Rule #1: Don’t tell yourself you’re going to start in the New Year!
The holidays are a busy time of year; it can be hard to stay both motivated and strict with your eating and exercise. Between cooking, holiday shopping, and parties, it may seem like there is less time for the gym. We have put together some tips to maximize your efforts and stay on track right through December. This is a perfect opportunity to get a jump start on that “New Year’s Resolution” you’ve been talking about since last January.
- Scheduling ahead. Make a brief schedule with an overview of specific events you have coming up, this way you can plan around it. Make note of the days you have off from work and use that extra time to fit in a workout. People often tend to forget they have company coming over or an event to attend which leads to canceled workouts. If you’ve planned ahead on your calendar, then you have already made time to do both, and can avoid missing a workout.
- Increase training intensity. If you are squeezing in a workout, maximize the time you are spending in the gym. Most of us are familiar with high-intensity cardio, but you can also add some intensity to your weightlifting sessions. To increase the intensity of your workouts, decrease the rest periods; add heart pumping movements like step ups, air squats, burpees, or mountain climbers between sets. Try implementing low-rest circuits that challenge your muscles and energy systems. This will help give you accomplish more with limited time. Talk to your exercise physiologist about changing up your exercise routine!
- Self control. The holidays are a good test of mental toughness, if you can be “good” now, you can continue that self control anytime of the year. Use this as a chance to tell yourself that your goals are worth more to you than extra desserts. You will feel much better about yourself knowing that you made progress during these few weeks rather than having to start over on January 1st.
By Tyler Palmquist
