With the upcoming MUVFit fitness program changes, going away from the app and phone use and switching to cool new tablets on each rack, I wanted to talk a little about programming, how we do it, and how to build the perfect workout program.
Warning – this gets a little nerdy, but if you’re interested in simplified results through a fitness program, keep reading.
A Common Misconception Your Fitness Program
You see, there is a common misconception that doing random workouts all the time is a good thing.
It started with P90X years ago when they introduced a fad concept – muscle confusion.
In truth, it was a marketing concept. They wanted their audience to feel like it wasn’t THEIR fault they weren’t getting results. They weren’t confusing their muscles enough! (by the way, their marketing WORKED – to the tune of almost $1 billion!)
But when you looked through their programming, they were hitting many of the same movements and working to get stronger in them over time. They just varied the order and added cute little twists.
But “muscle confusion” confused people – and some trainers who like to latch onto the latest fads without vetting them out.
The Truth About Fitness Programs
Here’s the truth: to get stronger and see progressive results, you must consistently hit the same exercise/movements in your fitness program over and over. Not each workout – but each week.
Within each of these categories, there are subcategories like unilateral, bilateral, power, combination, etc. But I digress….
A Solidly Built Fitness Program Will Hit All of These Movements in Some capacity
Depending on the fitness level of the client and what their movement ability is (which we test in our initial assessment). We immediately know what movements we can/should load (add weight to) when we take a client through their initial assessment.
Some clients get confused and think their program needs to be crazy with all kinds of weird new movements like they see on Instagram that don’t really fit into any of these categories – but they look COOL. And hey…their buddy is doing it!
I get it – we want our workouts to keep us interested and be fun – but not at the expense of seeing results.
HINT: These instagram circus movements will do no more for your results than joining the circus yourself. 😉
Strength and Weight Loss Results
Here’s the deal – you could see AMAZING strength and weight loss results by literally following a very simple program – just hit squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and pushups 3x/week, working to progressively overload the movements and vary your loads/reps/rest intervals, etc. Every week.
Seriously.
But, if you want a more rounded program that hits all movement patterns, that’s how we build our workout programs for our clients.
We make sure all movement patterns are accounted for. We hit them in sequences that allow for proper recovery and improvement. We vary the pattern enough to help with boredom, but not so much that we take away from the science of what works.
Then, we can get fun and creative at the end of the workout. If your goal is fat loss, add some metabolic movements like burpees, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings or sprints.
If your goal is building muscle or getting toned, you can add some accessory work like shoulder raises, bicep curls, or tricep pressdowns.
Or if you have unique interests like an improved handstand, you can do that here too. You can combine a variety of all of those to finish your program out!
So I just wanted you to understand a little of the science that goes behind how we program for our clients.
Ready to Learn More?
If you’ve tried and failed, or have achieved some results, only to backslide… you are not alone. MUVFit provides the best personal training Nashville has to offer. Call us at 615-530-8999 or click on the link below to request a free consultation.
There’s a reason why celebrities and other highly successful people hire personal trainers and coaches: IT WORKS.
And, that is why so many people are turning to personal coaches to help them move from mediocre to excellence in their pursuit of health, fitness and weight loss.
The Reality
More than 91% of people who start an exercise program quit early—even before their new routine becomes a habit, and 61% will give up within the very first week!
Why? Because changing your lifestyle is hard. In spite of all the infomercials and ads claiming that you can lose weight and transform your body in thirty days (or six weeks at the longest), the truth is, getting fit requires a lifestyle makeover that takes
Time
Determination
Support
If any of these components is missing, the odds of success plummet.
The Fix
The good news is that one component virtually guarantees the continued presence of the other two, and that is support–and support is the heart of what a good personal coach provides.
A personal coach, like the ones we have at MUVFit (meet our team here), helps with the time factor in two ways:
Finding time in your schedule to actually work out
Sticking with your program long enough to reach your goals.
At MUVFit, we support you by providing a flexible schedule in order for you to find ways to make fitness fit. We know you’re busy, and many times stressed, and fitness can feel like another thing to check off your list of “to-do’s”. We strive to create a fitness program that complements your busy life, designing workouts that are both efficient and effective. Finally, we aim to provide the motivation that you need to keep going, long after you would have stopped were you working out by yourself.
