Holiday Game Plan
/PANIC!!!!
It’s November and the stores are already reminding us that the Holidays start sooner and sooner every year. Which, let’s be honest, is bad enough in itself without adding the fact that surveys have found that people gain SEVEN to TEN pounds from Thanksgiving to Christmas. SEVEN TO TEN POUNDS! Um, what?!?! That’s like a 6’ aluminum step ladder, a medium sized bowling ball… or a newborn baby! I mean, we’ve all heard talk about the “food baby,” bet you didn’t realize that’s literally what the holidays can do to people… But not you, not this year. The “survey of "people" won’t be you.
So what are you going to do? Start now. Right now is the time to create a holiday game plan and choose to create healthy and maintainable habits so you can avoid being a statistic.
First things first; you have to make a decision. You’ve already decided that you are NOT progressing backwards this holiday season, so your next decision is whether you want to maintain the progress you’ve made all year, or if you want to continue to see results.
You won’t get judgement for me no matter what you choose. “Maintain, don’t gain” has been my motto for many holiday season past. However, this year I’m going to push for results (yikes!). I’m being realistic about this goal, though, and realizing that my results will likely be slower during the holiday season than during the “normal” year. After all, the holidays kick off with my birthday, then I’ve got Thanksgiving with The Engineer’s family, work holiday parties, and (the most challenging part), two weeks in Europe with my family for Christmas.
But I already know these things are coming. By planning ahead and putting these events on paper, I can work my holiday game plan around these events. I’ll eat “extra” clean the week of each event, and I’ll remind myself of my go-to strategy that helps me focus the holiday parties on something other than the finger food (I’ll share that with you soon!). I’ll leave my holiday survival guide somewhere easy to access with my game plan on top.
So what can you do? First, check in with your “person.” If you have a person, you know who I’m talking about. It’s your personal trainer, your health and fitness coach, or your friend that keeps you accountable and motivated. If you don’t have a person, get one! If you belong to a gym, find out if they offer coaching or training sessions (many offer free consultations or discounted trial sessions). Not sure who to ask? Watch how different trainers work with and interact with their clients; find one that seems like s/he would be a good fit for you. Or, of course, you could always work with me!
Next, make a game plan! Figure out your holiday season goals. Maintenance or results? Then figure out how you are going to do it and WRITE it down! Don’t just keep it in your head- putting goals on paper make them more real. Trust me, just do it.
What else can you do? Watch for my updated Holiday Survival Guide coming soon. The guide I offered for free last year was a hit, and I’m convinced that version 2.0 will be even better!
No matter what you do, don’t ignore the upcoming season. It’s happening whether you like it or not. You can choose to ignore it (and gain a baby!) or plan for it and start the New Year strong. It’s your choice, but you know what I’m going to do…
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