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Rain. Cold. Bulk. Vacation. Chilly. Soup. Holidays. Break. Comfort. Wind.
These are all words that come to mind when i look out the windows of the gym at the grey skies indicative of the coming storm. From Halloween through New Year’s Day is what we have the pleasure of calling the ‘holiday season’, a time where family and friends come together to celebrate with each other and genuinely enjoy each others company. While there are obviously huge benefits to spending time connecting with others in a deep and meaningful way, as we do during the holidays, there are also huge benefits to keeping up with your fitness routine.
I read a statistic recently that stated between Thanksgiving and Christmas the average American puts on 7-10 pounds. Thinking about it, this is almost impossible and deeper research lead to the more reasonable finding of a one pound gain over the month. Regardless of how you feel after the holidays, the weight is almost negligible and shouldn’t be a factor in you not eating this or indulging in that dessert. After all, I’ve always preached happiness, enjoyment and balance above all else.
What I do find slightly concerning is how the words at the top of this page (with the exception of soup), generally effect people’s gym attendance during this time. There has been a noticeable drop in class size the past week and I want to make sure we’re all on the same when it comes to seeing the results we’re looking for out of this membership.
Since weight gain is no longer the issue with the holidays, I think the real downfall is the decline in keeping your consistent, automatic, fitness routine from the Spring and Summer. We’re blessed to live in a city where the sun shines 340+ days a year and it’s easy to find motivation when the beach is constantly calling. It’s much harder to lace up the old tennies when there’s a cloud in the sky or a slight gust of wind calls for an additional layer.
Trust me, I even need an extra push these days and that usually comes in the form of taking a class or slamming a NOCCO. What Meagalife, Dani, Mike and I don’t let happen too often is missing entire workouts. Yes, it’s our profession and yes, our reason for keeping in shape might be different than yours but like you, we also want to look better naked. We understand the value of consistency and always want to lead from the front and practice what we preach.
So here are some actionable tips to keep you on track for the next few weeks before the universal motivator, “NEW YEAR, NEW ME #YAAAAAAAAAS!!” comes into play.
Figure out your WHY. Why do you workout? Why did you start? Where did you want to be by the end of 2019?
Find an accountability partner to keep you on track (this is probably the easiest solution, find someone that comes to the same class as you and hold each other to coming to a certain amount of classes each week)
Write the days of the week you want to workout on your calendar and DO NOT miss these days, no exceptions
Take a gym bag to work so you don’t have to go home, see your pet rabbit and plop onto the couch before coming back to the gym
Take advantage of the 530a class if that’s an option so you don’t have to workout later in the day
Go to sleep in your workout clothes (shoes too) so you can literally run out the door
Set up a reward system for sticking to your workouts. Make 16 workouts in December, buy yourself that watch. Don’t make this a habit, the best results come from motivation within
Join a class style fitness studio. It might be a little more than you're used to paying but the extra money may just be the incentive you need to get moving, also you may just find you like working out with people.
There are plenty of tricks to setting up success in winter; there are also tons and tons of excuses. You know what they say about excuses...
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