Is it me or did 2021 just fly by? Is it really almost the holiday season again? The end of the year hustle and bustle can easily bring excuses to let your fitness goals fade into the background. We justify these excuses by saying, “I’ll start again in the New Year.” What if we had the same mentality and drive we have in the New Year, in the last part of the year?
These tips below will help you gain focus, make a plan and guide you into the holidays with easy, actionable items, to hit those fitness goals hard. Recognize your personal strengths, tap into them and crush the rest of 2021! What do you say we FINISH STRONG?
- Revisit your Goals
What fitness goals did you envision at the beginning of the year? Think about the intentions you had for 2021. Now break-it-down to focus on the goals you can still accomplish in the next few weeks. Instead of feeling like there is no time left in the year to hit those goals, shift your mindset to prioritize the goals you still have time to accomplish. Do you want to shed a minute off your mile? Do you want to add twenty pounds to that dead-lift? Whatever boss babe move you want to make, you have to own that goal and make it happen. HOW: Write down 5 tangible tasks to help you complete your goals in this final year-end push Be sure to give yourself a deadline for each task. Keep it front of mind, add it to a space in your house, or office that you will look at it every day. You got this, my hustle queen!
- Prioritize Your Time
Holiday parties, gift shopping, cookie baking, family gatherings… this is the time of year where your schedule can run you, if you don’t run it. Anyone and everyone will try to command your time. Your time is valuable, honnay. You need to treat it as such, or those around you won’t respect it either. Now that you have your goal plan in place, schedule time to boss up and complete the tasks. Can you use Sunday night to schedule out all your workouts for the week? Can you commit to working out during lunch on a day you have evening plans? Prioritizing your time will be crucial to staying on track with your wellness during this busy time of year. HOW: The simplest way to give yourself more time, especially on the busiest holidays….wake up an hour earlier. This commitment to showing up for yourself by getting up earlier gives you that much needed extra time to show your body love and kindness. Maybe one day, it’s a run with your favorite Beyonce playlist at the highest volume. Another day, it’s meditating and some yoga poses. Allow time to give your body the wellness it’s craving.
- Accountability Partner
The truth is, sometimes you need support. That push to keep going when you want to just watch holiday movies and eat all the treats. You need someone who is going to give it to you straight and remind you of your “why.” Why you have the goals you do, why they are important to you and why you need to keep your eyes on the prize. Someone to motivate you the same way New Year’s motivates the whole world. HOW: Pick wisely. Choose a coach versus a cheerleader. The coach guides you, the cheerleader thinks you’re doing great whether you’re winning or losing. You need someone who is going to talk you through the times you want to give up. You don’t need a cheerleader who accepts excuses. Remember, you get what you give. You want to be there for your accountability partner as much as they are there for you. Don’t just take. And be sure to set guidelines. Communicate however best works for both your schedule and that of your accountability partner, whether it’s text, email, or phone. Are you checking in weekly or daily? Make sure the plan is mutually beneficial, then commit.
- Focus on People, not Food
ALL THE PARTIES. This can be one of the most exciting parts about the holidays, but also the most difficult to stay on track with your fitness goals. The greatest realization you can have is when you are attending those fabulous parties: you are there to make memories. You are there to catch up with people and to have a grand old time in that ugly holiday sweater. It is not about the food. Think about your favorite events you attended last holiday season. Can you even remember the food? Is that what sticks out when you think of all the great memories from last year? I am going to say no. HOW: Have a plan and be intentional. Eat something that fuels you before you attend the party. That way you don’t arrive starving and go ham on the honey ham. If you do eat at the event, be intentional about what is on your plate. Does it bring energy or will it slow you down? When you want to stop yourself from getting seconds, find someone in the room that you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Great Aunt Linda would love to pinch your cheeks and hear all about your exciting young life. And I promise you, she’ll have you entertained for hours with her bingo stories, keeping you preoccupied and away from that tower of stocking-shaped brownies.
- Give Yourself Grace
Are you going to fudge up? Maybe. Does that mean you give up altogether? Heck no. Life is about balance. There will be days you are ON it and those days that are a little less than on. BUT, the most important thing is you have the tools to turn it around when it doesn’t go as planned. You don’t throw away all your progress because of one bad morning, day or week. Just because you spilled a little milk, doesn’t mean you pour out the entire gallon. You wipe up the spill, and MOVE ON. You are worth it! And your goals demand it. HOW: Reflect on what went wrong. Did you forget to schedule your workout? Did you skip out on your accountability phone call and have all the pumpkin pie? Whatever it was, make a note of how you felt and what you could have done differently. . Then take it back to the basics. Refocus on the goals you set, tell your accountability partner, get in some fitness to clear your mind and create a plan for next time.
Your fitness dreams and goals are bigger than this holiday season. You can commit to making these last few weeks as impactful as if it were the New Year. Leave the excuses of not having time, I’ll start next year, or I messed up so it doesn’t matter anymore, behind you. Your drive has to be bigger than your excuses. Your desire to get to the next level in your journey has to be greater than your FOMO. As Jenna Kutcher says, “consistency compounds.” If you stay consistent with your goals, it will compound into greatness. It will compound into ACCOMPLISHMENT. I dare you to say the taste of that holiday cookie feels better than you checking off a major goal. Your future is determined by the choices you make in this moment, CHOOSE YOU!
What three fitness goals do you want to complete by the end of the year?
Let me know in the comments!
