As we are all aware, the winter holiday season is hectic because of the planning, traveling, and shopping that needs to be done. The best thing you can do is to create a plan that focuses on training and nutrition.
Training
Most people become more busy during the holiday season, which makes it difficult to go to the gym. It’s definitely a challenge when you have holiday get-togethers, events, and gift shopping. It’s very easy to put off the gym and a training routine until January for the New Year, especially since the norm is to make resolution goals. However, these habits need to be started early. If you start early, you will be able to see what works and what adjustments you need to make prior to kicking off the new year. This is why we created the consistency challenge. It will keep you accountable as well as create a habit of coming to the gym and prioritizing health whilst maintaining a hectic life schedule. The challenge encourages members to go to the gym at least four times per week, whether that’s classes or personal training. By the time the new year rolls around, this will already be the norm and won’t be a stressful change that needs to be accustomed to.
Do:
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Create a reasonable game plan. If you are exhausted after work, plan to come in the morning (even if that means you have to wake up an hour earlier).
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Write out short term fitness goals and long term goals.
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Write these out so you can revisit them periodically
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Take on the goal/resolution with a partner. It’s always good to have someone keep you accountable, and vice versa.
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Talk with one our coaches for guidance and advice! We love to help out our members to reach whatever goal they may have.
Do NOT:
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Stress about missing a session you planned. Adjust accordingly and be flexible. Life happens.
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Take big leaps. If you go to the gym zero times a week, don’t over do it and start with 6 days a week. Take small, sustainable steps and set reasonable expectations.
Nutrition
The key to sustainability with nutrition is moderation. After Thanksgiving, we made an instagram post that detailed the do’s and don’t for nutrition during the holidays:
Do:
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Enjoy your holiday meals and festivities with family and friends
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Take part in traditions social experiences which involve food
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Use the Plate Method for most meals, but enjoy some dessert too!
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Prioritize protein intake to make sure you get enough
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Drink a lot of water
Do NOT:
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Restrict calories severely following the holiday
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Over indulge and then over-restrict the following days
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Stress about calories and food…enjoy the time with your friends and family
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Go off the wall and have excess amounts of food. Be reasonable, have a good meal but don’t overstuff yourself to the point of sickness!
There are a few things that will easily make me cave in…cannolis, peanut butter, and the specialty Christmas donuts at Krispy Kreme. I normally don’t eat them on a typical day, but during the holidays and social gatherings, I’ll have the treat and enjoy the food available to me. The following day, I do not change my routine– I don’t do extra cardio to burn more calories, I do not restrict my food intake, and I do not stress about the food. I just go back to my normal routine and continue on.
Gift Giving
This may not seem fitness/health related but there is a relationship amongst shopping for gifts and health. First, shopping for gifts takes up a lot of time and can induce stress; for example, you may find yourself asking: What do I get my coworker for Christmas? Will my friend like the gift I got them? Who else do I need to buy gifts for, am I missing someone?
According to Statista Research, 50 percent of a survey’s respondents had a New Year’s resolution of “doing more exercise or improving my fitness”, making it the most popular New Year’s resolution goal. This isn’t really that surprising, since most people try to create healthy habits to start off the new year by going to the gym, eating better, and taking a more healthy approach to life. Due to this, gym membership sales drastically increase: IHRSA reports that 12% of all annual gym membership sign-ups happen in January – which is proportionally more than any other month.
*Insert Shameless Plug Here* And this is where the Telos Gift Basket comes in! Telos will be selling gift baskets to make your holiday gift giving experience a little easier. In the basket, there will be gift certificates for personal training/group classes, Telos shirts, and other goodies.
Knowing the statistics and the probability of someone wanting to improve their fitness in the new year, a health-related gift may be the way to go!