But once you’ve overindulged, what can you do to burn off that unhealthy Christmas feast? Instead of spending hours in the gym–which no one wants to do on Christmas Day–opt for some fun family fitness activities!
1. Host a Game Night
If you own a video game console, like a Nintendo Switch, hosting a fun game night with your loved ones is a fantastic idea. There are plenty of fitness games to try that can burn off some serious calories while still having a grand time. One of the best fitness games around is Fitness Boxing 2, which combines both fitness and rhythm.
Fitness Boxing 2 is a game that’ll have you dodging, ducking, and jabbing, and enjoying your favorite songs at the same time. The aim of the game is to perform a different boxing move according to the symbol that pops up.
But don’t forget that you need to box to the beat of the song, too. Fitness Boxing 2 even provides a two-player mode where you can throw punches side-by-side with another player.
2. Head Out on a Holiday Lights Tour
Going out for a walk to see the Christmas lights doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to book a fancy tour. Simply going out with your friends and family to see the beautiful, festive lighting in and around your town is enough to burn off some of those pesky calories—especially if your neighborhood goes all out with its holiday decorations.
While you walk, why not track your steps with a pedometer app? A basic pedometer app, like the Step Counter app from Leap Fitness is free to download and use.
Plus, this mobile app automatically tracks your steps, so you don’t need to do anything yourself. Just bring your mobile phone along with you, and Step Counter will provide reports on your total steps, calories, time, and distance. Furthermore, you can unlock fun achievements the more you walk.
Download: Step Counter for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating is not only an entertaining activity, but it’s also an effective form of exercise. Actually, ice skating has some great benefits, including improved balance, better posture, and stronger muscles.
So when Christmas dinner is done, instead of watching TV on the couch, gather your loved ones and go out for an ice skating session. To easily find an ice rink nearby, use the Tripadvisor website or the mobile app.
Enable access to your location and type “ice skating” in the search bar to find nearby spots. Alternatively, you can merely type in your current location and search for ice rinks like that. Each ice skating location has photos, reviews, a map, and information about the area.
Download: Tripadvisor for iOS | Android (Free)
4. Enjoy Some Retail Therapy
Shopping is good for your soul and good for your waistline. So rather than hopping on the computer to do some online shopping after Christmas dinner, get the family out and about for some actual physical 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 prices in your city, you can browse through various catalogs based on your chosen category or store. You can also share your current location and use the map feature to find all the nearest stores and shopping centers.
With the Tiendeo app, you can even neatly organize your shopping by keeping a handy shopping list using the My List tab. Add the items you need to buy, view the offers on those particular items, and then check them off as you purchase them.
Download: Tiendeo for iOS | Android (Free)
5. Bake Together and Make Festive Treats
Spending time in the kitchen might seem like the opposite of what you should do after feasting on your Christmas dinner. However, cooking and baking—including all the prep work—washing up, and general kitchen activity can help you burn a surprising amount of calories.
You can access a bunch of delicious free festive baking recipes using the Tasty app or the Tasty website. Tasty is known for featuring tons and tons of recipes, so if you have a specific one in mind, just type it in the search bar.
If you’re not sure what you want to bake, Tasty allows you to filter through its recipes based on their difficulty, meal type, occasion, diet, cuisine, and cooking style. As an example, you can use multiple filters to find what you’re looking for, such as desserts that take less than one hour to make or vegan desserts for a special occasion.
Download: Tasty for iOS | Android (Free)
6. Clean Up Your Home
There’s no getting around the fact that you’re going to have to clean up at the end of Christmas Day. But did you know that doing regular household chores can help you get a great workout? For instance, a study in Applied Ergonomics says that vacuuming is physically intensive work for your arm muscles.
Sweepy is a dedicated home cleaning mobile app you can use to get your family members involved in the cleaning. To get started, add each of the rooms in your house, such as the kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, and other rooms.
Then, add the chores you need to do for each room, like washing, vacuuming, dusting, organizing, sweeping, and general tidying. The best part of the app is that you can connect with all your family members and take part in some friendly cleaning competition.
Download: Sweepy for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
You Don’t Need to Visit the Gym to Undo Your Christmas Feast
When you’ve stuffed yourself with practically every dish on the dining room table, exercising is probably the last thing on your mind. However, the festive season is not the time to let yourself go and pack on extra pounds. You’ll only regret it in the new year.
The good news is that you don’t need to go to the gym or jog for hours to burn off those extra calories. From ice skating and playing games to a surprisingly intensive activity like housework, these fun, family-friendly activities can help you counter the calories.
