8 Tips to Help You Stay Active Through the Holidays

Exercise is crucial for people with cystic fibrosis to help slow down the decline of lung function and to maintain overall health, but over the holidays it can be difficult to find the time. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of tips to help you find time to exercise throughout the holiday season based on information from prevention.com.

Exercise First Thing

Make it the first thing on your to-do list for the day. Whether you exercise before or after breakfast is up to you, but if you do it first thing in the morning it’s a chore out of the way, leaving the rest of the day free to celebrate the festivities.

Read Gunnar Esiason’s first column for Cystic Fibrosis News about living with CF.

Exercise with Friends

The holidays are a time for being social and catching up with friends and family, so why not combine that with exercise. Grab some friends and head out for a run or a yoga class, or if you have relatives visiting, why not get them to participate in an exercise DVD with you.

Watch this Gunnar Esiason podcast about dating with cystic fibrosis. 

Make an Exercise Appointment

Your diary may be full of social engagements, so you might need to schedule exercise the same way you’d schedule a doctor’s appointment.  Treat it as an appointment, though, which means no skipping out!

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Have Fun

It’s the holidays, so why do an exercise that bores you. Find something that you like doing or try something new and have fun while exercising. Exercise doesn’t have to be running or swimming, it can be salsa dancing, indoor rock climbing, trampolining…anything that gets you moving.

Here are six organizations doing remarkable work either in research or alongside patients and their families which you can help directly, or bring awareness to.

Positive Attitude

Have a positive attitude towards exercise. Think about the good it’s doing you and how great you’ll feel afterward. Remember that exercise is keeping you strong and healthy.

Do you know what lungs and a tennis court have in common?  Find out here!

Don’t Be Hard on Yourself

If you’re feeling under the weather or fatigued and really can’t face exercising, or if you’ve only been able to exercise for a half an hour instead of your usual hour, don’t be hard on yourself. Listen to your body–it knows when you need to take a break, so you can come back stronger next time.

This 14-year-old CF patient will inspire you to exercise.

Break Exercise Up

If you’re so busy you can’t schedule in an hour at the gym, no problem. Try doing three 10-minute slots of exercises at home or at the office, or spend 15 minutes twice a day fast walking around wherever you need to be. Try to shoehorn in some exercise into your really busy days whenever you can.

There are many benefits of exercise and activities that stimulate breathing for cystic fibrosis patients. Here are some outstanding examples of how life-changing it could be.

Set Yourself Some Holiday Goals

For instance, you have to run so many times over the holidays, nail that tricky yoga asana, or walk so many miles between Christmas and New Year’s. Give yourself a reward if you meet your goals.

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Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.