The Anti-Boring Holiday Fitness Hack: My Small Movement Menu

In my last blog, I shared how I stayed motivated during my trip. And now that the holiday season is in full swing, December has turned into the month of letting loose — holiday parties, family gatherings, and plenty of eating and drinking! I used to be the worst at this, always telling myself it was fine to enjoy everything now and start “NEW” in January.

But every time I tried to restart in January, the big goals I set for myself would fall flat. They were neither realistic nor sustainable.

So my approach now is simple:
Keep myself active and moving no matter what day it is.

On the days I don’t exercise, I still choose to do something small. And the key for me to make this sustainable is variety.

Even a 5-minute stretch gets boring if you do it every day.
When something becomes boring, it becomes a chore… and when it becomes a chore, we stop doing it.

That’s why on my “off days,” I use something I call a: Small Movement Menu

A simple list of tiny activities I can choose from based on my energy, schedule, or mood.

On days I’m not exercising, my Movement Menu looks like this — I choose just one (or mix and match):

• 10-minute yoga stretch
• 10 squats
• 10-minute indoor cycle
• 10 minutes running in place
• A short walk after lunch or dinner

That’s it.
Simple, flexible, and no pressure to be perfect.

Some days I dance.
On my non-dance days — or when I’m traveling — I pick one small thing from this menu. And because I have options, it always feels doable… never boring, never overwhelming.

Small steps are powerful.
With variety, they become sustainable.