Determination is also an area that we support you in. At the beginning of your new fitness program, you have excitement, novelty and the joy of discovery to keep you going. But eventually, what used to be new and fun becomes old and boring. If determination fades, you will find yourself wandering off track in search of the next exciting pursuit.
We will help you keep your determination. We will remind you why you are doing what you are doing. We will get into your life and help you move past obstacles that arise, and we will talk you out of excuse-making. We will constantly hold before you the consequences of your choices. We will keep you moving forward. It’s why we believe MUVFit is the best personal training Nashville and group fitness training has to offer.
And finally, our personal coaches support you as your source for practical, step-by-step instructions for building health. Your personal coach is an expert in the field of exercise science. While under the tutelage of our personal coaches, you do not have to design your own program of fitness, constantly wondering whether you are doing the right exercises in the right way. Our personal coaches will create a customized blueprint that will help you achieve your goals.
At MUVFit, our coaches are your insurance policy against being another number in the appalling fitness drop-out statistics. Don’t try to go it alone; we all need help.
Position yourself for success by working with a personal coach and watch fitness and robust health become part of your life.
Do you need a coach?
If you think you are in need of a coach or just want to learn more about what MUVFit personal coaches can do for you please click on the button below to get started.
4 Reasons Why Strength Training is CRITICAL
With the summer on the way, you may be feeling antsy to get out of the gym and start doing other activities that allow you to take in the warmer weather. Whether your passion is running, rollerblading, swimming, playing a game of tennis with a friend, or hitting the water for some canoeing, you still cannot neglect the strength training element of your workout routine.
No form of outdoor cardio exercise is going to be able to replace the unique benefits of strength training, so it’s something that you must make sure you maintain over the months ahead.
Those who take the summer off from the weights entirely will be at risk for a number of negative consequences, and restarting back in the fall will be that much harder.
While it’s an excellent idea to forgo the bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals in your gym to get your cardiovascular sessions in outside while the weather’s warm (although I’d argue you don’t need them in the winter either, but that’s another article), maintaining your strength training is a necessity.
Here’s why:
1) Strength Training and Muscle Mass
The very first reason to keep up your strength training sessions a few times a week is to ensure you aren’t losing muscle tissue.
As we age, muscle mass loss is inevitable without regular strength training workouts. Muscle tissue is not easy tissue to gain back. This is especially true for women who naturally have low amounts of testosterone compared to a men. Protecting the muscle you have already worked so hard to build is one of the most important considerations of any well-rounded fitness program.
Why is having more muscle so important?
If you begin losing muscle mass, your strength will decrease, meaning everyday activities – including those outdoor activities you want to take part in – will become harder and harder.
Plus, muscle plays a major role in fat burning…
While exercise does burn calories, you only workout a few hours per week. To increase fat burning you need to increase your metabolism, specifically your Resting Metabolic Rate. Those who have a higher degree of muscle mass burn more calories even when they’re at rest.1 As a person ages, metabolism naturally slows down, leading to gradual weight gain. Muscle is a great way to counterbalance the body’s natural slowdown and the earlier a person starts, the easier it will be to maintain that muscle over time.
Many people complain that the reason they’re gaining weight into the 40’s and 50’s is due to a ‘slow metabolism’, but really, that slow metabolism is happening (partly) because they are losing muscle. The muscle gains you achieve with a proper strength training program can help reverse this process and actually INCREASE metabolism!
2) Strength Training and Bone Health
As a person grows older, bone loss is inevitable, especially for women after menopause.2 This can lead bones to break more easily, feelings of fatigue and weakness, and reduced tolerance to physical activity. Weight-bearing exercises strengthen bones, helping minimize natural bone loss and reducing the risk of injury.3
While other outdoor activities may be weight bearing in nature and still help with bone strength and formation, no other exercise is more weight bearing than strength training.
Since you’ll be supporting more weight than just your body weight, you can really take your bone health to the next level. One study published in the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports And Exercise illustrated that strength training is superior in terms of combating osteoporosis compared to aerobic activity only.4
This can prevent stress fractures or bone breaks down the road, both of which could become very serious if you are into your 60’s and 70’s.
3) Strength Training and Disease Prevention
Strength training has been shown to provide a number of health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.5 By continuing your strength training year round, you’ll continue to reap the rewards of the hard work you put in during the cold winter months.
