Let’s be real here, how many years can you look back at where you’ve been able to stick to your healthy regime throughout the holiday season?
You’re so good right now. All the efforts you put towards going to the gym are starting to pay off.
You’ve been consistent with both the gym and you’re nutrition, and you’re happy to see things starting to fall in place.
But you can’t help but dread that the Christmas parties with friends and work are around the corner, or that family gatherings and trips are being planned.
It totally sucks I know…
All the temptations with food.
All the workouts that have to be cancelled to attend the events.
And over time, the routine starts to break and you start to want to maintain these habits less, and less.
I’ve been on both spectrums;
Being too strict - watching in agony my family or friends eat foods that I “couldn’t’ eat.
Or being too lenient, basically just letting go - because I felt that the holidays were just not a time for anyone to stay healthy besides those that are SUPER fit.
With experience I was able to realize that there is a happy medium between the two and that there are certain tricks that help us stay within that medium.
The medium where you get to enjoy yourself on the holidays, but at the same time not start the new year feeling guilty or set back, and possibly closer to your goal.
So how do I do it now?
I drink a lot of water on the days I go out. Sometimes we are so busy that we don’t realize we are dehydrated. Our body is smart and will try and find water through food, when in reality you might not even be that hungry. It’s also important to drink lots of water on the nights you go out drinking at parties.
Fasting is a great tool for me to use on the nights I have big dinners. When I fast, I still have water, coffee and maybe a fruit. The whole idea of the fast for me is to keep my calories low throughout the day so that I don’t feel restricted going out. For lunch I keep it very light, a salad or veggies and protein.
Always pick a side of veggies. I found that by filling my plate with a lot of veggies (like half my plate) and leaving a quarter for my protein and carbohydrates, I felt good after the meal and my cravings would go down. Greens are a great way to eat less but make your mind feel as though you’re eating a lot. And by doing so, I left room for dessert.
Sample the desserts. If your family is like mine, they will make a LOT of desserts. I have a huge sweet tooth, so what I do, rather than having one, is I have little pieces of each.
Workout in the morning. Don’t postpone it till later because the later will never happen - trust me. Instead get the workout out of the way. The days you’ve eaten a lot, use that food the next day to fuel your awesome workout.
Workout at home. Maybe it’s too cold for you, raining, snowing, and you want to stay home. Focus on being consistent by throwing in an at home workout when you don’t feel like going out.
Suggest something active for your family and friend outings when you can. Maybe go snowshoeing, tobogganing, skiing, go for walks at the beautiful holiday events that are only out at this time of year. It’s a great way to stay active and also get those around you active. Not to mention you’ll get many memories from doing these types of things.
Now many of these tips are particularly for the holiday season but in reality you can apply this whenever throughout the year.
Too many times we try to make our nutrition perfect or our workouts perfect, but truth be told, life isn’t perfect and it won’t give you a perfect scenario to take these ”perfect actions”.
What we focus on helping our clients understand, and hopefully you by the end of this blog, is that consistency is what will get you to your goal. Meaning eating as well as possible while being flexible, staying on your workout regiment, even if it means you can only do a 10 minute workout that day, and working on towards your goal while enjoying life.
Your results come from developing and practicing healthy habits. And the only way something becomes a habit is through being consistent with it.
We want you to stop struggling and find your happy medium. Building and practicing these habits are possible for you, even now during the holidays.
So to help you out, we want to offer you a 7-Day FREE trial to our PRO Wellness Program where we would help create you a plan to stay consistent with these habits even when things like the holidays try and get in the way.
This won’t last forever, so come and check it out and sign up for your free trial today!
Click HERE to get your free trial.