Hey hey #fitfam! The holidays are fast approaching and for many of us, it’s the hardest time of the year to maintain a healthy diet AND consistent workout routine. All of the festive times and never-ending cookie and snack trays that seem to be everywhere make it extremely difficult to resist the temptation to eat delicious goodies. We must also factor in the unlimited party invites where plentiful meals and overflowing beverages are a guaranteed hurdle for the health conscious. But, rest easy as I will be sharing my personal tips to beat the bulge and maintain your consistency through the rest of the year and BEYOND!
The best thing you can do for yourself during the holidays is accept defeat. Yes, I said accept defeat. The temptation will be overwhelming if you deny the fact that something will find its way into your tummy. An approach that I have found to offset the temptation is to plan the failure and work around it. If you have an event coming up where you may want to have some wine or a sweet snack, plan your calories and exercise to offset the consumption. Trying to pretend that you don’t want those things will only bring on guilt if you do indulge. In the same vain as accepting defeat, I recommend that you avoid starving yourself during the holidays to the point that you become malnourished or grumpy. Instead, manage your portions and keep a food diary to track what your consumption is from week to week. Lastly, no matter how hectic the season becomes for you, make time to exercise and give back to your body through activity.
Bonus tip: Love on your family and enjoy the cheerful season!
Lastly, I have training programs as low as $75/month that will supplement and guide you to your goals.
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Website – Total Camo Fitness
Thanks for sharing, holidays are the most stressful times of the year for me although I know they should not be.
What with buying presents, with questions like how much do I spend, will they like the present etc. The get-togethers even with family members you only see once a year and all that.
I have really enjoyed your post.
Oh-em-gee, the stress is crazy this time of year. From Halloween to the day after New Year’s, its like a whirlwind of ‘stuff’ to do and places to be. Sprinkle in family visits and it makes you wonder why we do it…then we get together and enjoy the feel of family and the outpour of love and cheer. I wish you and your family a happy holiday season and beyond.
This has come at the perfect time! I’ve been worried about the holidays as I’m currently on my weight loss/fitness journey but not only are the holidays coming, my birthday is the same week as Christmas lol I’ll absolutely make a point of keeping my exercise up over that period! Thank you!
Hi Katherine! Wow, you have a doubt whammy coming up, be vigilante and remain consistent but don’t restrict yourself too much. Offsetting a little holiday fun with exercise is a great strategy.
I agree with everything you’ve said. This will help so many people be well during the holidays and truly enjoy their meals. Thank you!
Akansha, thank you for reading and providing feedback.
I am going to use your advice to ‘accept defeat’ but keep up the exercise schedule.
Stephanie, I wish you luck in maintaining your schedule. A tip that might help, visit YouTube and find a few new routines to keep it fresh. Caroline Girvan has an amazing catalogue of videos.
So true!! We can’t restrict ourselves or it will only lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and inevitably lead us to failure. Life’s too short not to enjoy a little wine lol 🍷
Big facts Noelle! We cannot pretend we are robots who can be program to do anything longterm. Every habit that is too restrictive will meet its demise given enough time.
Accepting defeat is hard but super important around this time of year. Always such a hard thing for me to do. So essential to not letting defeat discourage you. Thanks for the great post!
Brooke, you are correct, acceptance is very hard. Understanding that you will face challenges this time of year is a key facet to success as you can plan for and expect them.