What are the REAL reasons you struggle during the holidays (and each vacation etc)?!

■Poor Mindset: If you think you will fail, then you most likely will! We have to get rid of all or nothing black or white thinking and aiming for perfection. We also have learned behaviors and patterns over the years that we subconsciously fall into every holiday season.

■Poor Goals: If the goal itself is not realistic, we won’t be likely to stay motivated to keep working towards. We tend to set unrealistic expectations on ourselves during this time of year. We need personalized and tangible goals so we don’t get discouraged and we stick with our routines.

■Poor Structure: We as humans thrive on expectations and structure. Without these, we can’t follow through and make progress to our goals! Without them, we are just on a hamster wheel on being “on & off” and never making any progress. During the holidays we tend to put our health lower on the priority list. This year we need to change our focus to have both our health and our To Do List equal in importance.

Let’s also not forget about…

1. Societal norms (everyone else says just to wait until the new year)

2. Self fulfilling prophecies (you’ve failed in the past, so this year won’t be any different)

3. Lack of a plan (you’re going in blindly + lack of habits)

4. Unrealistic expectations (setting the bar too high, where you can’t reach the goals, then you get discouraged & give up)

5. You’ve been trying so hard (on your own) all year round and you’re just…tired. And a little discouraged. So you say you need a break.

Again, I get it! These are all valid points. But that doesn’t mean we have to believe and act on them.

UNPOPULAR TRUTHS:

•There will always be some excuse or reason why to “hold off” and wait

•Procrastination makes things WORSE and MORE work later

•You CAN enjoy the holidays without sacrifice and extremes

•It IS possible to keep to a routine without missing out or taking time away from your memories

•A healthy routine and lifestyle will ENHANCE your holiday experience, not take away from it!

So, how do we break out of this cycle?!

I’ve learned over the years of how to have a BALANCED holiday season (and LIFESTYLE) this is exactly what I help clients with now!

Here’s where to start:

1. Be honest: acknowledge the mental (and any physical) blocks from getting started.
2. Improve your mindset: use mantras, positive statements & start changing your vocabulary from “this is hard” to “this is challenging but I’ve got a plan to overcome it”.
3. Start small: commit to a healthy habit (or two) that you can maintain going into next month, next year. Make realistic expectations given your circumstances.
4. Create accountability: maybe this is planning out your meals (and prepping some) on the weekends, writing out your workouts on your calendar, or meeting with a trainer or coach. Consider keeping a pact with a friend to walk or to have a call each week to de-compress.
5. Check in each week: how are you doing, what’s working & what’s not. Adjust accordingly!