Christmas trees are starting to go up in windows, snow is dusting the ground and the roads and stores are filled with people trying to get all of their holiday shopping done in time for the holiday parties. This may or may not be a stressful time of year for you, but for all of us, the holidays change our daily living and weekly schedules. When our schedules change, there is a lot of room for error when it comes to our health and fitness. The CFP Holiday Guide is a way that Crossfit Progression is trying to help even the most stressed member through the holiday season in the best shape possible.

If you have already put the CFP Holiday Guide into your Trash box and have no plans of digging it out and reading it, I thought that maybe a smaller version may get your attention. It really has to do with planning ahead. I can honestly say that I completely suck at planning, but even if I make an attempt at planning, those plans stick with me and I tend to sway the way of those plans instead of taking the easy way out. Subconsciously those plans stick with you whether or not you follow through is another blog.

So planning ahead, that’s easy right? Just think about the holidays and what you already have planned. For the month of December I am taking time off on the 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th and 31st. Sweet! Therefore, I know that the rest of those days I will have to work hard, get to the gym and stay off the sugar and booze. 🙂 SO! This is my planning ahead. In order to enjoy my time off, I am focused and strict with my health and fitness on my days on.

Okay, so what about the days that I want to celebrate? Well, nobody wants to be “that guy” at the holiday party, so  make a plan of attack. For example, for every cocktail I drink, I will drink 1-2 glasses of water. Easy enough, right. Planning ahead does not mean that you have to restrict yourself from living whimsically, it simply means have a plan so you lessen the chance of making poor decisions in a split second.

When trying to stay on track during the holiday celebrations it’s the little things that count. Taking a walk, stretching, challenging the kids to a plank war or going to the park for 15 minutes are all quick fixes to the norm of just sitting on the couch. Get creative with it! Challenge the others to sitting in a squat hold for time or who can do the most push-ups. These are all ways to get in a little movement during the off days without feeling guilty about missing a workout or completely forgetting about your daily routine.

Everyone should enjoy the holiday season without having added stress or guilt of missing the gym for a couple of days or eating a few Christmas cookies. A little planning ahead is all it takes to keep our health and fitness goals in mind. Have an extra cocktail and cookie, but have an extra glass of water and plank war too! CFP will be here when the holiday season is over so 3, 2, 1….GO enjoy the holiday season!