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With the holiday season upon us and many people already off work, I thought we might address the elephant in the room today.
Just because it’s a holiday, you’re off work, you’re out of routine, or whatever other excuse you may have (yes, even when gyms shut because of a worldwide pandemic), doesn’t mean the physiological workings of your body take time off. In truth, we need to remain focused on our health to some degree no matter what’s going on around us. For those working from home, it might be following routine such as driving to work (or at least the same amount of time you’d normally drive, then returning to your home office). For those missing their gym time, perhaps it’s signing up for live virtual coaching, gathering some home workout equipment or hiring a trainer to come to your home or office. Even those who are sick can still set an alarm to remind them to get up and walk around or do some light stretching at times. Too many times in my career, I’ve had people with health conditions such as diabetes or severe food allergies who decide that they are tired of having to think so hard, prepare so much and simply focus too much on what they are eating that they say things like “I’ve decided to take a break from…” While it gives them immediate relief from their struggles, it quickly allows the condition to spiral out of control, oftentimes to a point where intervention or medication is no longer optional. It honestly breaks my heart that people end up in such terrible situations and too often situations that become life long issues all because they needed a break. It happened earlier this year with the initial shutdown in Amarillo that people thought they’d just stop exercising for a couple of weeks. Then the shut down continued and they continued not exercising. I can tell you that what happened in September was a direct result of those choices. People coming from every direction looking to shed the excess weight they gained during the shutdown and as if that wasn’t bad enough, many more looking to stop the chronic daily pains they had created from lack of activity and too much screen time. In all honesty, these are the people I’ve been spending a lot of time with over the past 3 months. Thankfully they sought help from a team who has the knowledge and experience to help them but many more are still suffering and why? Because they decided to take a break. My point today isn’t to scold but rather to open your eyes to the idea of transformation. As a fitness business we discuss transformation frequently but let’s think beyond the physical for a moment and consider the environmental. Through this year’s struggles, previous year’s holidays and so many other times, we have failed to transform our environment. When things shut down, we need to transform how we do things. When we’re off schedule, we need to transform our off days to self scheduled days (not just waiting for things to happen, but creating a schedule around which they will happen) When we’re on holiday, we need to transform our thinking from “free for all” to structured and pre-planned. It really doesn’t take much but switching our thinking. And that can be EVERYTHING you need to stop failing and start succeeding. As always, if you’d like some help in the areas of exercise, nutrition, mindset, or health our team is eagerly awaiting your call. Reach out to us to get started living your best life. |
