Not to be a total Grinch here, but… The holidays can screw everything up.

Think about it.
From sometime around Halloween (all that candy) through January 1 (the hangover), we’re encouraged to:

• Throw our routines and habits out the window
• Eat and drink too much
• Run around like crazy trying to shop and meet every social obligation imaginable
• And exercise? Are you kidding? Who has time for that, right?

It doesn’t have to be that way. Look at these 7 Healthy Holiday Hacks to Keep You on Track.

1. Plan. Look, the holidays are consistent, at least. You know when they’re coming every year. So, get ready. Sit down with a calendar and map out the rest of the year. Include all obligations – working, volunteering, social invitations, travel days, and – yes – working out at the gym or studio. Ensure you’re not taking on too much when another invitation or opportunity comes.
2. Follow through. Use that calendar to implement intelligent tactics. For example, don’t just schedule workouts: Actually, do them. If you’re invited to another cocktail party featuring heavy snacks and desserts, eat a light dinner before you go. Alternate being the designated driver with your partner or a friend. Nothing ruins healthy eating more than too many cocktails.
3. Say “No” at least once this season. You’re not obligated to go to every party, eat every dessert, or drink beer watching every football game. We’re talking about two months. You can say, “No, thank you,” and move on. No further explanation is necessary.
4. Pack healthy food for the trip if you’re traveling by car or by air. You don’t want to rely on the luck of the draw if you get stuck at an airport food court or, worse, a random interstate exit with nothing but fast food.
5. On the day of a big meal, usually eat and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Choose smaller portions of heavy sides and desserts. Eat until you’re 80 percent full before rushing back for seconds.
6. Schedule activities for each big day. Run in a 5K “turkey trot.” Practice yoga. Lead the family on a walk through the park or flag football game. Go to the gym if possible, but if it’s not, chill out. It’s just one day. The main thing is to move.
7. Enjoy the day, knowing that you’re going to get back on track tomorrow and stay on track as best you can until the next big event. Consistency is key to having healthy habits, and there’s no reason you can’t enjoy the holidays. Just don’t take it as an excuse to dive head-first into oblivion.

Because you know what’s coming next…

New Year’s Resolutions! What’s yours going to be? We’re here to help you start now if you like, so you’ll hit the ground running that first week of 2023. There’s no need to put it off till then; start now by trying our 21-day Strength and Longevity and see results before the New Year.

When I get overwhelmed it’s hard to fit in my workouts and eat right. It is hard to train for any kind of event or get excited about a new exercise routine.

Something’s got to give, like getting rid of at least one of my too many pets, sell my too big house or get rid of my spouse. (Don’t worry; I was just being funny on that last part)

… and, if you are like me, I especially need more exercise during the winter months, better food, meditation and rest!

So, here’s why the holidays are actually the best time to start a new routine.

If I want a habit to stick, I have to start really, really small. It is hard for us humans to make a major change (like swapping that holiday cocktail for a jog).

Here’s the thing –

It’s much better to succeed at something rather unambitious (and then build on that success) than to fail at a more impressive goal.

Almost all of us can pull off a brilliant couple of days, or even weeks, of ambitious exercise. But unless we have a really big catalyst for our change, like a very scary health diagnosis or other crisis-level event that provides us with immutable (and long-term) motivation, we’ll usually crash and burn soon after takeoff.

We’ll have a couple of good weeks, but then we’ll have a bad day and skip out planned exercise.

The next day we’ll decide that the whole routine is too hard and we’ll skip it again, resolving to make revisions tomorrow. The day after that we’ll hardly think of it at all. We’ll be back at square one.

The Alternative

The alternative to being super ambitious when I create a new habit is to build slowly. And because most of us have very little free time over the holidays, we may feel better about doing something small – we can more easily see that doing something is better than nothing. 

So, what if this December we all become more willing to be shockingly unambitious in our exercise goals?

Willing to start small rather than waiting until January to become willing? Wouldn’t this very thing be more likely to help us to succeed than to enter the New Year feeling awful and desperate?

I was first learning to meditate, I just find a quiet place to show up, sit down, shut up and become willing to let my Higher Power meditate me.

The word discipline was used to get my attention and because I believed myself to be a disciplined person, I started small and committed.

Or, what if you committed to just putting on your workout clothes and walking out your front door, having one glass of wine instead of 3 or 4 at your next holiday party or eating a bite of breakfast with that morning coffee?

I believe we can ALL do something ridiculously unambitious like this, and when we do, we’ll be carving a neural pathway in our brain that will eventually become an unshakable habit.

After 20 years in the fitness industry I have a hard time accepting that Thanksgiving is a day of indulgence. Yet, while you may be on a diet or watching your food intake, bringing any sense of deprivation into the day may cause you to overeat out of sheer rebelliousness against “missing out”.

