How to Stay Consistent During the Holidays

Welcome back to the Total Performance Newsletter! If you are a new subscriber and did not receive previous editions, check out the "Newsletter" tab on my website (www.totalperformance-pt.com) and they are all posted there. This month, we will continue to take a look at some specific movement and injury-related issues that commonly arise and how to deal with them.

Before we dive into today's topic, I wanted to give a quick social media plug. Follow us on Instagram (@total_performance_pt) and Facebook (@Total Peformance Physical Therapy). I have been more active in those places and will be making regular posts on ways to further help you move better, feel better, and perform better!

Getting back to today's newsletter, we're going to focus on some tips to help you stay on track with your health, fitness, and rehab goals during the holiday season. These types of lists are everywhere and there are countless strategies and pieces of advice on this topic, but this newsletter is going to focus on just 4 that I find to be useful and practical.

The basis behind each of these tips is to allow you to ENJOY the holidays WITHOUT RESTRICTION. Yes, you read that correctly, we can still stay on track with our goals without having to restrict ourselves or miss out on anything. I will explain how below.

1. Progress is not made nor ruined in 1 day (or even 1 week)

   • This is more of a mindset shift than it is an actionable tip, but it's an important one to start off with. An extra slice of pie will not cause you to gain weight in a day (any fluctuation in the scale is just your body holding onto water-we do not gain or lose fat/muscle that quickly). Missing a workout or skipping your home exercises for a day or two won't derail your fitness or rehab progress. Just like positive, long-lasting results are due to consistent action over a long period of time, negative, long-lasting results are also due to consistent action over a long period of time. Driving yourself crazy over fluctuations on a shorter timeline is likely more detrimental than the extra dessert or missed workout actually is. The key here though, is to make sure you get back on track as soon as possible-do not let a day or a week turn into a month.

2. Plan ahead

   • If you know you have a holiday dinner party and the desserts are going to be irresistible, be sure to make healthy choices for breakfast and lunch. If you are going to be away for a few days with limited time for exercise, be sure to get in some good training sessions before you head out of town. If you are going to have limited access to equipment, find alternative exercises that target the same goals-a qualified coach/physical therapist can help you with this. Whatever your situation may be, a little planning will go a long way in making sure you stay on track with your goals without having to miss out on any quality time with family and friends.

3. A little goes a long way

   • This one is more exercise-related. Holiday season is a busy time-shopping, traveling, work parties, family and friend get-togethers, it can be challenging to find time for your normal workout/rehab exercise routine. That's totally fine. Here is where a little goes a long way. Maybe your usual 60 minutes in the gym isn't feasible-set the clock for 20 minutes (or whatever you have time for), pick a few exercises, run them as a circuit, and get out of the gym (my newsletter from September discusses this topic in more detail-there is a link above in the first paragraph where you can find that newsletter). Maybe you have a list of 10 home exercises you do for your shoulder rehab-pick 3-4 of the most important ones and stick with those. Don't even have time for a quick gym session or some home exercises? No worries, grab some friends and family and go for a walk in the neighborhood. Again, every situation is unique, but do not worry about being perfect with your normal routine-any bit that you can manage will help move the needle in the right direction.

4. Keep it simple

   • This one piggybacks off the previous tip. When you're busy and have other priorities, it is not the time to try a bunch of new exercises or introduce new things into your routine. Keep it simple, stick to things you are familiar with and that work for you, get it done, and go have fun with your family and friends. In reality, the holiday season is just a few weeks-once it's over, you can refocus your efforts. For now, leave the creativity for party planning, holiday decorations, and new recipes.

I hope you find these tips useful and if you need any guidance, do not hesitate to reach out. But more importantly, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where will we continue to look into some common issues that arise and practical solutions to deal with them! Also, if you have any topics that you want to see covered in a future newsletter, please let me know!