Have you found that you lose the motivation to exercise during the holidays? When your routine changes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays, does your exercise routine fall by the wayside?

Many people find they lose their regular exercise routine during holiday and celebration periods. It happens to the best of us!

Whether you are at home with visitors or staying with family, it’s hard to maintain your exercise routine and stay active during the holidays.

Does It Matter, Though?

Surely, it’s OK to take a break? Life’s about more than exercise, isn’t it?

Well, yes, of course, life is about more than exercise!

Life is about doing the things we love, seeing the people we care about, travelling, doing work or volunteering, or other meaningful activities.

And to do all these things, we need to be fit, flexible, mobile and have good balance.

So, life shouldn’t be all exercising at all. But squeezing a little bit of exercise into our day does enable us to live and enjoy our busy, active lives.

It’s vital to remember this during the holidays when we’re busy and distracted.

I’m a specialist exercise instructor (based in London, England). I’ve spent the last 16 years helping women feel stronger, have better balance, and move more easily. I’ve helped them find ways to stay committed to their exercise programmes despite all their challenges and commitments. And I’d love to help you too!

The first step to staying active in the holidays is understanding why it matters so much. In this article, I will share the three reasons we must keep moving during these special times of the year.

The Benefits of Exercise Are Cumulative

When you exercise regularly, you build on the gains you made in the previous session. So, your muscles get a little stronger each time, your capacity for endurance increases a little each time.

The fitness gains we make are incremental, as long as we keep up the exercise. We don’t notice them every time we work out, but these small gains become significant over time.

If you wait too long between sessions, you’re always working to catch up to where you were. It makes it much harder to build on your fitness and make meaningful improvements.

Have you heard the saying, “you can’t do today’s workout tomorrow”?

I think this is an excellent way of looking at things. If you wait till tomorrow, the day after or even next week, you’re starting from a lower baseline, and it will take you longer to make the same improvements.

Let’s Get Real for a Moment

I like to be as positive as I can. I’m not fond of doom-mongering or frightening people into exercise.

I want people to stay active because they enjoy the results. I want people to exercise because it enables them to keep doing all the things they love and care about – like gardening, travelling and looking after grandchildren.

However, there are times when we need to be realistic. The fact is that doing nothing – after a certain age – doesn’t mean you stay where you are (in fitness terms).

Often people assume that if they don’t exercise, they won’t improve. They understand that they will miss out on getting stronger, fitter etc. That’s not the whole picture, though.

The fact is, from our mid-30s, we start to decline naturally. We lose a little bit of muscle mass, muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and bone density every year. The only way to slow down or arrest this decline is to challenge our bodies with the right exercises, done at the right level.

It’s important to realise that it’s hard work to just maintain our balance, strength or flexibility.

So, even getting in a small workout is hugely beneficial to ensure we maintain and improve our fitness.

The Results Are Immediate

Often when people talk about the benefits of exercise, they all seem relatively distant (e.g., reducing your risk of heart disease). It’s all a bit long term and somehow not always motivating enough, especially when we have so many other things going on.

However, the benefits of exercise start as soon as we finish each session. We feel it in the short, medium and long term.

I know that when I exercise, I feel better right away. I hear from many members of my studio who also notice the difference immediately.

After an exercise session, we feel better physically. We might have fewer aches and pains, perhaps less discomfort in our joints. We usually find we can move more easily, have more energy, and get up and go.

We also notice the difference in our mental and emotional states. We feel less stressed or anxious. We feel better in ourselves and find it easier to deal with the challenges of the day.

This emotional wellbeing can be even more important over the holidays. What is, of course, a special time with family and friends can be busy. It’s lots of work having visitors, and staying at other people’s houses can be stressful. You might be preparing large meals and need lots of energy for all the family get-togethers. You may not sleep as well as usual, or you may end up over-indulging a little with the festive treats.

So, if there’s something quick you can do each morning to help you feel more balanced through the day, you should make the time for it!

Yes, we do exercise to be fitter and healthier in the long term. But we also exercise to feel and perform better immediately, today, and that’s another reason why it’s so important to keep our routine up during the holidays.

Here are a few exercises you can do right now at home:

Feel Stronger (Taster Video – Try It Now!)

