5 hacks to stay fit during chinese new year 2023

Ah, spring cleaning. An essential part of every Chinese New Year where the whole family gets involved. A time to throw out dusty items, odds and ends, and symbolise out with the old and in with the new.

Instead of thinking of it as a chore to complete, turn it into a calorie-torching session instead! Did you know that deep cleaning the house could help you burn up to 200+ calories per hour? That is, of course, dependent on the amount of effort you put in!

Pro-tip: Turn up your favourite tunes on your speakers and dance while you get scrubbing. That would make it twice the calories burned, and twice the fun!

Getting up early during Chinese New Year can be tough. After all, what is CNY if it isn't staying up till late to gamble, chit chat and spend time with your friends and family?

So, the most foolproof plan to incorporate an exercise regime would be to draw up a timetable, and stick to it! Like waking up 45 minutes earlier to squeeze in a run on Day 1, and a yoga session on Day 2, for example.

Making a conscious effort to carve out time for exercise by planning ahead will help you prioritise your time better and stick to your fitness goals.

Your workout might even turn into much-needed me-time as a break from all the relatives!

This festive season, set a goal to clock a certain number of steps per day.

By doing this, exercise can be seamlessly planned into your day-to-day activities. For example, opting to walk to your nearest mall instead of taking the bus to run errands

Don't know where to start? Try aiming for 10,000 steps on the first day, and gradually increase from there. It might sound unachievable, but rest assured that it's easier than you think. 

Munching on snacks might seem like the only thing on the to-do list during CNY visitings, but that doesn't have to be the case!

Try your best to keep to the exercise schedule as planned in tip #2. Otherwise, here are some ways to incorporate more calorie-burning activities into your visiting routine:

- Park further away and walk to your next visiting destination! That's sure to put in a fair amount of steps with every visit

- Take the stairs instead of the lift

- Mingle more with guests/relatives – so long as you keep moving, you'll keep burning those calories

- Take a walk along the PCN/park near your relative's place after each visit before you move on to the next home

- Trawl the nearest shopping mall in between visitings – it's a good way to recharge too

Now that you've got visitings or errands out of the way, it's time to put free time to good use – don't let those pineapple tarts turn into your next regret!

Here are some tips to maximise your downtime at home:

- Organise a workout for the whole family, or take turns to do so. This will make exercise fun not just for you, but for everyone as well.

- Grab a yoga mat and head downstairs or to your nearest fitness corner for a workout.

- Make use of Netflix time. If you really need to catch a mental breather, why not do it while exercising? Squat, push-up, sit-up or anything in between while you catch up on your latest series!

- Lay off the snacks! In case you feel tempted to put those delicious treats in your mouth even after the relatives are gone, read our guide to how many calories you need to burn per CNY snack before you do so.