Don’t Sweat The Holidays

They are baaaackkkkk!!!

The holiday season is arriving, heck it might already be here!?! I saw Christmas decorations going up a week ago for display at a local store.  It seems like this time of year comes way to quickly and goes on forever.   No one ever seems ready for it to get here, but at the same time we can’t get enough of it.

This time of year is probably the most dangerous for those of us that have fitness related goals.  There are so many obstacles that stand in the way of maintaining or reaching your goals during the holidays.   There is the lack of time, family gatherings, parties, travel and numerous other challenges that will keep your waist growing instead of shrinking!

There are a few things that I seem to write about each year with regards to staying in shape and I will probably repeat most of them today.    It is good to be reminded of the simple things you can do so that you don’t have to ask for a new pair of pants in a size or two larger for Christmas.

The first thing that you have to do is plan and prepare.  You have to understand what things are going to present you with the biggest challenges and then plan to overcome them.  Having your nutritional strategies in place for parties and your workouts planned for the busy weeks ahead is imperative to your success.   Like my good friend the GI Joe states, “Knowing is half the battle!”  (Sorry for the terrible cartoon reference.)

When planning to eat right and keep some sort of normal eating patterns during this time of year you need to plan all of your meals or at least 90% of them at the beginning of the week.  If you know you will have a party or family gathering where you will be tempted to have lots of junk food plan to eat a small, healthy meal right before hand and then eat just a small amount of the “good” stuff when you arrive.  This will help to keep you from gorging yourself of junk.

Another thing to think about is alcohol during these parties!   I am not one to say you can’t have a little fun and cut loose with a  few drinks, but you have to stay smart about it.     If you are planning on drinking alternate each drink with a large glass of water or another non-calorie containing drink (a Diet Coke with lime will give you the appearance of having an adult beverage without the extra calories, as will club soda or diet ginger ale.)    Try to avoid drinks with sugary additives to them and stick to non-calorie containing mixers.  If you are a beer fan drink light if you have the option and keep it to a minimum.   One or two drinks a couple (that means one or two) nights per week shouldn’t kill your progress or cause you to have to go buy a larger belt, but it isn’t going to make things any easier.

For myself, if I plan on going out and having a few adult beverages, I make it a priority to eat strictly to my plan for the rest of the week and that day.

If you are having trouble finding time to workout there are lots of options during this time of year.  It can become increasingly difficult to make it to the gym for your regular 45 minute workouts with travel and busy schedules but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop working out and making progress.  I have experienced some great results with clients and myself using quick 15-30 minute high intensity interval workouts throughout the week.

If you are pressed for time and space there are a lot of body weight exercise options that can be done in a small area and give you a great workout.

Here is a video of one that I did the other day when pressed for time and it was brutal.  I only needed my body weight and 7′X7′ area to move around in.  I would guess that you can find both of those things in any hotel or family members house.

Click here to see the video: http://www.workoutmuse.com/30-minute-workout

Performing these type of workouts is the perfect answer to a time crunched schedule and limited space/equipment problems.

I generally shoot to complete 2-3 of these workouts mixed with 2-3 strength based workouts using mini circuits each week.  A lot of weeks when I pressed for time I will complete all of workouts in this fashion and try to get in 4-5 each week.

Remember to let yourself have a little fun and don’t stress too much if you slip up and eat poorly at a few parties or miss a few workouts during the busiest times of the year.  You have to maintain a balance in life and having a bit of fun and not beating yourself up over the little things is all apart of that balance.

Remember the email about “The Present”?   Don’t worry about the past, we can’t change it. Simply plan to do the best you can during that exact moment in time and do what you need to have a successful future!

I will bring you more tips on how to stay lean and fit during the holidays in the coming weeks.  Let me know your biggest issues and I will tackle each of them!

P.S.   Very soon we will be releasing our very own Workout Muse Soundtracks that we were lucky enough to be able to Co-Brand with my good friends over at Workout Muse.   If you want to see the cover click on this link: http://www.workoutmuse.com/30-minute-workout.    This will be perfect to take with you where ever you go to get in some awesome workouts and not miss a beat with your training program.