8 Holiday Activities That Double as Workouts

1. Sledding (a.k.a. The Uphill Leg Day Special)

Flying downhill is pure joy, it's the walking back up that feels like a sentence from the Ghost of Workouts Past when your glutes and hamstrings protest like they’re back in 8th grade gym class. And if you’re an 80s kid, you know the real thrill was those wild plastic “crazy carpets” hitting Mach 2 speed and flapping like neon whips, ready to take your eye out if you blinked.

2. Ice Skating (a.k.a. Lower-Body Day on Ice)

Glide around the rink like you’re starring in a very budget-friendly holiday movie, where every lap secretly doubles as cardio. Your quads light up faster than the Rockefeller Christmas tree and your core works overtime to keep you upright instead of becoming the season’s most memorable wipeout uploaded to YouTube for eternity.

3. Snowball Dodge Drills (a.k.a. Seasonal Speed Training)

Winter has a way of turning friendly snowball fights into full-on boot camp. You sprint, pivot, squat, twist and occasionally yell things that sound like Victorian insults while trying to avoid getting pegged by a fully weaponized ice ball. It’s a full-body workout disguised as winter warfare.

4. Chopping Firewood (a.k.a. Flannel Fitness Hour)

One of the rare workouts where flannel absolutely counts as athletic wear, chopping firewood is a primal, satisfying way to hit your core, back and shoulders all at once. One good swing and you suddenly understand why Captain America makes it look so effortless (right before remembering you’re made of 80 percent coffee, not Super Soldier Serum).

5. Holiday Light Hanging (a.k.a. The Ladder-Climber Masterclass)

Reaching, stretching, untangling, climbing, repeat. Just add a sprinkle of festive swearing and it’s practically Pilates, the holiday edition. One wrong move and you’re wrestling a light strand with the chaotic energy of a telenovela villain.

6. Snow Shoveling (a.k.a. Nature’s Mandatory CrossFit)

For some (okay, most), shoveling feels less like holiday fun and more like being bullied into a CrossFit class hosted by Mother Nature herself. But every scoop is a weighted rep, your heart rate spikes and your arms flex... even if somewhere around scoop three your brain starts wondering if you should just move somewhere with palm trees.

7. Building a Snowman (a.k.a. Functional Frosty Strength Training)

Those giant snowballs are basically nature’s kettlebells, demanding far more strength than they look like they should. Roll, lift and stack until “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” starts playing in your head like an unavoidable soundtrack and your arms feel like cooked spaghetti. Bonus points if your snowman comes out looking Benedict Cumberbatch-ish — handsome, but in a way that makes you question your sculpting skills.

8. Tree Carrying & Decorating (a.k.a. Evergreen Endurance Training)

Haul out the tree like the world’s jolliest lumberjack, then decorate it. By the time you're done, you'll have racked up 47 overhead lifts and a solid squat routine to find the “right spot” for that one stubborn ornament. It’s core stability meets holiday perfectionism, the kind of routine that counts as exercise even if no fitness tracker will ever admit it.

8 Workouts That Double as Holiday Fun