Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. Well ladies and gents, the holidays are upon us. It’s common for people to feel caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and start to drop those healthy habits they’d be working on and believe they’ll pick right back up in January. Today we’re talking about how to get out of the “bubble” and to stop pressing that tempting pause button, yes, even during the holidays. If you have questions about today’s blog or would like more information about how health can fit into your busy schedule, give us a call: 806-322-3188.
It’s funny the way our brains convince itself that the optimum conditions need to be met in order to accomplish something. It’s not very realistic. I’m busy at work, so I’ll have to wait until this project is over. I’ll go back to the gym after I’ve had the baby. School work is taking over my time right now, so I’ll get back on the horse during my next break. Pressing pause is the greatest way to sabotage your endeavor.
The pause button refines your ability to press pause at any moment. That ability doesn’t translate well in real life situations. Take for example if you’re a parent with a big presentation coming up at work. You know what the presentation requires and ideally you’d like to have 2 weeks to prepare. Imagine coming home and telling your significant other and your children “Ya know, I’m really busy right now, so I just need you guys to hold off on needing me for the next couple of weeks while I hunker down on this project, cool?” At my house that wouldn’t go over very well.
We can’t press pause on our life, but we choose to do it with our health all the time. Typically people will gain between 5-15 pounds between the months of November to December. To them, the weight isn’t a big deal because they were just so busy and they’ll definitely start back working out in January. Unfortunately, when (if) they start back, they don’t lose all the weight they gained during their festivities. Frequently people will shave off most of the weight, but the last 2-5 pounds are pretty stubborn and the person loses interest. Now multiply those stubborn pounds by how many years that person presses pause. That’s a lot of excess weight that will “come off next year”.
Why sabotage yourself like that? When it feels like life is spinning out of control and your focus is spread thin, choosing pause can feel liberating. However, it is a cop out and not a permenant solution. Learning to budget your time in a way that you can to continue putting your health as a priority during a non-ideal circumstance (an out of the “bubble” experience) can be extremely beneficial.
Taking on a 6 week or a 21 day challenge creates a “bubble”. You think “for the next X weeks, I’m not going to go out to eat anywhere. I am not going to enter into any situation that would cause me to waiver from this program.” At the end of that program, what did you really learn? Sure you may have lost some inches or a few pounds, but your ability to perservere when the seas get rough is non-existent. That means the next time your life gets stressful, instead of relying on healthy habits to guide you through, you’re going to press pause again. A vicious cycle.
We envision a time when everything is calm to begin/continue our journey. I don’t care what time of the year you’re looking at, life will never be calm. You may experience a down day or two every month, but you have no idea when those will show up. Fall is back to school and time changes, Winter is the holidays, Spring is prime time for work to rev up, and then Summer is just one chaotic weekend. There is no perfect time to create a habit.
Your brain will convince you that when life calms down, you’ll be able to actually perform better. That’s true! You will. However, if you haven’t been consistent up until the eye of the storm, your habit it going to falter.
My tip to you is to get out of the mindset of the time bubble. Avoid the idea that fitness has to be perfect. Learn the skills not the time to get fit. That includes creating workouts that are 10 minutes or less, find an accountability partner to keep you on track, learning to food prep and more. We have to realize that there is no perfect solution that will arise if we put off our health. Fitness and nutrition are as unique as the individual. Learning what works for you and your body during the good times and the bad are what will get you the results you’re craving without ever having to press pause.
Let me illustrate this in another way. A while back we had a member of a law firm join Custom Fitness. They were making tremendous progress and developing great habits. Suddenly, they realized that life was getting in the way and that their workout needed to be put on the back burner. My team and I try and help clients navigate those stressful times and keep their health as a priority. So, we had a heart to heart about training while being outside the bubble. Together we made a program that worked for that individual’s lifestyle. That person has been with us for the past 7 years. They kept on because they realized how important the balance between work, life, and health was to them.
When your schedule fills up, often the knee jerk reaction is just to pull the plug on things that seem extravagant like taking care of your body. Instead, we should be seeking help to learn how to better blend fitness and nutrition into the life you’re leading. There will never be a perfect balance between what your body needs from you and what everyone else needs from you. We are here to help you learn how to fit those needs together so that you can satisfy both parties.
Life doesn’t have a pause button, but our brains are incredible at adapting. Arming yourself with maintainable habits that yield results regardless of the bubble will help you leaps and bounds more than waiting until things have calmed down.
If that sounds like something you need help with, before you hit the pause button for the holidays, let’s talk. We customize exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle modification to meet your needs and goals. Our team works with you one-on-one to make sure you are getting everything you can out of putting your health first. You aren’t stuck with the same boring food plan or exercise routine. We change up your experience so your brain nor body get bored. Sound good? You can reach us at 806-322-3188 or info@customfitness.biz. Ready for a change and don’t want to deal with pausing (or the New Year’s Resolution crowds)? We have our Jump the Gun special going on right now until November 30th. Call us to set up a free consultation, ½ off your first month, and a 21 day guarantee. You can come try us out to see if we are the right fit for one another. Most of our clients are seeing maintainable results within the first 2-3 weeks. At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo, Texas. Hope to hear from you soon!