The holiday season is upon us and it’s a time to relax, sit back and enjoy the year end. Typically this is a time when there are parties, eating out and of course alcohol. The holidays are a time when people typically miss exercise sessions and their diet goes terribly wrong. Staying on course can be difficult at this time so I have put together a list of my ‘Top 5 Tips’ to stay motivated during the season and to minimize your setbacks.
Maintain a Good Diet
I often get asked the question ‘What is the larger contributor to health, is it diet or exercise?’ I can conclusively state for a majority of the population, it is 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise. In other words you can still maintain a reasonably good health with minimal exercise and an excellent diet. Unfortunately maintaining a good diet for most can be very challenging, hence exercise is always required to help balance things out.
Control Your Portions
Once you know what you should be eating it’s time to control the amounts. Remember the correct portion sizes for you can easily be predicted using the following guidelines. For protein, your portion size should be the size of the palm of your hand (palm only do not include your fingers!). As for starchy carbohydrates (rice, legumes, grains, etc.), it should roughly be the size of your fist.
When it comes to fibrous carbohydrates (broccoli, carrots, celery, etc.), again the portion size should be approximately the size of your fist. Finally the last category is healthy fats (olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, etc) the amount should typically be the size of your thumb. If you stick to these portion sizes you will be well on your way to maintaining a well-balanced diet and not consume an excessive amount of calories.
Exercise in the Morning
If you commit to exercising in the morning, the probability of conflicts is minimized. It’s very rare a 7 a.m. exercise session will get interrupted as opposed to 5 p.m. when you’re preparing for events that are happening in full steam. Exercise in the morning and many of those around you won’t even know you did it, and exercising in secret can be the most rewarding! Nothing beats being the first one up and being ready to go before everyone else, this is the real sign of a leader who is committed to real results.
Keep Moving!
If you can’t exercise in the morning and find that you are not exercising at all during the holidays, it’s important to remember to just keep moving! Movement is what causes calories to be burned and if you have been missing exercise sessions then you better keep moving.
This is the time of season when you really need to take the stairs as opposed to the elevator to make sure you are still being active. Remember, motion will minimize the setbacks experienced by this time of year so stay active even if you can’t make it to the gym whether that involves going for a walk while catching up with a family member or friend or chasing your kids.
Don’t Get Derailed
All too many times I work with clients who have the ‘all or nothing’ mentality. Either they stick 100 per cent to their exercise and nutrition plan or they get completely derailed and hit the local buffet. If you’re an ‘all or nothing’ person please let me share something with you. The key to long-term success will be to stick to your plan 90 per cent of the time. Sticking to your plan 90 per cent of the time is reasonable and attainable for most. Remember your goal is to strive for excellence not perfection. If you can hit your mark nine times out of 10 you’re well on your way obtaining the results you seek.
Remember the holidays are a time to relax and take it easy mentally. The holidays are not an opportunity to throw caution by the wayside and completely get derailed from all your responsibilities, such as your health and the wellbeing of those around you. Stay focused on your goals and don’t let the holiday season be the demise of your health and fitness goals, you’ve worked too hard during the year to experience these setbacks. Finally, last but not least remember it’s more important to focus and maintain a good exercise and diet plan from January 1 to December 24, than it is from December 24 to Jan 1.
Take care, Happy Holidays and see you in the New Year!
By Paul Gill