10 Tips To Balance Life, Fitness & Nutrition During The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
By admin
Let the chaos of the holidays begin!
In one week families will be coming together, excess food will be set out to help keep us occupied as we sit down and enjoy one another’s company, and then the hustle and bustle of the most wonderful time of the year will be in full swing.
Life gets busy busy busy. Previous priorities are replaced by new ones which often leads to some sort of unbalance in our lives.
Today, I don’t want to talk about how many calories are in a slice of pumpkin pie or how many burpees you have to do to work off a pile of stuffing. Or even the best holiday workout of your life (that will come after Thanksgiving!).
Today, I want to talk about the balancing act that is necessary to make it through the holidays guilt-free and unscarred.
Scarred, you ask?
Yes, each week that passes during the 6 that lay between Thanksgiving and New Years is a week that causes most of us to go “gosh, I feel so blah right now, I can’t wait for the holidays to be over and to get back to my normal routine.”
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Give yourself a penny each time this phrase or something similar comes out.
We become temporarily scarred at our own weaknesses, disappointed in ourselves at times (though this is completely unnecessary) when we just can’t do the things we were doing for ourselves/our bodies when life was a tad bit slower.
Balance is key, always. And yes, even in hectic times, you can create balance in your life.
Is it possible to not only survive the holidays but feel amazing about yourself from start to finish? To never feel a twinge of guilt, and instead to feel a boatload of pride?
Yes it is!
10 Tips To Balance Life, Fitness & Nutrition During
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
1 – Live by a list.
Stay organized! Nothing creates more imbalance than flying by the seat of your pants. Each night make a list of what needs to be accomplished the next day. This list is just the necessities… then create a second list of what else you would like to get accomplished. Follow the must-do list and if you’re able to cross it all off then move on to the “yay-list”. That’s what I call it because afterwards you get to say “yay, I did this…!”
2 – Eat the pumpkin pie.
That’s right, dig in. If I’ve learned anything from battling my own demons and from working with women it’s that if we deprive ourselves we’ll only cause more harm. Enjoy a sliver of pumpkin pie (or whatever dessert you fancy). But limit it to just 1 serving. If you neglect to do this, you will find yourself face planting into the pie when everyone else is taking their post Thanksgiving nap.
3 – Do Thanks.
Have you done this yet? Doing small kind acts can lead to calmness, happiness, and a better outlook. When like gets crazy, perhaps just stepping back and doing something kind for someone (or yourself) is what you need to come back to the present.
4 – Set weekly goals according to your schedule.
Each Sunday (or whenever), sit down with your calendar and look at what’s ahead. If you know that there is a work holiday happy hour on Tuesday but that’s your normal workout day, then look to see where you can move it to. Perhaps schedule your workout to be done before work instead for that one day? Or pack a lunch and workout during your lunch break. Pre-planning can make a huge difference in productivity. Without it, it’s far too simple to say “oh I have happy hour tonight, I guess I can’t workout.” YES YOU CAN!
5 – Find the party food balance.
Some people say that you should eat a little something before heading to a cocktail party to ensure you don’t overindulge. I’ve learned that’s stupid because I end up eating the same amount of food regardless. Decide what works for you. For me, it’s best not to eat a little something before hand and to simply be conscious of my food decisions. Because people know I’m a healthy eater, it’s a lot easier to do this, as they expect my plate to be pretty controlled and healthy (it’s actually accountability for me). Think about yourself, what works best?
6 – Don’t kill two birds with one stone.
You’ve read it in countless articles I’m sure… that shopping burns “x” amount of calories per hour, or tips on how to get a workout in while you’re running errands. But let’s face it… are you really going to do squats while in the grocery store? Are you really going to power walk while shopping for a sweater for mom? I’m going to go out on a limb and say probably not. Keep balance in your life (and routine) by sticking to an actual workout, even if it’s only 20 minutes long, which is plenty of time for a killer workout.
7 – Balance hydration.
Wine, eggnog, hard apple cider, whatever your cocktail is of choice, they seem to flow more freely during the holidays. I’m right there with you, we have our first wine party in 2 weeks and I couldn’t be more excited. However, alcohol causes a lot of issues… overeating, bloating, excessive calories, etc. Balance it out by playing the 1-1 game. Each time you have a cocktail, follow it up with a glass of water. And even on days when you’re not drinking, up your water intake by 1-3 extra glasses. Why? To help flush out your system, to help keep hydrated during dry winter months, and to help your body run the best it can!
8 – Say no.
Do you have 5 invitations stuck on your fridge for upcoming holiday parties? While they all look like fun and you don’t want to miss out, sometimes it’s important to do just that. The more booked you allow your schedule to become, the harder it’s going to be to balance life. Why is it as kids “no” was such an easy word to say… but for adults it’s so hard for us? Practice this year, do the things you want to do and say no to the things that you really don’t feel in to. There’s no shame in that.
9 – Have daily check-ins.
Can you feel the stress building up already? Each day at the same time, have a 3-5 minute check in with yourself. Take deep breaths, and ask yourself how are things going. Are you following this list? Are you controlling the things you can control, and not focusing on those things you can’t? This simple act can do so much for our inner self.
10 – The most wonderful time of the year.
And finally, create ultimate balance by enjoying life. This is the most wonderful time of the year, and each moment that we spend with family and loved ones is a precious gift. Slow down, savor it, and remind yourself that you’re human. You may not get a chance to create the ultimate table display you saw on Pinterest (really, who does?) or those holiday cards that you wanted to send out may continue to sit on your desk until January… but that’s okay. Find ultimate peace and balance by living life, not pressuring yourself to do more than you can.
What’s the hardest thing to balance during the holidays?
What your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
Personally, the hardest thing for us during the holidays is balancing work. As a business owner, we have to determine what days to close down and which days not to. This is our first year closing our boot camps for an entire week! I’m having heart palpitations just thinking of it!
My favorite dessert? I love homemade pecan pie… but sadly no one has made it for a few years now. Perhaps I’ll step up to the plate? Probably not.