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It's usually around this time of year when most people are easing back on their fitness efforts. As soon as Thanksgiving hits, it's one feast after another until it's the new year, and you've gained more weight than you lost in the first place. What if this year, you did things a little differently?
Imagine if there was a way to manage your schedule during this busy time of year to ensure you're able to get your workouts and meal preps finished while still including those important gatherings with friends and family? Could it just be a simple case of getting organized to make incredible progress?
How To Get And Stay Organized
During the holidays, there's a lot more going on than usual. Unless you're organized, making good choices around your diet will be the last thing on your mind.
In Brian Tracey's best selling classic book, "Eat that Frog" he suggests that if you have a frog to eat (like a task that is hard but would have a significant impact on your life), it's best to get on with it right away. It won't be any easier to sit and think about it.
For most people, organization around food preparation and exercise is like that frog - something that needs to be done but that they've not yet found a way to enjoy.
Simple Tips That Cost Nothing To Implement
In this post, I’ll give you strategies on how to manage your time, tasks, and schedule in busy December, so you don't end up regretting your choices when January 1st comes. Let's dig in.
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#1. Keep Tracking Food Even When Off-Plan
Over the festive season, there are lots of opportunities to go off plan, and while you may want to say "no" to some of them, you probably don't want to miss out on all of them.
That's where tracking all your food comes into its own. Getting into the habit of tracking your nutrition using an app like MyFitnessPal is helpful when you're aiming to lose weight because it has such a massive database of foods. You can choose to track in any other way, like taking pictures of everything you eat and drink, and if you work with a coach, they’ll likely have a certain way they want you to do it and will help you with it.
The simple act of tracking can be enough to keep you under your calorie target. However, many people make a mistake to stop tracking when they've eaten something that's off-plan. Arguably this is the most critical time to be monitoring your food intake because it helps you get back on track more quickly. That could mean that you do less damage, and often you see that you've not gone over your calories by that much.
#2. Put Your Workouts into Your Calendar
Ideally, you'd like them to be shown in your work calendar, too, so you can see them during office hours and organize your workload in a way so that you can make it. This practice costs nothing and serves two essential functions. First, it is a way to consciously and unconsciously make exercise and time for yourself a priority. This is important because while it feels like an effort to complete, you're still finding a way to absorb regular exercise into your identity.
Secondly, it's time that no one else can book you. This is key if you have a busy and demanding lifestyle, and it can sometimes feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. Treat your exercise time like an appointment that can't be moved.
#3. Schedule Workouts Early in Your Day
Remember that frog we mentioned earlier? If completing your workouts feels like a drag in December, get it done before your brain can realize what's happening. Right after getting up. At first, it may feel tough for people that aren't used to getting up early to complete their work out, but if you're short on time as the day continues, this can be a genuine game-changer for "creating" more time.
Alternatively, another option that works well is stopping by the gym on the way home from work. Once you make it home in the afternoon, the odds of you leaving the house again drops drastically so workout before you go home. This is what I used to do when I was still an electrical engineer.
#4. Write To-Do Lists Daily
Take the time to write your to-do list for the next day the night before to give yourself a clear focus and objective when you wake up. It feels great to tick off the tasks as you complete them during the day, and this sense of achievement can give you the motivation to keep working hard. This practice isn't limited to workouts either. You can include the extra chores and tasks that the festive season can demand or even put together your work task list for the day ahead.
#5. Work in 30 Min Time Periods
This can be a great way to track what you're spending the most time on, and if a task in your calendar doesn't need to take a whole hour (like a gym session), you don't have to find as much time to get things done. Finding 30 minutes for a task feels much more manageable than finding an hour.
#6. Don't Forget About Relaxation and Recovery
Christmas time can feel like you are running around for 24 days, then finally stopping and not doing anything for a week. The issue is, by the time you get to celebrate, you are beat. If you'd like to arrive at the magical time of the year with some energy left to spend quality time with your loved ones, keeping recovery and relaxation time in mind is paramount.
It's the same drill as with any other task. If you put it in your schedule like an appointment you can't skip, it will happen. The holidays are about spending time with loved ones but recharging yourself and making sure you're getting what you need is essential too.
Takeaway
Just like any other area of your life during your holiday season, your fitness progress will significantly benefit from staying more organized as well. Is pressure building up because you are trying to get everything done, meet social and family expectations during these busy times, and stay on track with your food and workouts?
It may be time for you to promptly set a few hours aside and create a dedicated holiday calendar that includes all your food prep and exercise while allowing enjoyment. Ever heard the quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."? If you don't want to feel like you failed in the first week of January, it's still not late to start planning.
Thank you so much for reading! If you found this information helpful and want to help the Treadaway Training blogcast grow, simply share this post with a friend. If you like what I have to say, join the Skinny-to-Jacked Society Facebook group or check out my YouTube channel. I will be back here Saturday with another body transformation topic. As always, God bless you AND your family and I'll see you Saturday.
