Stay on Track During the Holidays

The Christmas season really is the most wonderful time of the year. For many of us, it is a busy time packed with activities and obligations. Unfortunately, it seems that one of the first things to go when we adjust our schedules is spending time working on ourselves. With all of the distractions during this time of year, it is easy to get derailed in our efforts to achieve and maintain optimal health and function. So, just in time for the holidays, I have put together 5 tips to help you engineer a plan to successfully conduct yourself through some potential derailments and charge full steam ahead into 2022.

• Plan Ahead – Be aware of what is coming up on your schedule and plan accordingly. Using a calendar to write down all of your commitments gives you an excellent overview of what you have going on. You can then schedule times for your exercises and write them in on the calendar as well. Be sure to keep the appointments that you have set for yourself.
• Be flexible with your routines – Because there is likely to be more going on during this time, fitness routines are often thrown off. Decreasing the frequency, intensity and complexity of your program while focusing on a selection of essential exercises will help prevent you from completely stopping. It will also make returning to the full program easier when things do calm down.
• See your physical therapist or doctor – Scheduling an appointment with your health professional may be just what you need to review your goals, discuss how to remain motivated and continue making progress. If you are travelling, your therapist may be able to give you some exercises that are more easily performed on the go.
• Involve Others – A great way to meet your goals is to get others to participate with you. If you are supposed to perform some specific exercises or go for a walk, invite someone that you are visiting to join you. There is no need to worry if the person you are planning to exercise with is more fit than you. Recent research out of Santa Clara University suggests that working out with someone in better physical condition than you may result in improved performance compared to someone similarly or less fit.
• Give yourself grace – You won’t be perfect in your efforts to accomplish your tasks during the holidays. So, the best thing you can do is forgive yourself and let what has passed stay in the past. Learn from what went wrong and develop a strategy to prevent the same mistake from happening the next time temptation or distraction arises.

If you are struggling to be consistent with your exercise routine during this time or feel that your current exercise program needs refreshed, contact Empower Physical Therapy at (406) 283-1616 and schedule your visit today.