Sometimes we find ourselves slacking off our exercise routines during the holidays, either due to cold weather, time spent with relatives, general laziness, or the dreaded carb coma. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself gaining 10-15 pounds and losing much of the fitness you’ve worked so hard for. Use these tips to stay motivated and stick to your guns!
- Sign up for an event – Pick an event that’s motivating for you, whether it be a 5k run, a Spartan race, CrossFit competition, Powerlifting meet, etc., and commit to it. Pay your entry fee and tell your friends and family about it so that there’s no backing out! There are many themed events around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other Holidays, so take advantage of them and work towards that goal.
- Find an accountability partner – This can be a training partner or a personal trainer. Someone who expects you to show up to your workouts and put forth some honest effort. Someone you wouldn’t want to let down. If it’s a training partner, try to find one who’s motivating and dependable, otherwise this strategy could backfire on you. Nothing sucks the energy out of a training session more than a partner who doesn’t show up or whines about how much they don’t want to be there. Pick a good partner and be a good partner!
- Make a bet – Challenge friends to see who can lose the most pounds/fat/inches or bet someone that you can lose 10 pounds in a month or complete a half marathon or whatever your goal may be. The bet could be for money, a nice dinner, or loser wears something ridiculous out in public. Use your imagination. The point is to make things fun and create some extra motivation.
- Schedule your workouts and keep a log – Write down your workout dates in advance on a calendar in plain sight and cross them off when completed. Then log each workout in a notebook or online. It will give you satisfaction to mark them off the calendar and see your hard work documented in the log.
- Commit to at least showing up – If you find yourself dreading the thought of doing 45 minutes of cardio or 30 sets of weight lifting or whatever you had planned, at least commit to showing up. Get warmed up, start your workout, and if you still feel terrible then give yourself the option to leave. You might be surprised at how much better you feel after you get started. It’s been said that 90% of success in life is a result of showing up.
Above all, believe in yourself. You can do it! If you have other techniques that have worked for you, feel free to comment below.
