Staying Active During The Holidays - It Can Be Surprisingly Easy And Enjoyable

Enjoy a nice walk or outing with the family

Happy Easter, or non-denominational holiday time (:P)!

People can get very caught up over titles and the like. I know that pretty much everyone out there is enjoying some sort of holiday, family time, or celebration this weekend - enjoy yourselves!

yum yum!

I'm sure most people are enjoying a whole lot of these today/this morning.

gobble gobble

And perhaps a whole bunch of this... I know I will.

And finally, I'm sure many will enjoy a few cold ones.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying yourself, letting go a little bit, and indulging; however, moderation is important, and maintaining a healthy level of physical activity. So, here are some easy tips to staying healthy and active during holidays.

1. Don't delay - afternoons and evening can quickly become filled with errands, chores, or frantically preparing either for guests to come over or to lug the whole family elsewhere. Make time first thing in the morning for some exercise or just move around a bit more. Just remember, a simple 20-30 minutes of increased heart rate is enough to remain (relatively) fit and active.
• Take the family, and/or family pet, for a nice walk
• Go for a bike ride around the neighborhood
2. Have a nice breakfast, get everything prepared first thing in the morning and then take trip to a local, or not so local, nature trail. Bring something to collect leaves, pine cones, or whatever else you find. You can use them for later craft, or just for a simple goal. I personally enjoy activities a lot more when there is some sort of goal or purpose, but perhaps you just enjoy being out in nature. Make it work for you!
3. Although there are many of you that do a fantastic job at keeping your house clean... we do not. In fact, that's an understatement. We do a TERRIBLE job at keeping our house clean. Honestly, it's awful :P So, what happens often during holidays... house cleaning! So that we can give a semblance of living in a "clean" house. This is a great opportunity to help teach your children responsibility, getting them helping around the house, and staying active - turn chores into games. There are many MANY ways to do this, but check out Spoonful.com for a bunch of ideas.
4. Finally, it is doubtful that any soccer fields or baseball diamonds will be used over the weekend. Grab your mitt and ball, or your soccer ball, and head out to a local field for some fun. Call up some friends and family and even get a fun and spontaneous game going.

There are an infinite number of ways to stay active and motivated even during the holidays, but just remember to have fun, enjoy yourself, and don't stress. Although physical health is paramount, so is mental health. It does you know good to stress and worry that you aren't doing enough. Remember, indulging is not bad, moderation is good, and just try to move a little bit more.

Don't forget, physical activity is the cheapest, most reliable, and easiest retirement savings plan that you will ever come across, so start investing in it today!