A Tufts University study even found that participants in a strength training program were able to see a marked reduction in arthritis pain. In fact, the study found that the end result was better than that received from medications.
Strength training can also improve a person’s mental health, reducing depression and improving sleep quality.
4) Strength Training and Insulin Sensitivity
Finally, the last nice thing about strength training that you must note is its impact on insulin sensitivity.
Your insulin sensitivity level is one of the key factors determining your risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a condition that’s starting to impact more and more females.
A regular strength training workout routine will help to keep your tissue cells more responsive to insulin, so should you consume carbohydrates in your diet (a common thing to do over the summer), your body will be able to better utilize those carbohydrates, directing them towards the muscle cells rather than the body fat cells, as was noted in a study published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal.6
This helps keep you leaner as well since you’ll have a reduced rate of converting those carbohydrates into body fat stores.
It appears the primary reason for this is due to the increased lean muscle tissue development, which then increases the insulin sensitivity level.
Final Thoughts
So as you can hopefully see, now is NOT the time to forgo strength training. Strength training is the single most effective form of exercise for guaranteeing good health into the future and keeping you leading the active lifestyle for years to come.
All it takes is 2-3 sessions per week with our personal trainers to see all these benefits, which leaves plenty of time to get outside and do all the other summertime activities that you want to do. MUVFit offers strength training as a part of our personal training program and small group fitness training program. Our Nashville personal trainers are committed to providing you with fun and challenging strength training as a part of your fitness routine.
By making the commitment to stay consistent with your strength training workout throughout the summer months, you’ll also prevent having to go through the process of getting back into it come fall, which can prove to be quite frustrating if quite a significant amount of strength has been lost.
P.S. If you are interested in putting this blog post into action – try out our 2 Week Test Drive to experience some amazing strength training that doesn’t involve machines, crunches, or “crossfit” style workouts – and is built for you no matter what your fitness level or experience. Learn more here!
References:
1.”Weight Loss.” Metabolism and Weight Loss: How You Burn Calories. N.p., 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 May 2014.
2.“Aging Changes in the Bones – Muscles – Joints: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 09 May 2014.
3.”Build Up Your Bones! | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Winter 2012. Web. 09 May 2014.
Layne, JE. & Nelson, ME. (1999). The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: A review. Medicine and Science in Sports And Exercise. 31(1):25-30.
“Why Strength Training?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 09 May 2014.
Ivy, JL. & Sherman, W.M. & Miller, W.J. (1984). Effect of strength training on glucose tolerance and post-glucose insulin response. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 16(6):539-543.
MUVFit Celebrates 8 Years of Personal Training in Nashville
As you may not know I was lucky enough to go on a nice vacation a couple weeks ago to beautiful St. John in the Virgin Islands with some great friends. If you’ve never been, it’s a beautiful place. It’s very close to St. Thomas but without all the commercialism and busyness. It’s a bit more quaint, is mostly National Park, and has some outstanding beaches. It’s also very close to the British Virgin Islands which are gorgeous. The entire area is spectacular and I highly recommend it. I thought you might enjoy a few pics from the trip to entice you!
Today I was going to talk about how important taking a “break” is – both in your personal life and even with your fitness, but it hit me last week that we are creeping up on our 8 year anniversary as a business!
Now I’m not usually one that spends a lot of time patting myself on the back or drawing attention to things like this (I don’t usually ever tell anyone when my birthday is as I’m uncomfortable with the attention), but I thought this was noteworthy. 8 years…that’s pretty impressive – and that’s not a brag…it’s just true. I’m very proud of having this business for 8 years. And it’s been through a lot over 8 years to get here. But the interesting thing is – it never crossed my mind from day 1 that this might fail. I was determined to create something different.
Being that we’re coming up on that achievement (March 9), I thought I’d give you a brief history of myself and MUVFit, how it came to be, and how we’ve gotten to where we are now. Some of you may have heard this story, but others may not have. So for those that have, please indulge me while I reminisce. I hope you don’t mind my transparency.
I began in the personal training industry over 16 years ago – and that was after a 4 year college baseball career. I actually graduated with degrees in Business Management and Marketing – and went into sales with my uncles’ pizza business – but found that my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted something else.