Do You Want Help to Exercise at Home?

You can find more videos like this in the Vida Wellness Studio. It’s an online exercise studio – a membership site for people who want to improve their balance and posture, feel stronger and move more easily. You can get a 14-day free trial of the Vida Wellness Studio, where you can ask lots of questions and see if it’s right for you.

Are you worried about keeping active over the holidays? How easy have you found it to stick to your exercise routine in the past? Join the conversation below!

I’ve worked in beauty for more than a decade and it was only a few years ago when I learned I have combination skin. My face is often dry and tight but heavy moisturizers clog my pores and make me break out along my jawline. It’s the most confusing skin type, let me tell you. That’s why I jumped at the chance to do a Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream review. The newest skincare product from the celeb-loved K-beauty brand is for skin just like mine.

The launch was inspired by co-founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee’s skin journeys, navigating their combination skin as the season changes. It was created for those who feel tight and dry, especially in colder months, but still have oily areas prone to acne. It’s also for those with sensitive skin. That’s thanks to a formula packed with five weights of hyaluronic acid to target different layers of the skin. The addition of polyglutamic acid, a hydrating peptide, boosts the power of the hyaluronic acid, while three types of plum help bring dewiness to the skin.

Ice willowherb extract helps to balance skin (especially any oil hanging around) and supports the skin’s moisture barrier.

Glow Recipe.

I get nervous before trying any new moisturizer since my hormonal breakouts seem to just wait around until I use the “wrong” thing and they can pop right back up. (The worst!) But I knew right away my skin would love this whipped gel cream. It’s super lightweight but still sinks right into dry areas, smoothing any flaky areas away. It feels almost cooling on my sensitized skin. (I’ve been using too many actives!) It smells good too but not so strong that a fragrance sticks around.

After using Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer for just a few nights, I noticed my face feeling more hydrated in the morning and my foundation even started going on smoother with less texture. Oh, and no breakouts! Score! I can see myself using this moisturizer until the last drop. And here’s where there’s some more good news. This is Glow Recipe‘s first refillable product. So when you get to the end, you just pop out the inner section, throw it in the recycling bin, and buy a refill pod that has a $6 savings.

Head over to Sephora to grab Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer now before TikTok discovers it and you can’t find it anywhere.

Tayshia Adams’ Orange Dress On Men Tell All

The Bachelorette Season 18 Men Tell All Fashion

Tayshia Adams looked sweet in her orange dress on the Men Tell All. It’s a bummer that she has been feeling blue recently though. She finally broke her silence about her split from her ex. That’s never easy to do especially on national television. It is always so sad when things like that come to an end.

On a positive note- something that doesn’t seem to be coming to an end is the stock of her adorable dress. I mean it can be found in stock from just about everywhere. And we all know that whenever we’re feeling down a never retail therapy never hurt! Well except maybe our bank account, oops.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her A.L.C. Dress

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

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Originally posted at: Tayshia Adams’ Orange Dress On Men Tell All

Just went you thought you shopped all the Bath & Body Works goodies during its massive Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, the company is at it again. The Bath & Body Works candle sale happens around this time every year and includes 60 percent off the fan-favorite 3-wick candles. So, if you stocked up on hand sanitizer, lotion, body gel and lotion, now’s your moment to ensure you have all the candles ready for the holiday season and beyond.

This year, the candle sale starts online on Friday, December 3 at 6 a.m. EST. This is just for a limited time while supplies last. Both Friday and Saturday, December 4, the sale is in-store. If you’re somewhere you feel safe shopping IRL (don’t forget your mask!) head out this weekend. Many stores are opening early (some as early as 7 a.m.!) to give you time and space to shop. Otherwise, plan to grab some of the 150+ candles on Friday.

Here’s the great news: all 3-Wick Candles will be $10.25. That’s almost 60 percent off holiday favorites including The Perfect Christmas and Fresh Balsam, as well as 45 new candles like Pure Wonder. Plus, best-selling fragrances launch in 3-Wick Candles, such as Japanese Cherry Blossom, A Thousand Wishes and In the Stars. You’ll also be able to pick up some spring-ready candles as you dream of warmer days ahead.

Get started with some of our favorites below!

Bath & Body Works.

