They’re Comin’ for You…

 

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You can run, but they’re everywhere–in your office, in your school, and even in your home!

You can hide in your safe place, but sooner or later, they will find you.  They always find you.

They’re coming for you, and it may already be too late.  The onslaught is set to begin within days if not hours, and if you’re not ready, if you don’t have a plan in place, you will not survive.  

It will start quite nonchalantly, first with the candy corn, then the chewy fruity things, followed by the tiny candy bars that you can’t eat just one of.  After that, they’ll bring the heavy guns to bear: the cookies, the cakes, the pies, and the pastries!   And before you know it, before you realize what’s happening, you’ve been assimilated–you’re stuffing far too many holiday treats down your gullet!

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  You don’t have to surrender to them.  You don’t have to throw away your gains or forfeit all you’ve accomplished and the discipline you’ve forged over the past many months. There is a way to enjoy the holidays and stay on track, and it’s actually quite simple: plan ahead.

How to Survive the Holiday Sweets-Storm

Surviving the sweets-storm can be quite difficult, but it is possible, but you must have a plan.  The plan you come up with needs to be simple and reasonable, and it should allow you to still enjoy your holiday celebrations without losing your mind and hoggin’ down a whole pumpkin pie.  Example plans include:

The Junk-Food Budget: set a maximum number of treats you can eat at a given event.  If you go over, deduct an amount from the next event’s budget.  While the finance department or the IRS won’t be lookin’ over your shoulder, questioning every line of your budget, the future-you will, so keep tight accounts.

The High Fives: have a buddy or family member monitor your sweets intake during the gathering or party.  Every time you go off plan, they get to punch you five times.  Or, better yet, and painful only to your wallet, you owe them $5 for every violation.

The Carrot Contingency: yes, be that guy or that gal who takes veggies to a holiday celebration, and actually eats them instead of that tasty cheesecake.  Note: unless you like cleaning wet toilet paper from your front lawn, I would emphatically, 101% advise against handing out vegetables for Halloween.  Don’t do it.

The Energy of Focused Intention:  the power of intention cannot be overstated.  If your intention is clear and strong, you can accomplish amazing things.  Check out these entries for more on intention: How NOT to Eat that Cookie, and How NOT to Eat that Cookie, Part 2.

Mix and match the above and develop a plan of your own that fits your needs, that’s challenging, and yet fun.  Tweak the plan when needed, but be willing to stick to the essence of the plan even if the steps change.  Whatever plan you come up with, be sure to add a hefty dose of intention; without focused intention, even the best of plans will fail. 

Staying Active During the Holiday Blitz

Just as you need a plan to combat the sweet-treats barrage, you also need a plan for staying active.  No matter how busy things may become, do not neglect your physical fitness training.  At the same time, there’s no need to wear yourself out, so back off a bit, be realistic with your time, and enjoy lighter workouts during the holidays.  

Because of my regularly irregular schedule, I’ve developed suitable workouts for the days when I have less time for my standard morning routine.  Most of the time, my morning routine requires one to one-and-a-quarter hours, but my alternate routines, depending upon my goal at the time, require anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.  The alternate routines aren’t really designed to take me to the next level, per se, but more so to help me remain consistent and in the groove from day to day.

So, consider creating a couple of different workout plans that, at a minimum, will help you maintain your current fitness level and keep you from totally falling off during this festive time of the year.  When developing your plans, think:

• adequate pre-workout warm up
• shorter duration with a good level of intensity
• address strength, range of motion, and endurance 
• one area or goal per workout
• post-workout stretch or cool down recovery

Once you have a plan or three, try them out and adjust as needed.  Consistency is key, but remember, these abbreviated workouts are just substitutes for when time is a factor and you don’t have much of it.

They’re Here, Now!

Well, looks like we’re too late.  The onslaught has begun.

Ready or not, here they come…

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Wishing you the best of the holidays, of fitness, and of health this season!

Eric

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