Stepping back a bit, my pitching career was derailed after my junior year due to an elbow injury in which I had to have surgery. I knew I couldn’t pitch anymore after trying to come back, so I had a decision to make. I could quit, or I could put my head down and go to work to play a position. I knew it was a long shot and that I would have to transform myself to make it happen. I did it, and in addition to having a stellar senior year as the right fielder, I realized that I really loved fitness.
So when I moved to Nashville to work for Hunt Brothers’ Pizza, I would help my brother on occasion with his fitness and weight loss goals. I was noticed at the gym we worked out at, and one of the trainer’s approached me asking if I’d ever thought of becoming a trainer myself – that he thought I’d be good. I knew nothing about it and frankly didn’t have much interest. But as my initial career was not fulfilling me, I began to think of it more and more.
Long story short, I made the leap in February of 2001. I began working for the trainer that had approached me and stayed with him for 5 years. In that span of time, I met and began training country music star Kenny Chesney. I traveled for the better part of 3 years on tour with Kenny right when he began exploding. I was lucky enough to appear in some magazines and even a couple TV spots documenting Kenny’s transformation. (I even have a cameo in KC’s music video – The Good Stuff!)
In July of 2006 I decided to set off on my own to see what I could create. I freelanced at a few private studios while continuing to travel some with Kenny. Finally, in 2009 when the studio I was training at decided to close last minute, I had a decision – I could either find space to rent at another gym, or bite the bullet and do what I wanted to do – open my own facility.
I did just that on March 9, 2009. At the time, I only had 1200 square feet, but it was only me so it was plenty of room for what I was doing – mainly 1-on-1 training. It was a meager beginning but it was perfect for me at the time. I named my business Muv Fitness Coaching – because I always prodded my clients to keep moving. Movement is the key to staying fit. I still say that to this day. Because MOVEFit wasn’t available, I shortened it to MUVFit. Hey – I had to make a quick decision…
Once here for about 6 months I began to dabble in having trainers come in and rent space from me. This was my experience in the fitness business – it’s how I grew up in it – so it only made sense to supplement what I was doing with a couple trainers renting space and training clients. It helped cover some of the overhead, but it really wasn’t a business at that time. To me it was a job, and I had a cute little space to do it in. Some of you only trained with us back then and that’s all you know of us. Boy have things changed!
In 2013 when I realized that I could not have the business I wanted without establishing true systems that could be replicated, I switched my hiring practices to an employment arrangement. For many outside the fitness industry, this is standard, but personal training is one field in which a lot of independent contractors still exist. For whatever reason the PT industry gets away with it although many gym owners abuse the system. It’s complicated. I also changed my business name to MUVFit Personal Training – there’s a story behind that but it’s not exciting enough to share here. 😉
But this is when things began to shift a bit. The salon next door closed so I decided to take over their space, essentially doubling our space to 2400 square feet. We were able to introduce group fitness classes at this time. Being able to control more aspects of the business pushed us in the right direction. I hired a friend to take over some of the management duties, and we changed some of our staff after the employment transition.
Things were moving along pretty good at that point, and in 2015 we took over the final space in our building – growing to 3600 square feet. We were establishing a good name around town, but I felt something was missing. Those of you who are business owners will understand, but sometimes you can feel that your business owns you. I knew in my mind what I had as my vision for MUVFit, but it became clear that I did not have the right people in place to get us there. We were doing well, but I could see a ceiling approaching fast. It was my fault, and I had to rectify it if I ever wanted MUVFit to become what I built up in my mind.
In early 2016 I made some tough decisions – decisions that at the time were painful and extremely stressful. I changed our business model to better adhere to my philosophy of helping more people through a system that allows for a less expensive service. In addition, I had to bring on a team that better mirrored my personal values. I had a culture I wanted at MUVFit and we were far from it. This was my toughest year in business but also the BEST year in our history (once we got through the muck and mud of the transition).
Of the staff I had in 2015, I only kept one and promoted her to our Team Leader position. For those of you that know Vanessa Edwards, it was a no-brainer. She best exemplified what I wanted the staff and culture to be known for and I knew she could help me mold and shape our new staff. Her energy and passion show through everything we do.
Now it’s 2017 and we’re about to celebrate 8 years! I’ve never been happier with MUVFit or what it’s become. For those of you that are current members, I know you can feel the positive vibe and FUN atmosphere we have created. One reason we’ve created that is due to YOU. You have allowed us to create the culture we now have.
