Cheers to Consistency Over the Holiday Season

Tips on staying motivated during the festive season

Motivation and willpower have come to be seen as buzzwords more than anything else these days. Whether you’re bogged down and busy at work or feeling the pressure of holiday events around every corner, finding the time to motivate yourself to move can seem impossible.

But it’s not. It’s about actually putting those buzzwords into action. Finding ways to create motivation and willpower for yourself will change the way you get things done in so many areas of your life, even during the busiest of seasons. This is exactly why, when I’m feeling like doing anything else but working out, I tap into these tried and true practices, letting my altered mindset take over.

Because, yes, spoiler alert, even trainers don’t feel like training sometimes!

Here are some tricks you can use to help get you pumped and stay on track during the holliest, jolliest (and busiest) season.

Try a new workout class

Keep things exciting. If you feel like you’re getting bored of your current routine, scope out the studios in your area for a free trial or promotion. Not only will you be stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new, but you might just find yourself motivated enough to keep coming back.

Treat yourself to a new active set

I can’t be the only one who genuinely gets excited for a workout when I have a brand new cute outfit to put on for it – right? Whether you shop at Old Navy or Alo, there are great, affordable, and stylish options with which to update your activewear. I swear by this little trick. Everyone loves to feel good in what they’re wearing — your gym clothes shouldn’t be any different.

Find a workout bestie

Accountability can be so imperative to your success when it comes to keeping consistent. If you and your bestie commit to doing a five-kilometre morning walk every other day, between competitiveness and the fear of letting one another down, before you know it you’ll have built a new habit. You can even try out that new studio class together. Whatever you do, commit to doing it together and the likeliness of going through with it skyrockets.

Schedule your sweat

I don’t know about you, but for me, scheduling is one of the most effective ways I hold myself accountable. I can’t be the only one who feels immense amounts of pleasure in crossing off an item from my to-do list or daily schedule. So if you want to keep consistent, put it in your calendar. Set a reminder the night before so you can prepare your workout space, and just show up. That’s all it takes! Once you get it done one day, two days, three days in a row… it becomes easier and easier every time.

Set realistic goals

When you’re setting yourself up for goals you know you won’t achieve, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re only human, and there’s no way a healthy human can lose 10 pounds in five days, especially when there are family dinners scheduled every other night. So, set goals you know you can achieve, and you’ll find yourself feeling more and more excited to work towards them. A workout every single day might not be possible, but movement itself definitely is. Walk to your destination rather than Uber, take the stairs instead of the elevator… you get the point.

You’ll enjoy your holiday season so much more when you actually make time for yourself, your health, and your wellness. Not only will your mind be clearer and more in tune for the social aspect the holidays bring, but you’ll step into January with pre-established goals and habits that set you up for a bright new year.

Life’s all about balance, and now is when you need to tap into that balancing act more than ever. What better gift to give yourself?

Photography by Shane Malcolm

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