Southern California is filled with healthy lifestyle choices and activities, even during the holiday month of December. Christmas is generally a time when people overindulge in eating, drinking and spending. But a good holiday celebration can also be filled with health and wellness; all you need is a little planning in advance.
Festival of Lights in Griffith Park
Every December, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power produces the Festival of Lights in Griffith Park, along Crystal Springs Drive. During the first two weeks the festival is an automobile-free zone, which means the only way to see it is to put on your walking shoes and get some exercise. There are also nights dedicated to people who want to bicycle along the lights as well as ride a horse, which you can rent from the park.
Echo Park Paddle Boats
It's hard to find a family activity during Christmas that doesn't involve shopping, eating a bunch of candy canes and sugar or playing indoors on the latest video game. For years, the city of Los Angeles has battled to keep the paddle boats located at Echo Park Lake afloat. Fortunately, the boats survived and are available for a healthy day of fun and exercise even during the holidays. Show up any weekend between 12:30 and 4:30 and take in the site of large lotus flowers and ducks floating by as you paddle throughout the lake.
Ice Skating at Horton Square and Hotel del Coronado
Step aside Rockefeller Center, San Diego has Horton Square. Each Christmas, the ice skating rink is set up for those who want to add some fun and fitness into their holiday adventures. If you want to add some romance in with that holiday spirit, then check out the Hotel del Coronado, which sets up ice skating by the sea. The proceeds from the Horton Square rink benefit the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children's Hospital
Dance Your Way to Health and Holiday Cheers
Each Christmas, Dance Place San Diego offers free dance classes for anyone who wants to shake off the extra weight from all the food and eggnog. The free day of dance is offered on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. So while everyone else is rushing to buy stuff they won't remember they bought a month later, learn the samba or the cha-cha and really get into the holiday spirit by donating the money you saved to a food bank.
Joshua Tree Bird Counting
Drive out to the desert and take a 15-mile walk throughout Joshua Tree National Park, where each Christmas, they dedicate a day to the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. Walking is one of the best ways to health and fitness; and getting back to nature, especially through the stunning natural formations at Joshua Tree, is an unexpected treat compared to the typical holiday festivities. Up to 50 species of birds have been counted in one single day. The day varies each year, so check the Joshua Tree National Park website to find out the exact date.
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