Hi friends~
I’m writing days early since I’ll be away for the Monday Thoughtbox. It’s a weekend trip – a quick break – not to visit kids and grandkids, just for us alone. Not something I could’ve done while the kids were growing up. It was sometimes bonkers with 6 kids activities, school, sports, concerts during the holidays. I am so lucky to be able to take time off right now, just over a week before Christmas. Getting old can have some nice perks.
Whatever your situation with work, kids, family, life itself, great if you can take a break. If not a trip, maybe micro breaks here and there, like taking walks, listening to music, watching corny movies, doing some restorative breaths, and making it through this lovely, but often stressful time of year with joy.
Right around now your typical workout schedule (if that’s even a thing) might be off track. It’s ok. Believe it, it’s ok.
Fitness influencers are making everyone feel crappy as they share their annoying tips for staying healthy and fit through the holidays. They have the perfect, completely doable strategies for managing fitness and nutrition, not to mention makeup, home decor, fashion, and it all fits right in with your holiday chaos and interrupted routines. It really pisses me off. Don’t look at it. Don’t buy it.
I get it. I really do. Life happens every day.
I was a fairly dedicated runner back then, and I kept my running clothes on all day until I felt like I could get out the door for 30 minutes or an elusive hour. If my run didn’t happen I went to bed that night in my running clothes so I could get up early and get out in the morning before school. Those years were sometimes hard, often because I made it hard on myself.
It’s not an all or nothing, it’s navigating what life looks like right now.
- Exercise can help relieve stress – even though it’s a form of stress itself, exercising can help manage and reduce the body’s sensitivity to other stressors.
- Enjoy what you eat. Make sure you’re getting quality calories to sustain your health and activity level.
A coaching concept that has helped my athletes and me: Establish a lifetime of sustainable nutrition and athleticism. That means it’s going to evolve, and it isn’t static or rigidly “disciplined”.
Be nice to yourself.
Take 20 minutes a few times a week to challenge your strength, and maybe some high intensity cardio intervals here and there. You’ll very likely feel better when you’re done. Probably better than if you didn’t.
Do more if you feel like it. Do less if you don’t.

x
Polli