Black Friday Workout

It seems like every year the Holiday Shopping season comes sooner and sooner. The majority of us however are waiting for Black Friday to start tackling that holiday shopping list. You might not have time for a Black Friday Workout – but you can at least give your body a little TLC before you head out. After a days of traveling, eating, drinking and lack of sleep, you’re going to need to regroup before heading out with the swarms of shoppers. Here are a couple tips to keep you at peak form even if you can’t hit the gym!

1. Hydrate!

A big holiday meal combined with the salty snacks and alcohol have probably left you a bit dehydrated. Drink lots of water to re-hydrate yourself and skip sports drinks, energy drinks or diet sodas. The caffeine can actually thwart your efforts of bringing you natural fluid balance back to normal. Water’s also the best choice to aid digestion to make sure that turkey dinner is just visiting and not setting up shop!

2. Stretch!

Planes, trains, and automobiles! Most of us spent hours if not days traveling to our Thanksgiving Day destination, only to arrive and plop ourselves down at the table or couch. While you might not have time for a full on Black Friday Workout, you can at least do your body a favor and stretch out those tense muscles. Stretching helps get oxygen rich blood flowing through our muscles and will help alleviate any cramping or fatigue you’re feelin after a day of feasting.

3. Use what you got!

The traveling is over and so is dinner. The last thing you want to do before you hit the stores and malls is go to the gym. You don’t have to if you just use what you got! Throw on some headphones, lace up your tennies and go for a walk. Not only will it get your heart rate up a bit, it will help ease stress or tension you may be feeling. After a bit of activity you’ll feel better prepared to jump into the snarls of traffic and mobs of holiday shoppers.

4. Don’t shop till you drop!

Your body needs rest. Long days of traveling and long nights with family and friends can really be exhausting. Don’t let the holiday spirit trick you into thinking you can shop till you drop. The last thing you want is to be falling asleep in line at the store, or getting cranky or short tempered. Make sure you get a decent night’s sleep before hitting the Black Friday mayhem. Come time to strap yourself back into the plane or car seat and head back home from the holidays, you’re still gonna need some energy!

While some of us gymrats will be hitting the gym for our Black Friday Workout, you can keep your body feeling good by just using a little common sense and not over doing it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about moderation.