Something is better than nothing and often it is the habits we still want to be consistent with.

But also recognizing at times you need even just a MENTAL break can be key.

1. You have 300 other days of the year to dial things in. Focus on your consistency around the holidays.
2. Go in with a plan. How are you going to get back to it after? Meal prep before? Have healthy options on hand?
3. Stay active! It may not be your usual workouts but find ways to stay active.

Every move is an assessment

We constantly need to assess and reassess what we feel working and how we are moving.

Because things add up from our daily postures and new injuries impact things.

Even different variations included in a new progression can fatigue and affect things.

That’s why I utilize these 4 techniques to help me get more out of my training and use each move as a chance to assess and learn.

1. Use video.
2. Use both internal and external feedback.
3. Change your prehab.
4. Adjust your exercise variations.

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Progress…we have this vision of this straight line forward.

When in reality it’s this super curvy all over the place line that eventually moves “forward.”

And we all “know” progress is never linear.

Yet we all too often expect it to be.

We get upset at even the slightest set back or plateau.

We get upset at maintaining the amazing results we’ve already made.

And when we get frustrated?

We don’t keep moving forward. 

Nope we do things that are SURE to set us back.

And I think part of this comes from how we even measure progress.

We measure it only in terms of our overall, ultimate goal.

And we never take that step back each week to reflect.

It’s why I like to do weekly goal check ins with my one on one clients.

What did we do well this week? YUP! Recognizing the sometimes even super small habit changes that happened.

Because that consistency is PROGRESS.

What maybe didn’t you do well this week?

Because guess what?

Recognizing those mistakes or slight deviations? Well that self-awareness we can gain from that is progress.

And all of these things can keep us focused on what actually matters to progress.

All of these things can keep us in the moving forward mindset.

Progress is really just embracing the learning process.

A process we will truly be involved in the rest of our life.

So how can we change how we perceive progress to enjoy the process?

1. Complete weekly checkins 
2. Celebrate those other small victories. 
3. Realize nothing will EVER happen “fast enough”
4. And recognize that progress is progress no matter how small. And that even by learning from something that didn’t directly move us forward? We can end up moving forward! 

Don’t give up because things aren’t happening fast enough. Talk about a way to to for sure set yourself back.

With the holidays approaching, I begin to hear, the excuses as to why this isn’t the right time to start the program.

Well guess what?

Because of all of those exact same reasons, because it is the holiday season, it is EXACTLY the reason to start something. 

We can’t just keep saying “I’ll start tomorrow!”

I actually mentioned the term I use to describe our behavior during the holidays when it comes to fitness in an email the other day as WINDOW SHOPPING.

We make the excuse that it isn’t the right time.

But no time is the right time.

And what ends up happening when we have that perspective is we dig ourselves a hole we then have to climb out of.

At some point what we just have to decide is that TODAY IS THE DAY.

So what can we do to get started when it’s not the right time instead of saying I’ll start tomorrow?

1. Be realistic.
2. Focus on maintaining.
3. See it as a time to experiment.
4. Downshift your habits – if you usually track, try being less rigid with it. Try working in holiday treats. Focus less on quality and more on consistency.