The holidays are here. There are people on both ends of the fitness spectrum. There’s the crowd that did a couple crazy “all out” workouts the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Friday afterward, and they’ll go the same route around Christmas. But for others, the consistent ones, the holidays don’t look much different than any other time of year. They were able to still get their usual workout in, enjoy Thanksgiving with all its fixin’s, and not have emotional angst about how much or what they ate.
I would rather stay on my fitness game 80% of the time throughout the course of the year rather than being 100% dialed in for one month only to fall off completely for another two months before picking back up again.
As Trainer Gunnar Peterson puts it, “if it’s not sustainable it’s not successful.”
In order to sustain a healthy lifestyle year round I try to do what is realistic on a weekly basis and when I am feeling good I take advantage by doubling down on great workouts. I don’t get caught up if I miss a day here and there. First, I make fitness a priority and from there I do what I can and I enjoy myself at the same time.
If I am getting some sort of workout in five days a week, staying hydrated, not eating like a woolly mammoth, and trying to manage my stress levels, I don’t worry about holding off on that extra drink or dessert over the holidays. I just have the damn pie, guilt free, because I know it’s not an everyday thing. Then the following day I make sure to hydrant and hit some sort of workout like I would have anyway.
Start now with something that you can realistically tackle to set yourself up for success when Christmas, New Years and Holiday parties are upon us. Then when the holiday is over, get back to it the next day. Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up for going slightly overboard with holiday festivities. That’s exactly what they’re for. It’s also why they’re not a daily ritual.
When January second rolls around this year you won’t be one of the many people getting in their first workout in over a year only to give up the following week. Instead, you’ll have already started on a fitness journey that WILL last the entire year.
Make a goal and start with ONE or TWO things. I wouldn’t recommend you try a conglomerate of fasting, meditating for 30 mins a day, committing to CrossFit seven days a week, and going keto all starting Sunday because you will fail by Saturday.
Make a goal of strength training for 40 mins, 3x a week for a month. OR commit to drinking three more glasses of water a day and taking a 2 mile walk every day. Chances are those small goals will build up to more healthy choices and lifestyle changes which will eventually become instilled habits. After a month is up, reevaluate. What went well? What can be better? Can we build off this? What are some frustrations you have? How can we make this easier and more efficient?
Staying on top of your fitness year round and not just after News Years will give you the freedom to actually ENJOY the holidays. If you beat yourself up for going heavy in the pie department, you’ll be more prone to take on an audacious fitness New Year resolution that will just fizzle out within a month.
