Preparing for the silly season
As the weather warms up with summer approaching that also means the festive season is upon us. This is an exciting time of year for most of us. There are often a lot of work social events, and family & friends catch ups to celebrate the year that was as well as the xmas festivities.
One question I often get around this time of year from my clients is “How do I still have fun and enjoy all of the upcoming events plus stay on track with my health and fitness?” The answer isn’t as simple as you may think. Every person is different and it all comes down to finding balance between your discipline to stay on track and allowing yourself to indulge & have some fun. We are all human after all so it’s important for us all to let our hair down especially over the “silly season”. So, how do we find what works and find a solution that won’t leave you back at square one after all the festivities are over?
The way I like to put it, is to think about it like a plan. We all plan things throughout the year so making a little plan for yourself over this period is much the same. It doesn’t mean you have to write it down necessarily, it could even be a mental plan. Consider the below tips (which I also provide clients when they are trying to solve for this too) when setting out your plan:
Think about each event as they come along. If a particular event is going to be one that may typically be something where you might indulge in different foods & drinks, then set that as a goal to work towards. In the lead up you could ensure your diet and exercise are on point, that way you won’t feel like you have fallen off track just from 1 day.
You may have more than one event on in the same week and that’s ok! Remember not to be hard on yourself for having a bit of fun. This doesn’t happen all the time so it’s important for your mental health that you enjoy yourself, especially after the past 2 years of lockdowns.
The key is to not tell yourself on the days where you don’t have anything on “oh, it’s ok the other days are going to be bad this week so there’s no point staying on track today”. This is typically where people fall down. Just because you have a couple of fun days it doesn’t mean you write the whole week off.
Keep up your normal routine as much as possible. This goes for both your diet and exercise. Try not to fall into the trap or let yourself use the excuse “I’ll start after xmas…”
Exercise is important as always! If you’re consuming extra calories and not burning them off this will make you feel sluggish and potentially make it harder to pick it back up once the season is over. It’s also not about punishing yourself for indulging however, it’s about making yourself feel better. As mentioned above keep up the routine. Keep going to the gym, seeing your personal trainer, and attending those bootcamps. It’s all relative!
There are so many more points I could give you but we would be here all day! The important takeaway from all of this is to have fun, let your hair down, and stay on track at the same time. It is 100% possible!
If you’d like to know more about, or to come and try one of my online or in person group fitness sessions/bootcamps feel free to send me a message via the home page.
Frank