Finals are a crazy and stressful experience for many students. Endless hours studying your butt off can mean sitting in the exact same position for about seven hours a day, for the weeks leading up to finals, and finals week itself. Along with sedimentary finals lifestyle, you’re most likely not going to have time to take a quick break and make yourself a fresh salad–it’s just not realistic.Â
The average college student is probably going to grab whatever they can find, generally whatever the library coffee shop has to offer, so you can easily hop right back into your studies.  When finals are over, it almost feels like prison break. This is the first time in four months that you have actually nothing to do. No study groups, no classes, no assignments looming over your head, so what do you do with your month of freedom? The average student might say sleep. And eat.  Maybe a combination of both, but here’s the thing: that glass of eggnog you just downed at your family Christmas party was about 350 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 20 grams of sugar.Â
The Chestnut Praline Latte you sipped on while catching up with your high school friends at Starbucks? Say hello to a whopping 330 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 40 grams of sugar. At some point, maybe after you’ve walked a box of Christmas stuff up the stairs for your mom and are panting heavily, or after you tried to take on shoveling the driveway and had to stop due to a vicious side cramp after about two minutes, you might start to realize, wow… I’m really out of shape. It happens, but here are a few ways to beat that holiday bulge and get inspired, while still enjoying your month of freedom.
Make an inspiration board. Maybe it sounds silly, but having things to look at that you know will spark inspiration in you is the perfect way to get yourself off the couch. To start, all you need is a piece of paper. Go on Pintrest (you were probably internet surfing between commercial breaks anyway) and look up “fitspo.” If that doesn’t do it for you, look up some celebrities who you admire (Carrie Underwood’s legs never fail to make me want to drop into some lunges). Look for quotes that get your blood boiling, and pictures that motivate you, and print them out. Once you have your stack of inspirational pictures, organize them into a collage and glue them to your piece of paper. Put the collage right next to your bed, on your fridge, by your gym shoes, next to the TV, wherever you think you’ll see it and think hey, I should go workout right now.Â
If you’re feeling lazy and the printing process is sounding a bit tedious to you, just make an inspiration board on Pintrest. The fitspo section is ridiculously full of toned women, healthy images, tips, workouts, and so much more. Re-pin anything that inspires you. Keep the app on your phone for when you need a little push.
You’re going to be on your phone anyway, you might as well look for apps to help spark the workout bug. Some great apps include the 7 Minute Workout Challenge, Moves, Virtual Runner, Couch-to-5k, and so many more. These apps track the steps you take, can make you feel like you’re running in the Boston Marathon while on the treadmill, and give you support while trying to get your running endurance up.  These are just a few examples, but there are so many awesome apps you can download to help get yourself moving. This link has some awesome fittness apps, check it out!
Help your family make the meals throughout the Christmas season. Sure, mom’s casserole sounds great, but you have to power to find a healthy and yummy recipe online with half the calories. Not only is it healthy, you can have fun doing it! Fitness Magazine has an article, Healthy Dinner Recipes in 20 Minutes that will blow your mind, while shrinking your waste line.
Ask for a Fitbit for Christmas. These things are awesome. Just by wearing a bracelet, you can track the number of steps you’ve taken, the distance you’ve traveled, calories burned, active minutes, and even sleep time and quality.
Help around the house. Sounds terrible, right? Think about it this way: every load of laundry you bring up the stairs, you can burn ten calories. Every thirty minutes you spend shoveling the driveway, you can burn 200 calories. It’s a win-win situation; you’re getting your chores done and getting fit all at the same time.
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The holidays can be an amazing time to bond with family, catch up with friends, and have some much needed personal time. Although these things are obviously important, so is your health. Make it your Christmas gift to yourself this year to keep yourself healthy and happy; you deserve it!