There are two types of people in December:
- “I’ll just maintain and wait until January to get started.”
- “I’m going to lose 20 pounds before the end of the year.”
Which one are you?
Regardless, you’re out of your mind.
If you’re pumping the brakes on the health and fitness train, you’re not really maintaining.
You’re actually moving backwards….
If your train is full steam ahead, you’re not setting yourself up for success either…
You’re going to hate this holiday season and face some major burnout…
Be realistic with yourself and your goals!
It’s a yearly battle I have with clients.
Some don’t want to push at all and others look to push too hard.
A Note for the Waiters
Think about the work you’ve put into this point.
Do you REALLY want to throw all of that away?
Think about all the habits you’ve set in place, the weight you’ve lost, and the confidence you’ve built.
Are you ready to start over January 1, 2020?
Are you truly and honestly okay with putting on 8 to 10 pounds this holiday season?
Do you want to go back to the self-conscious version of yourself?
No! To all of those!
A Note to the Heavy Hitters
Think about all the things you enjoy about the holidays.
Do you really want to pass on ALL the holiday foods, cookies, and beverages?
Do you want to give up time with family for hours in the gym?
Do you want to measure every food and track every calorie at holiday parties and events?
NO! To all of those too!
A Note to BOTH
Do you want your life to suck???
NO! 1,000 times NO!
The holiday season is about happiness, enjoyment, and togetherness.
Whether you’re planning to completely dump your health and fitness goals or press hard this last month, you’re not going to truly experience any bit of that this holiday season.
So how do we get to that? How can we enjoy time with family and friends this holiday season?
Let’s talk numbers for the end of the year….
0.6%
That’s how much weight the average American will gain during the holidays.
Research shows that 0.2% is gained over Thanksgiving, and 0.4% is gained over Christmas.
Are you surprised?
That’s way less than even I thought!
What’s even more surprising is that the majority of this weight is gained in the days FOLLOWING the holiday.
“But I step on the scale the next day and I’m 4 pounds heavier!”
Yes, that’s probably true, but that’s not your TRUE WEIGHT.
Here’s how any holiday goes down:
- You eat off-plan and indulge in some beverages and treats, but probably not as much as you think.
It’s REALLY HARD to eat in a surplus of 3,500 calories (the equivalent to 1 pound) in just one day.
No imagine eating 17,500 calories in one day (the equivalent to the 5 pounds your scale shows).
Oh, and that means you didn’t burn any calories either and you just laid in bed and had someone spoon feed you the whole day.
It’s just not realistic.
Your scale is up because of gut inflammation and water retention.
The true weight gain comes in the days to follow.
The actual holiday serves as the day that initially deviates us from our plan, but when we let that trickle into the next day and the next day and the next, that’s where we begin to pack on the pounds.
I’ve said it HUNDREDS of times – You were not built in a day; therefore, one day does not sabotage you or your progress.
The Majority
Now, I don’t have any true statistics on the exact number of people who say they’ll wait until January 1st to start on their health and fitness goals, but I do know that getting in shape is one of the MOST COMMON New Year’s Resolution.
In 2012, 73% of Americans cited ‘Getting in shape’ as their New Year’s Resolution.
Where we stand right now, over 21% of people have already declared their 2020 goal to be ‘Get in Shape.’
If you fall into that 21+% that’s awesome! But do you want to know the trick to making that resolution stick? The secret to not being a part of the percentage that gives up on their resolution?
TAKE ACTION NOW.
Start with small habits or action steps now and build on those to wrap up 2019.
You’re giving yourself a head start and making it a whole lot easier on yourself once you start on the bigger pieces of your New Year’s Resolution.
Less Than 8%
There are A LOT of people looking to get fit at the start of every new year, but that’s sad is that 92% of these people fail….
I like looking at the bright side – that means 8% succeed!
But why do so many people fail?
Pressure
I’ll be the first to admit that people are hit HARD with the idea of getting fit in the upcoming year.
Sure, it builds excitement, but it also builds PRESSURE.
You see or hear these ads telling you to make it your year to get fit, and you start to feel the pressure to be a part of that.
There’s pressure to start on January 1st and to jumpstart like the rest of the population.
Here’s the thing, pressure creates stress, and do you know what’s bad for weight loss?
Stress…..
Radical Change
I’m no history buff, but let’s take a look at history here, when has radical change EVER been met without massive resistance?
Radical change is HARD.
You are completely changing the norm without any adaptation.
Nobody goes for the mediocre goal as part of their New Year’s Resolution. It’s always “go big or go home.”
Don’t pressure yourself into instant radical change.
Set a goal to make big changes in the year but give it time!
Singular & Fixated Focus
Everyone has a number of pounds they want to lose or a weight they want to get to as part of their New Year’s Resolution.
That’s great, but if you want to be a part of the successful 8%, then you better look beyond just that goal.
Too often people lock in on the big picture, and never think about drawing the outline or coloring in different pieces.
Successful Resolutioners set mini-goals to accomplish and check off along the way.
It allows you to focus on the small piece of the bigger picture and do it really well.
Once you’ve finished that piece, move to the next!
Slowly the picture gets put together and turns into a beautiful (and successful) project!
No Objective Outcome
I hear of lot of “I want to feel better about myself.” Or “I want to have more confidence.”
Or simply “I want to be in better shape.”
But there’s one big problem with those statements.
They’re ALL objective.
There’s no real way to measure it.
You may feel great about yourself one day and terrible the next.
Same for confidence.
Get in shape? What does that look like? What you consider to be in better shape?
Tie an objective measure to it. Give it a number. Something you can measure.
