My 5-Point Plan for Keeping Your Fitness Groove Through the Holidays

I can hear it even now. People heading into late November, throwing their hands in the air, shouting Why Even Bother??? I get it. When it comes to staying consistent with training or regular fitness practice, the winter and holidays can be challenging. But I urge you not to give up hope, and especially, not to take an all-or-nothing perspective on this. The keys to maintaining the groove are, in short, to lower your expectations, be flexible, and shift the purpose of your fitness practice slightly.

These are extraordinary times, and I mean that in a broad sense (we are a stressed people) and in the seasonal sense–it’s the holidays, cold, dark, rainy and we are over-scheduled. It’s helpful to remember that we have a natural biological response to the season. We may not strictly hibernate, but our patterns change and our energy is lower. This is appropriate. It’s in tune. It’s really fine for that to be the case. So, let it be. To the extent that I can, I give you permission to take things down a notch. Or several notches.

There are two groups of folks I want to speak to here. First, for you athletes out there, people who have a steady fitness practice, it’s important to have an off-season–make sure you take it. It’s actually good to step back from your usual length and intensity of workouts. That rest will allow you to return to harder training in the late winter early spring more refreshed. That’s how training cycles work.

Secondly, for those who aren’t training per se, but just trying to build consistency with exercise, this is a good time to learn how to do that through a challenging season. This is when we remember that consistency is more important than volume or intensity.

For both groups, we are going to apply a combination of firmness, modest expectations and flexibility. We start with the main principle, then add a couple of corollaries, practical considerations and a mindset.

The Principle: Make a daily commitment. Be firm with yourself. You value fitness, so make a commitment that you will do something every day to honor that value. This part is non-negotiable.

Corollary A of the above principle, and what makes it possible is this: (don’t freak out on me that I just told you something is non-negotiable). Make the actual thing you’re going to do almost ridiculously small. What you do every day can be as little as five minutes of stretching. Or a short walk. Or 10 minutes of strength exercises. Whatever “a ridiculously small commitment” is for you, commit to that. It wants to be manageable enough that you are 90% confident that you will do it every day.

Corollary B of the main Principle: Never Miss Twice. As James Clear teaches us, one of the most powerful skills you can develop is swiftly turning the ship around. So, if, by some wild stretch of the cosmos, you miss a day on your non-negotiable five minute workout, you are right back to your commitment the very next day.

The Practical Considerations: have some no-frills workout options that fit your circumstances. If you are traveling, or know it will be challenging to get to your gym, class or normal workout setting, have a default plan with gear you’ll have on hand or no gear at all. Take a few minutes to think through your circumstances with an eye toward reducing the friction and logistics that could derail you. Make a back-up plan that solves for that.

The Mindset: Be flexible, and let meaning and overall well-being be your guiding lights. If you usually go for a run, but the folks you’ll be with are walkers, it’s fine to flex and do that. If you usually exercise at night, but your evenings are increasingly populated with parties, do some re-thinking and snatch up your next best time slot. That might mean 15 minutes throwing a frisbee with your kids at lunch, or getting up just a little bit earlier on some days to do a modified version of your strength program. It’s not forever. While holding to the main Principle, be open to what each day and situation presents you. Don’t let the holiday season derail your fitness goals! Check out this 5-point plan for staying on track, maintaining healthy habits, and feeling your best during this busy time of year. Likewise, you might inspire a friend to sample a fitness activity you love. Look at this season as a fertile time for exploration as well as restoration. Be kind to yourself, and others.

I hope to see you at a workout, walk or run in the coming month or so. I’m grateful to have you reading this, and being a part of the Unstill Life community.

Check out Unstill Life on Heylo, a fitness community app. You’ll see our classes and runs listed, see photos, and chat us up.