Articles 31 Dec 2024

Keep Your Body Healthy During the Holidays with These Exercises!

Holidays—especially around Christmas and New Year’s—are often filled with exciting activities. Many workers eagerly anticipate the year-end break to relax from their routines. Some go on trips to fascinating travel destinations—domestic or international. 

However, some others prefer to stay home, waiting for the year to end while enjoying quality time with loved ones through fun activities such as barbecue gatherings. How about you? Will you travel or stay home this New Year’s? 

If you are staying home, you can try a few exercises to keep your body healthy and fit during the holidays. What are they? Check them out below!

Yoga

The first exercise you can try is yoga, which helps maintain your health during the holiday season. According to Medical News Today, yoga is generally described as a mind-body practice that builds strength and flexibility.

Doing yoga regularly offers a lot of benefits, including:

  • Reduced injury risk because doing yoga improves flexibility and balance. 
  • Stress relief and a calmer mind because practicing yoga reduces cortisol—the stress hormone—production.
  • Enhanced breathing because yoga incorporates special breathing techniques, known as pranayama. Doing them regularly can improve vital lung functions over time.
  • Improved body posture and more flexible spine. It can even alleviate chronic pain caused by migraines, injuries, or other conditions. 

Ideally, you can practice yoga for 30–60 minutes daily. But, if that is challenging, try 10-minute exercises three times a week. This routine will help keep you healthy and energized. 

Walking

Apart from yoga, another exercise you can do at home during the holidays is walking. This activity does not require special equipment, you will only need comfortable workout clothes and sneakers.

Similar to yoga, walking also provides various health benefits, such as: 

  • Weight management, especially when combined with a healthy lifestyle.
  • Better air circulation in the body is a reason why regularly walking also helps promote heart health.
  • Improved blood sugar regulation and diabetes prevention because walking encourages the body to process blood sugar actively.
  • Stronger immune system, making you less prone to illness and assisting you in keeping fit.

It is recommended that you aim for a 20–30 minute walk each day. Keep healthy to enjoy your holiday!

Cycling

Have a bicycle at home? You can ride it around your neighborhood or at nearby parks, fields, or cycling tracks. Besides keeping you fit, cycling allows you the chance to explore new places and take in the scenery. 

Just like the other two exercises, cycling regularly offers multiple benefits, including: 

  • Stress reduction because cycling lowers cortisol levels, making it a highly recommended exercise for many. 
  • Better sleep at night because cycling typically tires your body out. Just avoid cycling an hour before bedtime to ensure you can fall asleep easily. 
  • Faster fat burn and improved body metabolism, for which reason doing this exercise helps with weight management and loss. 
  • Minimal fat buildup in blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart disease and promoting heart health.

To gain these benefits, you should cycle for about 30–45 minutes daily. 

Those are some exercises you can try while enjoying the holidays at home. To stay protected during your workouts, you can purchase Sports Insurance from MSIG Indonesia. Stay healthy and active while making the most of your break!

Other Article