Cut yourself a little slack and let yourself enjoy more food than usual on this special day. The NEXT day, Friday, November 24^th, you can join me for a “28 Day Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge” between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Details are here

1. Be sure to eat properly prior to the meal. Don’t skip any of the meals during the day – eat breakfast and lunch. The only difference is that you may want to eat more lightly than usual. However, skipping eating normally will just tempt you to overeat at the Thanksgiving meal.

• Snacks, if needed, should be raw veggies or fruit.

2. Take small amounts when serving yourself. Take one small piece or scoop of everything that you enjoy to begin with. Remind yourself that you can always take seconds! This approach is considerate of the need to avoid waste.

Using a smaller plate can also fool your eye into thinking that you have more on the plate. This is a traditional dieter’s trick.

3. Honor the food.Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks for the food that is on the table. Think about the contents of your plate and how it was once alive and is now about to provide you with energy and nutrition. Think about all the people whose efforts brought the food to the table, from the farmer to the cook.

4. Pause.Before you begin to eat, notice everything about the food on your plate. What are its colors, textures, aromas and anything else of note.

5. Take small bites and chew everything well. This relates back to the previous step––as you bite, savor the things that you noticed about the food when you took time to assess, such as texture and taste. Also, small bites and slow chewing aids digestion, as enzymes in the mouth begin to break down the food for you.

• Rest your eating implements on the plate between each bite.

6. Chat with others.You’re more likely to realize that you’re full (before you feel sick) if you talk, rather than shovel food into your mouth non-stop! During the meal, make an effort to engage others in conversation between bites. This shouldn’t be too hard if family members (you haven’t seen for a while) turn up with news of the events in their lives.

7. Avoid wolfing down your food.Eat slowly and savor the food you’re consuming. If you finish everything on your plate, wait a minute. You can tell a story to everyone else, or just sit back and relax.

8. Take seconds only if you’re still hungry.Repeat the eat-wait-take more cycle until you feel satisfied, but not stuffed. Aim for feeling good, not feeling so stuffed that you can’t eat another thing or feel ill.

• Leave room for the dessert. As bad as sugar is for us, one small piece of pie or other dessert is sufficient to end the meal. If you feel too full, leave dessert until much later (like before your workout the next morning!).

9. Get away from the table.Go for a walk, play football, entertain a child, play with a pet or help clean up! Head out to volunteer for those less fortunate on Thanksgiving. This will keep you from munching just because there’s food in sight. Here’s a great workout I put together years ago at your neighborhood park. View the video here

• And, stay away from snacks arranged away from the dinner table. If they’re so tempting, move to another spot where the snacks are not in view.

Then, congratulate yourself on a job well done! You can even laugh at everyone who feels so full they can’t move! In fact, you might take a moment to share the secret of enjoying a Thanksgiving meal mindfully with them––just don’t be preachy and tell them all about Your Personal Best Training Studio for the over 50 crowd!

Lastly, whether you are one of my loyal clients, a non-member or-out-of-town, sign up TODAY for my “28 Day Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge” that starts MONDAY, November 27^th – Christmas Eve. It’s so affordable even doing 50% of this challenge could maintain you! Details are here

A HABIT is an act of interest often repeated. An established habit is not always easy to immediately discontinue, especially if it is one of long standing.

During the holidays we may call our habits, “traditions” which might make one wonder if this is the healthiest thing we could be doing to celebrate Christ’s birth. If you are currently disturbed by any of your habits/traditions, you need only to know that the easiest way to drop an old habit is by replacing it with a new one.

Consider letting go of some of the less healthy traditions of your past. You don’t have to duplicate the Christmases of your childhood. Start new traditions: Instead of spending as much on gifts, show your love in other ways. Instead of stuffing yourself with cookies and heavy meals, eat lightly and simply. Instead of fighting with your family, let go of old arguments and practice peacemaking.

In the beginning of making this change, if the old habit rises or the family begins to protest, do not get upset. Struggling or forcing the new habit/tradition in the place of the old one will only perpetuate the old way’s strong hold on the situation.

With loving kindness and over time, maybe even the next several years, consider giving equal time to the two. Gradually decrease the time spent in the old habit/tradition and increase the time that is spent in the new. As the new and healthier behaviors begin to become stronger and deeper, the old will weaken until they no longer exist.

Our life is a journey, an opportunity to learn and grow and experience what it truly means to celebrate new life; each day. Do not make changing any habit or tradition an arduous task (especially if others are involved), rather allow it to be a natural progression through the years. A gift, per say, that is handed down to the next generation.

So, beyond the holidays and your resolve toward the New Year, what habits do you know you need to change?  What healthier habits can you move into, gently, dividing your time between the two until the old can let go? Who will help you? Our staff at Your Personal Best Training Studio is old – teeheehee (they will get me for saying this). We have some experience and credentials from having walked through these same struggles. Call us today; we have Personal Trainers, a Wellness Coach and even a Spiritual Guide on staff.

The Christ child is waiting for you and will gently and lovingly welcome your change.

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