The average holiday dinner includes a lot of food! Most of these foods are probably drenched in butter and packed with calories. From piled-up mashed potatoes and stuffed roast turkey to honey-glazed ham and sugar cookies, there’s no way to avoid these delicious treats.
But once you’ve indulged, what can you do to burn off that unhealthy Christmas meal? Instead of spending hours at the gym – something no one wants to do at Christmas – opt for some fun home gym activities!
1. Host a Game Night
If you own a video game console, such as the Nintendo Switch, it’s a brilliant idea to host a fun gaming night with your loved ones. There are plenty of fitness games to try that will burn off some serious calories while still having a good time. One of the best fitness games is Fitness Boxing 2, which combines fitness and rhythm.
Fitness Boxing 2 is a game that lets you dodge, dodge and punch while listening to your favorite songs. The object of the game is to perform different boxing moves depending on the symbols that pop up.
But don’t forget that you also need to box to the beat of the song. Fitness Boxing 2 even features a two-player mode where you can punch alongside another player.
2. Go on a Holiday Lights Tour
Going for a walk to see the Christmas lights doesn’t necessarily mean you need to book a fancy tour. Just going out with your friends and family to see the beautiful holiday lights in and around your town is enough to burn off some pesky calories—especially when your community goes all out to decorate for the holidays.
When you walk, why not track your steps with a pedometer app? A basic pedometer app, such as the one from Leap Fitness, is free to download and use.
Plus, this mobile app automatically tracks your steps, so you don’t have to do anything yourself. Take your phone with you and the pedometer will give you a report of total steps, calories, time and distance. Also, the more you go, the more interesting achievements you can unlock.
download: Pedometer for iOS | Android (Free in-app purchases available)
3. Go ice skating
Skating is not only a recreational activity but also an effective form of exercise. In fact, skating has some great benefits, including improved balance, better posture, and stronger muscles.
So when Christmas dinner is over, instead of watching TV on the couch, gather your loved ones for a night out ice skating. To easily find an ice skating rink near you, use the Tripadvisor website or mobile app.
Enable access to your location and type “skating” into the search bar to find nearby places. Alternatively, you can simply enter your current location and search for such rinks. Each skating location has photos, reviews, maps and information about the area.
download: Tripadvisor for iOS | Android (Free)
4. Treat yourself to some retail therapy
Shopping is good for your soul and good for your waistline. So instead of jumping on the computer and shopping online after Christmas dinner, get the family out and about for some actual brick-and-mortar retail therapy. The Tiendeo app is the perfect tool to help you find a range of specials and deals from your favorite local stores.
To explore the app and discover the best deals in your city, you can browse various categories based on the category or store you choose. You can also share your current location and use the map feature to find all the nearest stores and malls.
With the Tiendeo app you can even use my list Label. Add the items you need to buy, see offers for those specific items, and check them off when you buy.
download: Tiendeo for iOS | Android (Free)
5. Bake a holiday meal together
Spending time in the kitchen might seem like the opposite of what you should be doing after Christmas dinner. However, cooking and baking — including all the prep work — washing dishes and general kitchen activities can help you burn a lot of calories.
You can access tons of delicious free holiday baking recipes using the Tasty app or the Tasty website. Tasty is known for having tons of recipes, so if you have a specific recipe, just type it in the search bar.
If you’re not sure what to bake, Tasty lets you filter its recipes by difficulty, meal type, occasion, diet, cuisine, and cooking style. For example, you can use multiple filters to find what you’re looking for, such as desserts that take less than an hour to make or vegan desserts for special occasions.
download: Yummy for iOS | Android (Free)
6. Clean your home
There’s no getting around the fact that you’re going to have to do some housecleaning at the end of Christmas. But did you know that doing regular chores can help you exercise? For example, a study by Applied Ergonomics showed that vacuuming is a physical effort for your arm muscles.
Sweepy is a dedicated home cleaning mobile app that you can use to involve your family in cleaning. First, add every room in your home, such as kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and other rooms.
Then, add the chores you need to do for each room, such as washing, vacuuming, dusting, tidying, sweeping, and general tidying. The best part about the app is that you can connect with all the family members and join in some friendly cleaning competitions.
download: Sweepy for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
You don’t need to go to the gym to cancel your Christmas feast
When you’ve stuffed nearly every dish on the table, the last thing on your mind is probably exercising. However, the holiday season is not the time to indulge yourself to gain weight. You will only regret it in the new year.
The good news is you don’t need to hit the gym or jog for hours to burn off those extra calories. From skating and playing games to mind-boggling activities like chores around the house, these fun family-friendly activities can help you offset the calories.