Cranberry Pear Bellini 3-Wick Candle – $15.25 Off

With pear nectar, red cranberries, apricot and blackcurrant.

Bath & Body Works.

Champagne Toast 3-Wick Candle – $15.25 Off

With champagne, berries and sweet orange.

Bath & Body Works.

Fresh Balsam 3-Wick Candle – $15.25 Off

With woodland balsam, eucalyptus, fir branches and cedarwood.

As I drove home from moving my 80-year-old mom to live closer to us, I reflected. My family is my priority and always has been. I cherish the opportunity to be there for them.

In the prior six months I had dealt with a health scare from my husband as well as a two-month long illness from my mother-in-law who lives with us. That had required follow-up home health care and occupational therapy. We had just watched two of our grandchildren while their parents were away. And now I was moving my mom here.

In addition, I was experiencing some anxiety around my career as a behavior analyst working with kids and teens on the autism spectrum. I loved my job but was starting to be careful about which cases I took on. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go on with this forever.

Time for Reflection

It was on that drive home that I decided to take some time and do the thing I’d always wanted to do but hadn’t ever done. I was going to write.

Since I’ve made that decision, I’ve met many like-minded women in my age range who aren’t done “doing the things” in spite of their age.  

The “things” vary. I’ve met women who have up and moved to other countries. Women like myself who started to write. Others who have started businesses or decided to retire and travel with their husbands or friends. I even met a woman who adopted three children under age 3 after 50!

Maybe you’re interested in stopping work to provide full time day care for grands or parents. Maybe you want to train for your first 5K. Buy a vineyard! The possibilities and realms are endless.

There have been some common experiences among the women with whom I’ve spoken.

The Desire to Do the Thing Outweighs the Fear

We all have fears: fear of failure; fear of being ridiculed, fear of rejection by family or friends. But, once we have the idea of what we want to do, the thought of not doing it brings disappointment. It would equal letting ourselves down. So, we have learned to overcome the fears and forge ahead with our plans.

Various Levels of Overwhelm as We Move Forward with Our Plan or Dream

Once I made up my mind that I was going to write and start my blog, I had to figure out next steps. I had a clear plan of action based on my particular situation and starting point. Each woman that I’ve spoken with did as well.

Visualization

Before I told anyone or moved forward with my plan, I spent some of my daily journaling time closing my eyes and visualizing myself as a writer.

I allowed my visualizations to be very detailed – even picturing myself sitting in my cozy kitchen chair by the fire with my dog at my feet creating content for the women in my niche. Doing this made me even more excited about my dream and less likely to “poo-poo” it and toss it aside.

Telling Loved Ones

This was a tough one for me and for many women I’ve been in contact with. Disclosure puts our dream out there and makes us vulnerable. Telling friends and family is, for many of us, facing the fear of rejection or being laughed at.

I first told my husband and then my sons. And, although on some level I think they’re humoring me, they have all been nothing but supportive.

Doing Research and Mapping Out a Plan

What do you need to do next? Are there courses you should be taking? Conversations that you need to be having at work or with family? Join Facebook groups and chat with others who are doing what you want to do. Google, learn all that you can, and then map out your next steps.

For me, that was deciding that I needed to take a blogging course which was a financial commitment. So, I needed to discuss this with my husband. I also had a conversation with my boss at work, letting her know that I was planning to slow down on my caseload.

I went on to create a journal prompt guide to help women looking to redefine their life and start their own journey.

Ability to Face Continuous Barriers

Although there are external barriers at times (things like pushback from others, financial or time constraints), when we change something or redefine our goals the continuous barriers tend to be the internal mindset ones.

The two most common ones are the impostor syndrome mindset (“who do I think I am?”) and the “I’m too old to…” Those are the hardest ones to overcome, and yet, we have to.

As you move forward, ask yourself not “What’s the worst that can happen,” but, rather, “What’s the BEST that can happen?” And visualize it. Truly visualize it. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right!”

Leslie has started an online book group for women over 50. If you’re interested in further information, feel free to email her at leslie@lifebalanceafter50.com.

What is the area in your life that you’d like to redefine? Which of the barriers that you’re facing demotivate you the most? What is the BEST that can happen if you move forward with your dream? Please share your thoughts with our sisters!