fitness takes much less effort than building it

Boyd also said fitness doesn’t have to be a year-round priority, and you won’t miss or lose any progress if you take time off during the holidays.

“If you know your schedule is going crazy, it might be time to stop training and incorporate more movement into your daily routine,” she says.

For example, it’s probably not practical to go to the gym after a big meal on holiday, but take time for a walk with your family before dessert or play outside with your kids or pets in between snacking on leftovers the next day. You can enjoy it.

Research shows that maintaining muscle and fitness is much easier than building muscle in the first place.a 2021 survey Boyd shares with his clients that if you maintain the right intensity, you can stay fit for months with just one short gym session a week.

By focusing on maintenance, she said, you can free up more time to enjoy life and come back to make more progress when you’re ready.

“You can train less and still stay where you are. It won’t be forever, just for a little while.”