Because not only will that be something measurable for you along the way, it will help you achieve those subjective outcomes you desire.
No WHY
One of the biggest secrets to success.
If you don’t know WHY you made your New Year’s Resolution, then I can almost guarantee you will be a part of the 92%.
There is nothing deeper (mentally and emotionally) tying you to that goal.
Why do you want to lose 25 pounds?
Ask yourself over and over until you get to the pain point or the point where you’re so emotionally tied to it that no outside desire could deter you from achieving your goals.
Understanding your WHY is important year-round, but really being able to connect to that during this last month (really the last quarter) of the year makes it almost necessary.
Your progress slows down, temptations are everywhere, excuses fly through your mind, and you may have already gained a pound or so but I hope those statistics and bits of information wake you up and can get you back on the rod to progress.
I gave you the wakeup call, so now it’s time to leave you with the action steps.
But before we even get to the action step, there’s one important thing to remember this holiday season (and year-round for that matter):
CONSISTENCY IS KING.
Read that again. Real slow.
CONSISTENCY.
IS.
KING.
Nearly 90% of the time consistency is the problem. Not the diet, the training program, or the coach. It’s the lack of consistency, and the belief that overnight results and change are possible.
I said it earlier – you were not built in a day, so you cannot expect your results to happen after one day.
During this holiday season, I want you to focus on enjoying the time with family and friends, focus on consistency, and stop stressing about the little slip ups!
Here are the keys or action steps that will help you stay consistent during the holidays:
Don’t Track Macros on THE Day – Christmas Eve and Day, Hanukah, New Year’s Eve, the day of the company party, or whatever else you have planned this holiday season, don’t track your macros on those days. First, if you’re not preparing the meal, your macros won’t be accurate. Second, it’s one more stressor added to your plate, which can lead to poorer decision making. Use these days as an opportunity to apply the healthy habits and eating skills you’ve developed and practice intuitive eating.
Light Meals Early On – Think lean proteins and green veggies early in the day. These will keep you full throughout the day on a lower amount of calories, so you’re able to enjoy family and holiday meals INTUITIVELY later in the day. BONUS: hitting the protein allows you to continue on the muscle building path and green veggies will help digest and flush everything out from their high fiber content.
Drink Water – Sounds like common sense, huh? It should be, yet most people actually drink less water during the holidays because it’s cold and you FEEL less thirsty and you’re likely out of your routine and probably not thinking about it. But it’s super important for consistency because it fills you up, keeps your muscles and tissues fresh, and is necessary for optimal digestion. Here’s my recommendations for water:
Drink 8 ounces (1 glass) first thing in the morning.
- Drink 8-12 ounces 30 minutes prior to every meal.
- Drink 8 ounces after you’ve finished a meal.
- Drink 8 ounces prior to bed.
Try Fasting – Now, this requires you to know and understand who you are as an eater. Fasting can be a GREAT tool for some and an AWFUL tool for others. If you can do it, it’s a great tool for saving calories or bouncing back after an overindulgence; however, if you’re not accustomed to fasting, it can lead to bigger and more severe binges. I recommend beginners try a 10 to 12 hour fast first (maybe 3 to 5 days prior to the event) and see if the day of the fast can be stretched to 14 to 16 hours.
Protein First – I don’t know about you, but growing up, the cookies and desserts were ALWAYS first on my plate. Oh, how I’ve wised up with age… Or I just realized it’s not great for my weight or my gut… BUT protein should always be the first thing on your plate or what you pick out first off, the menu. It’s satiating and able to fill you up quicker. The protein may not be prepared as cleanly as you would during a typical week, but it might just be one of the healthiest options.
Put Down the Utensils – Why do we feel the need to make every meal a speed eating event? Well, it’s probably because we’re in such a hurry to get to the next thing that we feel it’s necessary. It’s not! This holiday season take one bite and put the fork down.
Enjoy the food, focus on chewing, and take part in conversation or the environment. By doing this, you’re giving your gut and brain the opportunity to get on the same page, digest properly, and signal to you when you’ve had enough.
Set a Timer – Maybe rushing through your meals isn’t the problem, but you struggle to cut yourself off from grazing through the buffet table. Whether you’re a speed eater or a slow grazer, set a timer for yourself. Make it a point to make your food last in the allotted time, and if you’re slow, use it as a cut off time.
Train Hard – It’s been all about nutrition to this point, but don’t think I forgot how training factors into consistency. Get yourself to the gym and in the workout and really PUSH yourself. Earn the food you’re planning to eat! Aim for full body workouts that hit a LOT of body parts, and keep the reps within the range of 15 to 20. These are great for depleting more glycogen, get your heart and blood pumping, and increase your insulin sensitivity to better utilize the foods taken in. The biggest thing is to do something that’s challenging for YOU!
Trust me, I get the holidays are hard!
I fight the same battle as you – I want to really crush my goals before the end of the year and I want to enjoy time with family and friends.
Do I make mistakes?
Yep.
But the important piece is that I’m taking action, being realistic, and focusing on consistency.
Don’t make this time of year any more stressful or challenging, but get started and focus on you.
Need help doing that? Feel like you’re unable to be consistent?
Let me help – CLICK HERE NOW – we’ll set up a Free Strategy Call to map out your future results.
About The Author
Jordan Davies is the Co-Owner of Complete Performance. Jordan has her B.S. in Exercise Science and Psychology, and her M.A. in Holistic Health Studies. She is a CSCS certified strength and conditioning coach, and a PN-1 and NCI-1 certified nutrition coach. She loves to study how the human body needs to be moved and nourished and making that fit to your unique lifestyle. Click Here Now to Apply for Coaching with Jordan.
