Halloween is officially over, so it is time to put up my Christmas tree. While I might not be completely kidding, 2020 with all its’ drama has gone by quickly. This means that the holidays season is already upon us with the accompanying chaos of juggling everything the season brings and continuing to take care of ourselves.
Granted we do not need additional chaos to our already chaotic day, but since the joy and extra activities of the holiday season can be somewhat unavoidable, it is up to us to make sure we are continuing to make our healthy living a priority.
Part of being balanced with our health and well-being means being able to enjoy those special times in life. Being able to enjoy the food that is associated with our holiday celebrations, being able to enjoy time with our family and friends is a critical aspect of having balance and joy in our lives.
The challenge lies in finding the balance. That balance means that even with all the busyness and fun of the holidays, our workouts cannot be neglected or forgotten. The holidays are not a reason to take a pass on working out or on our self-care.
Ultimately, we want to keep moving forward with our fitness journey, regardless of the season we are in, instead of regressing because we let our workouts take a backseat to everything else, we have going on.
Before we get knee-deep into the holidays, it is important to make sure we have the tools we need to know what we can continue to see forward progression with our workouts.
Let’s start planning:
The huge benefit that we have with the holiday season is that a lot of the fun activities we will be participating in are pre-planned. The spontaneity can still occur, but for the most part, we have a fairly decent idea of the events we will be attending.
1. Grab your calendar
Whatever calendar is your primary source of keeping your life organized, and make sure it is current with the holiday happenings you have already committed to attending. Being committed to your workout journey is not something that can happen on a whim.
There is an element of planning that needs to occur so you can make sure you are allocating your time correctly. Our days are busy and there are constantly things and pulling us in so many directions, that it is easy to put our workouts as our lowest priority because have so many other things that feel more important.
2. Be flexible
We are creatures of habits and routines. While the holiday season is temporary, it might mean being flexible with your workout schedule to accommodate the extra activities.
Be willing to switch your workout days or times depending on what you have going on in your schedule. If you know you are not a morning workout person, especially after a late night, do not plan a workout for an early morning post a fun night. That snooze button will get hit on repeat and the workout will not happen.
Grab this workout!
- Every Minute on the Minute
- 10 minutes
- 8 Renegade Rows
3. Give yourself a goal
Sometimes the best thing we can do to stay accountable to ourselves is to give ourselves something we want to accomplish. The great part about setting a goal is that it can be whatever works the best for you.
Maybe you set the goal of working out a certain number of days per week. Maybe your goal is to accomplish a certain exercise or set a personal record on a specific exercise. Regardless of the goal, having something to work towards is a great motivator to keep your workouts going.
Need a goal? Grab this bodyweight workout!
- AMRAP
- 5 minutes
- 5 crunches
- 5 push-ups
- 5 squats
Do this workout on the same day once a week. Make it your goal to add on around every week until the New Year!
4. Have an accountability partner
One of my primary goals, when I became an instructor, was to create a community where people could come together to support each other in getting stronger and healthier.
When we have someone in our corner, who we know will encourage and support us, stepping into our strength, and taking care of ourselves does not seem as daunting of a task. When you embark on your workouts through the holidays, let someone who you trust know your plans.
Enlist them to help hold you to your goals and do the same for them. Check-in with each other, motivate each other, and support each other. Then being consistent and showing up for yourself so you can get your workout handled will not seem as hard.
Working out in general is not hard. It is simply a matter of finding something you like to do that is active, and doing that activity consistently. Being consistent with your workouts means making your workouts a priority regardless of what else is going on in your life.
While that thought can seem overwhelming, especially if you are new to working out, being intentional, and taking steps to make sure your workouts and self-care stay a priority will help to keep you accountable to your fitness goals.