So you’ve allowed yourself to derail for the holidays. That’s okay—here’s how to bounce back properly
Welcome to the holidays! You’re likely reading this in the bizarre stretch of time between Christmas and New Year, or sometime shortly after. If so, that means you’ve given in to the culinary indulgences of the season, like many of us have.
First, you have to know that it’s okay. We’ve had a really rough year, and we all deserve to live a little. As long as you’re not shocking your body too badly, you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating every dopamine-inducing food that you can get your hands on this season, no matter what it is.
From office Christmas parties to Noche Buena to the New Year feasts (and maybe even up until the Lunar New Year) you should go eat what you want. It’s the same thing for exercise—it’s okay to give yourself a little grace if you let up on the workouts a bit in favor of getting some rest and recreation.
We’ve had a really rough year, and we all deserve to live a little. As long as you’re not shocking your body too badly, you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating every dopamine-inducing food that you can get your hands on this season
Then there will be the reckoning after the new year has rung in and we all get back to work. You might have noticed that you gained a little (but not too much, because all your eating will not balloon your weight as bad as you might think) and you want to burn it all off. Or maybe you already have plans to get beach-ready for the summer, or back in shape for the sport you’re competing in.
Or maybe you’re a fitness newbie and you finally want to get started on being healthier, and the New Year provides a blank slate for all of that. If that’s the case, congratulations and welcome. This is for you, too.
Seasoned athletes and fitness enthusiasts will already know how to get started, but there may be some of you who don’t know what to do first when confronted by the road to consistency. Here are three first steps to take if it all seems a little overwhelming:
Remind yourself that you will fit in exercise in your life, not the other way around
While being able to be disciplined enough to consistently stick to a rigid exercise schedule is admirable and advantageous, let’s be real: The real adult world is not as forgiving, and bearing the mental load of anxiety over the workouts you are and aren’t doing will burn you out eventually. Unless you’re a professional athlete (or one who’s really competitive and obsessed) it’s better to fit in a workout in your day than to structure your life around training.
There are ways to work out despite busy schedules, and if you’re getting the guidance of a coach or trainer, ask them the best way to squeeze in a session in between important tasks. For most of us, these will be enough to get started on fitness. But this is a mental measure first, as you shouldn’t rush headlong into the exercise lifestyle without fully understanding your body’s relationship with it.
Just being more active is already a good place to start, especially for those who may have bigger physical challenges. From there, you can decide what kind of exercise you’d like to take up
Even if the holidays aren’t over, start moving
As of this writing, the holidays aren’t over yet, so if you’re reading this before the New Year then it’s also a good way to mitigate the eating you’re doing. But no matter when you read this, it’s also really just a good idea to move some more.
Let’s say you don’t want to get back in the gym just yet. Move around and walk outside; the weather’s nice. Or let’s say you are going to the gym, but the sessions may not be enough to burn all those calories you’re eating. Move some more. Or you don’t know where to start when it comes to exercise? Start by walking.
Activity both in and out of your workout sessions is what will determine your weight and fat loss or gain. Just being more active is already a good place to start, especially for those who may have bigger physical challenges. From there, you can decide what kind of exercise you’d like to take up.
Start eating less
This one is up last because it’s really the hardest thing to do for a lot of people. Some may find it harder to get up and move around, but that’s because they might be thinking they always need to go hard in the gym. But since food is so enjoyable, hitting the brakes on it is more difficult than most realize.
What’s most important to remember is that you don’t immediately have to start switching out your guilty pleasures for ultra-clean, super-organic “healthy” food—more so after a whole couple of weeks of merrily feasting—because that’s really only going to make you miserable.
Once you’ve rewired your brain to not need as much food (especially the calorie-heavy stuff) that’s when you can think about dieting and eating better
It’s much better to start eating less—a little bit less every time so that you don’t starve yourself severely. If you don’t already do it, try eating to 80 percent fullness to put a cap on the calories you’re taking in (and to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of being bloated). Once the holidays are over, it’s easier to scale back on your eating; after all, there are less parties and feasts to attend, so that means there are fewer temptations on the table.
Once you’ve rewired your brain to not need as much food (especially the calorie-heavy stuff) that’s when you can think about dieting and eating better.
Remember, these are all first steps to consider after an indulgent holiday season. They’re not full measures, and if you do do them, you will have to scale up at some point to get the results you want. For now, though, enjoy the ride.