Here we go again. It’s the time of year that a lot of us put our health and fitness goals on hold. The parties are starting to fill up the schedule, and the treats are abundant. We want to pause our healthy lifestyle so that we can enjoy these last couple of months of the year and celebrate with our friends and families.

I’d argue that enjoying time with friends and family is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle, and the holidays don’t have to derail your progress. You can enjoy the holidays while maintaining, even building new healthy habits.

The mistake a lot of us make is that we think if we are not 100% on a healthy diet, we might as well go way off. If you went to the party, had the wine, ate the cookies, missed the workout, then it’s all over. We messed up. Too late now. But that kind of all-or-nothing thinking is what gets us in trouble.

One party, one day, or one weekend does not ruin a healthy lifestyle, but when you allow unhealthy choices to snowball day after day, week after week, month after month, you can dig yourself into a hole that a bit harder to climb out.

When the holiday lights come down, the tree is out by the curb, and the credit card statements start rolling in, will you have to undo the damage from the holidays? Or will you have built a base of healthy habits while still enjoying the holidays?

FIVE QUICK TIPS TO ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS ON A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

1. A healthy lifestyle does not mean you never eat unhealthy foods or miss workouts. Make the best choices that are reasonably available. Don’t get too caught up in perfection. Do the best you can. Being mindful of our choices is more important than always being perfect.

2. Think in terms of portions. Nothing is off-limits if you want to enjoy it, but use portion control to monitor the quantities you are consuming. If there are foods that you have trouble controlling portions, then be especially mindful if you decide to indulge.

3. Allow room for treats with friends and family. Make sure the treats are “worth it,” and you genuinely are savoring and enjoying them. Eat them slowly and stop when/before you feel full. Whenever you enjoy an indulgence, have no guilt. Make your next meal or snack a healthy one. It’s not important how many times you get off track, but how quickly you get back on.

4. When you eat meals alone or typical meals with your immediate family, make those meals as healthy as possible. Save the treats for special occasions. Meal prep on the weekends to make healthier choices easier during the week, pack lunches, or choose healthier options from the menu in advance.

5. Move your body every day. Walk, run, play, lift, move, or dance. Exercise is not a punishment for what you ate. Find the movement that you enjoy and do it most days. If you don’t have time for traditional exercise, make an effort to take the stairs or park your car farther away from the entrances. Do 10 minutes of cardio or bodyweight exercises in your living room. Small actions add up. Any movement is better than nothing.

I challenge you to use the next nine weeks to build healthy habits so that when the new year rolls in, you will have built practices in which you can rely upon to reach all your goals.

Remember that any goal that you want to achieve starts with a lifestyle of healthy habits. Do you want to lose weight, build muscle, run faster, or get stronger? You have to create a foundation for health first. Get enough sleep, eat your vegetables, eat enough protein, drink water, manage stress, etc. If you are falling short on the basics, it will be harder to challenge yourself to more advanced goals.

This challenge is not about extreme exercise, restrictive diets, or time-consuming daily tasks. It’s about being mindful of the daily choices you make, and to work to make small improvements each week.

Every Monday, you will receive a new email with the challenge for the week. It’s a small challenge that can easily work into even the busiest schedule. What happens if you are not perfect, forget a day, lose focus, or do any of the things that we humans do? No Problem. Pick back up where you left off. Perfect is the enemy of progress.

This challenge is not about losing weight, but building sustainable healthy habits that will give you the foundation to reach any goal when you’re ready to put in the full effort. It’s not about what you know; it’s about what you do. I will be doing the challenge along with you, to help keep my healthy habits on track until the end of the year.

You can always do more than the challenge asks, but the challenge tasks are small and achievable so that you are successful. Think of them as bare-minimum weekly goals. You may not do everything perfectly, but if you keep up your weekly habits, you’ll be building a healthy living foundation.

Ready to make the most of the next nine weeks? Sign up here. It’s free.

Did you like this post? Do you know someone who might benefit? It helps me when you share with your friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Questions? I’d love to help.

Coach Lea

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