You don't need to 'stay on track' at this time of year.
You might read the title of this blog and think, ‘that’s a weird message for a personal trainer / nutritionist to be sharing. Shouldn’t they be telling us the opposite?’, and I would agree with at least half that sentiment. Yes, it is a strange message for someone in my field to be sharing, but I nonetheless think it’s both important, and correct.
There is no singular ‘correct’ approach to weight loss, exercise, nutrition, health – anything, really – and so I want you to keep that in mind over the next week or so around the holidays. If you are willing and able to stay on top of all your regular exercise and nutrition goals over the festive season, that is fantastic – you should be happy with your efforts. But it’s not a binary matter – just because you aren’t able to keep on top of all your regular goals and habits doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be pleased with your efforts.
The festive season is a time of year when nearly everyone is able to slow down, take some time off work, and really relax and re-charge. That shouldn’t be taken for granted, and nor should the importance of actually taking a break from your regular routines and goals.
That’s why I suggest, instead of trying to maintain all your regular exercise habits and goals, setting yourself some different, less demanding objectives over this period of time. That’s what I’ll be doing this year!
This, to me at least, is a happy compromise. You have targets in place to ensure a minimum level of activity, parameters in place to make sure you continue to have a (mostly) nutritious diet, but you also take the pressure off yourself to achieve these demanding (and sometimes tiring) goals. This will allow you to enjoy and benefit from the festive period, and not leave you in one of two extremes in January:
Regretting your total loss of routine and how much you ‘set yourself back’
Regretting not actually allowing yourself a break, and benefitting from the chance to rest and recover
For most people, living in the extremes doesn’t lead to happy or successful outcomes. So, don’t feel obliged to try and stay on track this festive season. Allow yourself some flexibility, enjoy time with loved ones (or some well-earned, peaceful alone time), without completely abandoning all your healthy habits. Set yourself on a different, easier track for a few weeks.
Remember, there’s no ‘right’ way to approach the holidays – just the way that’s right for you.
