Strategies for staying consistent during the Holidays
We all know consistency with movement is important to living a healthy, full life.
…and we all know that’s way easier said than done.
Whether it’s during the holidays, Summer wedding season, school starting up, WHATEVER- life will get busy & we will be faced with the challenge of HOW to keep moving & grooving with our fitness routine. It’s a struggle we can count on, so let’s talk through some strategies you can lean on:
Create flexibility.
If your routine isn’t flexible, it’s going to crumble quick. You may have even experienced this in the past or maybe currently are.
Avoid assigning specific days of the week to a specific workout; doing this puts you in a rigid box with few options to adjust to. [That means “leg day Monday” is more problematic than productive.] It could also be helpful to stop creating a plan revolving around X number of workouts each week.
Instead:
Consider taking your program & adapting it to each individual week. Maybe on this particular Monday you’d benefit from a rest day (*GASP*) instead of leg day!
Set your sights on a goal number of workouts to complete for the month, instead of making a “rule” to do X number of lifts each week. You might not always have time or energy for 3 lifts each week, but maybe this week you can fit in an extra & create more down time next week.
My personal favorite strategy to ingrain flexibility into a workout routine is to take the “snaking” approach. “Snaking” workouts means you create a plan based on your ideal week (X lifts/week, full-body split, etc.) & never miss of skip a workout because you simply shift it over to start the next week. That way you continue with the full plan & intended progressions & can remove guilt from “missing” something.
Keep the door open to movement
Keep the door open to movement!
If you’re feeling a lot of resistance to getting to the gym, try the “just the warm-up” approach. You’re not committing to the entire workout, you don’t need to be there for more than 10 minutes. You’re going to do just the warm-up & see how you feel from there. A lot of the time I find clients who use this approach end up completing the entire thing simply because once they got moving, they started feeling better & even wanted to be there. BUT if that’s not the case, you still prioritized movement & did something. Something is always better than nothing.
Side note: You can apply the “just the warm-up” approach to every piece of your workout. After doing the warm-up, you can change it to “just the first exercise” and so on until you decide you do or don’t want to keep going.
So keep the door open to movement… but also keep your mind open to movement! We don’t always need to be in the gym, at a workout class, etc. to get movement in. Lean into non-traditional forms of movement; go on an evening walk with the fam, stretch it out during your fav holiday movie, rake the leaves in the backyard.
Movement is movement is movement.
And again, something is always better than nothing.
be more efficient with your time
This really comes down to being intentional of what you’re doing in your workouts. First & foremost, that means having a plan of some sort. If you’re not working with a coach, you can still make your own plan (I give you tips on this inside my lifting guide, Break Down the Basics).
So if you know time is of the essence you could try:
Making your workout time-based & complete whatever you can within that time
Do your primary lifts now & accessory work later on (this may require another visit to the gym at a later time OR combining this with another workout later in your week)
Do your primary lifts now & skip the rest! (Same as above but we’re just moving on to the next workout without bringing anything over from this one)
Put opposing movement patterns or muscle groups into supersets, not resting until you complete both exercises
Make a circuit out of your accessory lifts, going from one to the next with minimal rest
take actions that lead to success
Control what you can control & take actions NOW that align with what you want to do LATER.
Lay out your gym outfit the night before.
Set a timer to remind yourself to get to bed at a decent hour.
Set your alarm for a reasonable time so you’re less tempted to hit the snooze 18 times.
Keep your gym bag packed & at the door… or in the front seat of your car!
Schedule a session with a friend, sign up for a group class or start with a trainer that creates some accountability with someone else.
Stop skipping breakfast & prioritize lunch so you’re not sluggish & hangry for that lift after work.
There’s a million things we could outline here to help lead you to success, but what’s most important is that you know what will help YOU get there. If you want to brainstorm some ideas, I’m always around & happy to help. Send me an email here!
Figuring out how to stay flexible, keep the door open to movement, be more efficient with your time & take actions that lead to success will undoubtedly lead you to a more consistent busy season this go-around. If you have questions about anything I shared above, ask them in the comments!
Have any strategies to add to this post that help you keep moving? Share those below, too!
HEY, I’M KIRSI!
Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women build strength, lift with purpose & move better
with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.
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