Hello CrossFit Billings! Next week is Thanksgiving, and with it comes the beginning of the holiday season.
While this can be a wonderful time filled with family, friends, and delicious food, it can also be stressful and busy. These added stressors, along with the plentiful amounts of desserts and sweets, can make us fall off track in regard to our fitness and nutrition goals.
Now, it is important to enjoy the holidays. We should not be so riddled with the guilt of a missed workout or overindulgence that we do not appreciate the time of year. However, there are steps we can take to make it a little easier to stay on track and not lose any of our progress in the gym.
Be Realistic With Your Goals
If your schedule is already filling up faster than you’d like, accept that this may not be the time to make massive gains at the gym. Instead, make the goal to be maintenance.
What does this mean?
If you usually go to the gym five days a week, consider bringing it down to three if it helps you stay consistent. So often, we get hooked into an all-or-nothing mentality. We can fall into the trap of thinking that five days a week is just too much to commit to for the holiday weeks, so we stop going altogether.
The same principle applies to food. That same all-or-nothing mentality urges us to say, ‘oh well, I’ll get back to it after New Years.’ with that mentality, we allow ourselves no self-control. Overindulgence leads to gaining a few pounds, and that only further deepens our anxiety once January does come around and it’s time to get back to it.
So, be realistic about what you can do with this time. If five days a week is undoable, aim for three. If an hour-long session is too much, try a few at-home 20 or 30-minute workouts.
Once again, the same mindset can be applied to how we view our holiday treats. I love sweets, and it is all too easy for me to eat a few (or twenty) too many. We don’t need to give these treats up completely. Instead, include them in moderation. For me, I always include one sweet thing daily. Usually, I make a healthy protein cake. During the holiday time, that protein cake is often replaced with an indulgent dessert. You can include whatever you’d like in your diet, so long as you do so in moderation.
Commit to Your Plan, but still be flexible
Once you do decide what is realistically doable for you during the holiday season, stick to it. Three days a week at the gym may still be difficult, but if you know it’s something you can do, stay with it. You may need to be flexible on what times you go to the gym or how long you stay. Early morning sessions may become necessary, but remember, the season is not forever. Be flexible and allow yourself to enjoy the little moments, but hold yourself accountable to your goals. You will thank yourself in the long run.
Be Mindful around holiday Mealtime
When the big holiday meals come around, let yourself enjoy them. A couple of days will not completely derail your progress.
However, it can become a problem when you have work gatherings and multiple family dinners for weeks in a row. If you overindulge at all these gatherings, you may notice it.
You do not need to be overly restrictive, but try to be mindful when attending these events. Eat slow, and listen to your body’s fullness signals. Allow yourself a normal dinner portion and then a single dessert during these additional days of parties and get-togethers.
Allow yourself to enjoy the holidays, but do so in a way that doesn’t involve going overboard. This is a skill that takes time, but if you practice it, you will also find yourself more likely to stay on track and adhere to your goals on normal days as well.
And if you do feel as though you went ‘off the deep end’ during a meal, don’t sweat it. Simply get back on track after the holiday celebrations. Don’t let one thing start a spiral of bad habits.
Get in extra movement
Get the family involved in an after-dinner walk. Shovel snow, play with the kids. If you know you will not be making it into the gym as much as desired, try to get some sort of momvemnt throughout the day. Every little thing adds up.
It is very possible to fully enjoy the holiday season without losing all of the progress you’ve worked so hard to make. Accept that there will be challenges, but plan ahead each week and know what you can and can’t commit to. Be mindful, get movement, and enjoy the time with family and friends.
If you would like additional guidance on how to navigate the holidays, consider nutrition coaching.
