How to Get Back on Track After the Holidays
Whether you ate over your macros, didn't hit the gym, or just don't feel as consistent about your fitness & nutrition lately, we get it and we got you. Today we'll share our tips for getting back on track in a healthy and stress-free way! Remember, stress is worse for your body than a couple days of less than perfect consistency. So relax, apply our tips, and get after it this week!
What Not to Do:
1. Do not stress about a couple days off track. Consistency > perfection, and stress is so much worse for your body than extra calories or lowered movement. On a fitness journey, we never strive to hit all our protocols perfectly, but to be consistent a majority of the time. So use your energy to get back to consistency rather than to stress about some time off.
2. Do not feel guilty. Guilt has no place here! If you ate more than usual, that is not something to EVER feel shame about. Did you enjoy yourself and make memories with your loved ones? That's awesome, you should celebrate that! Don't feel shame - feel proud that this lifestyle gives you the space for balance and sustainability. If you're consistent with your protocols most of the time, it allows you to take breaks and indulge a little without any impact on your progress or results
3. Do not punish yourself by restricting food or over-exercising to compensate for increased food. Seriously, this is such a bad idea! It's not healthy and it won't speed up your progress - if anything, it might harm it by solidifying a really bad habit & bad mindset. Exercise should NEVER be a punishment for food - we exercise because it is good for our health and well-being! We also should NEVER restrict our food just because we over-ate. Instead, simply focus on hitting your protocols.
What You Should Do:
1. Get back on track. It's truly as simple as this! The past is in the past, and like we said, it shouldn't impact your results if you stay focused on returning to consistency and protocols. There's no reason to fret about past actions, especially since they won't make much of a difference. Instead, start this week out by planning your days, meal-prepping, hitting the gym, getting good sleep, and taking care of your mental & physical health!
2. Crush some PRs in the gym! A benefit of a few days of indulging is your body is going to have more energy, particularly if you're in a deficit or if you ate more carbs than usual. See this as a positive - it can even help your progress if you use that extra food to go hard in the gym & hit some empowering PRs!
3. Return to your normal routine. On a typical day before the holidays, what was your routine like? How much water would you strive for, how many steps would you strive for, etc.? Lean on those routines, focus on those goals, and do whatever you normally would. Don't do anything as a punishment - simply focus on returning to the habits that make you feel strong, empowered, healthy, and confident. Seriously, that is ALL that you need to do!