How to stay MOTIVATED during the Holidays

After the end of our Whole Life Challenge I was worried that we’d fall off the wagon and fall back into old habits. Luckily, we’ve done pretty well. We did splurge quite a bit last weekend, but on Monday we were back on track.

However, with the holidays coming temptation to slack on our diet and workouts is HIGH. There are going to be parties and treats and family dinners all the time. But, we don’t want to lose all the progress we’ve made. So here’s how I plan to stay MOTIVATED during the holidays.

Hopefully my tips will help you stay motivated too!

PLAN A RACE

(or other event that you have to train for)

Guess who’s running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon again?
My Momma and I are signed up and we are SO excited! We had a BLAST this year. It was by far the most FUN race we’ve ever ran!
There’s no better way to ensure that I keep my mileage up than signing up for a half marathon! I’ll be doing a modified training plan since I plan on still doing CrossFit. I’ll have to chat with Tyson on modifying a running & CrossFit training schedule for me.
Tyson is also planning a strength competition (for all the local CrossFit gyms) for January. And I am SO STOKED. I love the strength WODs. Pick up something heavy lots of times. You got it, Coach. If I want to compete (and do well) I’m gonna have to keep up my workouts. That’s a no brainer!

PLAN AN EVENT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

We just found out (well… we decided as a family) that we are going on a cruise in February to the Eastern Caribbean. We’ve been to the Western Caribbean twice before and LOVED it. Well… knowing we’ll be spending the majority of our time in our swimsuits is REALLY good motivation!

Also… that dress (we call it the Snooki dress) is a HUGE motivator for me. You can bet your booty that I’d like to wear that dress again. It’s not a dress that gets into the regular rotation of workout clothes and scrubs. I’ve worn it ONCE (and that’s on the last cruise). During the Whole Life Challenge, when I was weighing myself obsessively and the number on the scale wasn’t budging, I tried it on. I got it on, it was a little snug through the tummy and legs, BUT it zipped. lol. I haven’t put it on since, but I’d LOVE to wear it again, and have it fit comfortably. It’s just one of those dresses that just makes me feel GIRLY and pretty and sexy all at the same time.

TAKE BEFORE & AFTER PICTURES

(Pardon my language) Screw the scale.
It has caused me SO much grief over the years and I am now FINALLY enjoying life minus the scale. There are so many other things that can show success with diet and exercise. For instance, BEFORE & AFTER pictures. Or Measurements. That was my biggest lesson during the Whole Life Challenge. I may not have lost much weight but the measurements and pictures proved that my hard work paid off! You could even use a pair of jeans (or other item of clothing) as a measuring tool. Have a pair of ‘skinny’ jeans you want to wear again? Keep those handy and try them on every week and monitor your progress that way. Let those be your motivation!

INDULGE WISELY

That girl is coming to visit tomorrow for 2 whole weeks. And to be honest… a Janae-trip would not be complete without Yogurtland.
It’s the holiday season, we are surrounded by food during this time of year. BUT that doesn’t mean we have to eat ALL of the HOLIDAY things. Just because it has snowflakes on the red & green foil wrapper doesn’t make it special. The folks at Whole9Life had a wonderful article about indulging during the holiday season, check it out. If I indulge I want it to be WORTH it. Eating a bunch of candy, just because it’s in a holiday wrapper does not make ANY sense. I can eat candy at ANY time of the year. I’m an adult. I can buy it myself. Just because it’s sitting on the kitchen counter at work doesn’t mean I HAVE to eat it.
NOW… the things that I am PLANNING on indulging on include my Mom’s stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. My Mom makes the BEST stuffing. I refuse to miss out. And I will have fro-yo with Janae (probably a few times if I’m being honest). So far… those are the only things on my list. It’s only November 18th so I’m sure that list will grow (but not by much).
My point is, don’t suffer through the holidays by cutting out EVERY single treat or savory food. Enjoy this time of year with your family, and that includes indulging here and there. Just don’t eat EVERY single treat that someone offers you. Remember, you have jeans to fit into (or a bikini or a ‘Snooki’ dress).

and last but not least –

MAKE WORKOUTS A PRIORITY

Sure… you have a ton of holiday parties and events to attend. Yes, you are busy. Yup, you need to go shopping, and wrap presents, and do all sorts of things. Your schedule is FULL. So, while you’re looking at that very full schedule, go ahead and schedule in your workouts, too. They deserve just as much attention and are just as worthy of your time as all your other events.
I never have an issue with getting my CrossFit workouts in. I’m at Elevated CrossFit 4-5 times a week. Always. Now… my runs. ehh. Those can be skipped a lot easier in my sleepy-headed state at 5 am in the morning. Especially when it’s cold and my bed is SO warm and I’m snoodling with Diz & Olivia. Now that I have a half marathon in 2 months I need to get my butt out of bed 3-4 times a week and put some mileage on those legs of mine.
Wanna know what does help me get out of bed in the morning to go for a run (or a CrossFit WOD)?
Having a closet full of workout clothes. That probably sounds silly – but – it works for me. I have a TON of workout clothes. And shoes. It’s a sickness really. I’m always on the lookout for new workout clothes.

I feel like I should be embarrassed by the amount of workout clothing I have. (and the amount of shoes…) I really do need some more cold weather gear. Well, cold weather bottoms. All my stuff is boot cut or wide legs, and when it snows/rains here, my pant legs get soaked and it defeats the purpose of staying warm. That or I will treadmill it all winter. It’s always fun to people watch at Gold’s Gym.
Some of my favorites include:
-my new ECF gear. Tyson did a great job of designing the new logo and picked out great colors! (and they match all my Reebok gear!)
-I had a few great runs in my new SmoothFlex Runs (the bright orange ones – technically the color is Vitamin C) and they are SO comfortable. I get a ton of comments on how bright they are. I usually respond that they make me more visible in early morning runs and/or they make me run faster. One lady commented that I looked like an Olympian because all the Olympians run in bright colored shoes. Ya know my 9:00 min pace has got me on track for an appearance at the next Summer Games. 😉
-And my Play Dry Jacket (the grey jacket) is another current fav. I love wearing it to the gym so that I can warm up with it on (because it is SO cold in our gym right now!), it still allows full range of motion. I can do push ups, pull ups, overhead squats, sit ups, etc and it never bunches up or rubs me the wrong way (aka chafe city). I’ve even been layering it under my winter parka so I can wear it at work over my scrubs. Who said fitness clothing only had to be worn to the gym?! Also, bonus points for thumb holes.

So those are my tips for staying motivated during the holidays.
What helps you stay motivated during the holiday season?
What is the ONE treat or savory food that you just have to eat during the holidays?

**Reebok provided me with the Play Dry Jacket and SmoothFlex Run shoes at no cost to me. The opinions expressed in this post are mine.  **