Stay on Track During the Holiday Season
I genuinely love the winter holidays. If you know me, you know every year for Friendsgiving I put on my Susie homemaker apron, and get to cooking a comforting feast. I prep giant batches of tamales and vegetarian pozole for Christmas, and who doesn’t love a good egg nog or coquito at a holiday party?
I know the holidays can be a daunting time if you’re on your fitness journey, but you can definitely make the most out of your time with loves ones, enjoy your favorite foods, and not de-rail the progress you’ve worked so hard for!
Set Realistic Expectations
Your fitness journey is non-linear. There will be times of growth, times for fat loss, and times to focus on maintenance. Holiday season might be a good time to focus your attention on maintaining the progress you’ve made so far.
You may not be able to train with the same volume and intensity you normally do, and that’s okay. You might be traveling, having guests over, and your gym will likely be closed on certain days. If you’re currently on a fat loss journey, losing 1-2lbs a week could feel harder because you still want to enjoy meals with your loved ones.
Shifting to a maintenance mindset will prevent you from feeling discouraged if you aren’t seeing the scale go down, or your lifts aren’t going up.
Focus on staying active. Workout in the gym when you can, do body weight exercises at home. Go on walks, hikes, or fun runs.
2. Plan ahead
Planning ahead can keep you structured and disciplined. If you plan on traveling, try researching gyms in the area ahead of time. Find out what their drop in rates are, and if it fits in your budget. I also highly recommend purchasing a pair of resistance bands and traveling with them. Resistance bands are a great way to get in a workout on-the-go.
Make sure you also take a look at your itinerary. Plan out your workout days in advanced. If you’ll have access to a kitchen, do some light grocery shopping on your arrival day so you can still eat for your goals on days you aren’t feasting.
3. Practicing Mindful Nutritional Habits
Focus on the nutrients: Load up on nutrient-dense options like lean proteins and vegetables. This will help you feel full and satisfied while balancing out the more indulgent options.
Portion control: You can still enjoy your holiday favorites! We just want to enjoy them in smaller portions.
Stay hydrated: Adequate water intake can help manage hunger cues and keep your metabolism running smoothly
Practice mindful eating: Take sips of water in between bites, slow down when you eat, and stop eating when you’re full or almost full.
Don’t skip breakfast or lunch: I know it’s tempting to skip meals before a dinner extravaganza, but you’re not “saving” calories by doing this. You’re actually building your hunger levels to the point that you end up over eating during dinner. Have a modest breakfast and lunch.
And most importantly…
Understand that 1 or 2 indulgent dinners will not completely de-rail your progress. Even if you gain a pound or two, you can easily get back on track. You don’t need to detox. You don’t need to severely restrict your calories the day after. You don’t need to do hours of cardio to burn those calories. Just enjoy the time with your friends and family, and hop back into your regular workout routine and meal plan as soon as you can.
Need help creating a holiday game plan to make sure you stay on track?
Schedule a Holiday Coaching Call.