For those of you that haven’t trained at MUVFit, you might be interested to know how we did that. First, I hired coaches that are humble, fun, passionate, have servant’s hearts, and act with integrity and honesty in everything they do. They are our lifeblood and they helped create the most amazingly welcoming environment. Second, we actually have our clients sign a culture agreement ensuring we have the right people training here. We want positive, encouraging and supportive people working out here. One bad egg…one person that is an energy TAKER rather than an energy GIVER… can drain the life out of a training session. I’ve done this long enough where I didn’t want that anymore. We expect the right fit here and won’t accept just anyone.
Sometimes it takes time to see a vision through. And I’m not done. There’s much more work to be done. We want to become the BEST fitness option in Nashville. Our clients feel we are – now it’s time to spread the word and continue to prove that over and over.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions about MUVFit and would like to know more about what we do, reply back as I’m happy to answer any questions.
Have a great week!
An Affordable Personal Training Option in Nashville
Have you ever considered hiring a personal trainer? If so, you have probably found the biggest obstacle to be the expense. Like most things, personal trainers worth hiring are typically quite expensive – and for good reason. The difference between a quality coach and an inexperienced, cheap option could be the difference in an injury or sub-par results. In Nashville, you can expect to pay over $100/hour for a quality coach with experience. For 3 workouts per week, that ends up being between $1300-$1400/month on the low end!
At MUVFit, after doing years of 1-on-1 coaching, we began to look at what clients actually need – and what they don’t. Hiring based on cost is always a huge mistake people make when looking for a trainer. But since $1000/mo is hard for many to do, what other option is there?
1-on-1 Personal Training is Overkill for Most People
When it comes to personal training, it’s important to know what you should paying for – and what you shouldn’t. Of course, there are exceptions if someone has extreme physical limitations or has an ultra-specific goal that requires more detailed attention. But for most looking to lose weight, get stronger, and age and feel better:
What you DO need:
Experienced, quality coach
Customized program that factors in past/present injuries and mobility issues, starts where YOU are at, and progresses in a scientific manner
Accountability to stick with it
Support and Encouragement
Flexibility for busy schedules
Affordability
What you DON’T need:
A coach hovering over you every second of a workout counting your reps
Being dependent on only one person to help you change your life
Fitting into one trainer’s schedule – and when your schedules don’t align, you miss your workout
Wasting time with needless chit-chat instead of working towards your goals
(Personal pet peeve) A coach looking at their phone while you’re doing an exercise.
Initial Consultation – First, we will schedule a call to discuss your goals and ensure we’re a great fit for each other. This is a vital first step to explain the program and answer all of your questions.
New Client Orientation – If we sound like a good fit, we will have you come in for a New Client Orientation. We will show you around the gym to get you acclimated, explain exactly how the sessions will look and feel, give you a bunch of tools to help you on your journey, and help ease the nerves because we know starting this can be intimidating.
Accountability Coach – Once you’ve begun as a member of our program, we will assign you an Accountability Coach to help coach you on your journey. They will set up a 1-on-1 Strategy Session with you to dig deeper into your goals and lifestyle and begin to craft a plan to get you there. You will have unlimited access to them for questions/support through your journey here.
Custom Plan – Over the first two weeks of your program, we will assess exactly how you move to dial your program in. We have a proprietary program in which we score you on over 30 movements, and continue to score you over time to progress you in a scientific way (no guessing here!). You can be assured we won’t have you doing anything you shouldn’t be doing with our expert program.
Personal Training Sessions – Our personal training sessions are conducted in a semi-private environment in which you are sharing the attention of our expert trainer with other clients. But each client has their own custom program! This is no class. You will have your own dedicated space with a tablet with YOUR name and YOUR workout displayed on it!
Flexible Scheduling – Whereas a 1-on-1 coach has a rigid schedule that can be hard to fit into, we have a completely flexible, open schedule. Book sessions whenever they work for you and your schedule week to week.
Team Approach to Training – Although we assign each client their own Accountability Coach, you do not have to train with them each time. In fact, we don’t want you to! We find it to be extremely beneficial to have multiple coaches work with you. So your session coach is dictated by when you come in. We coach our clients as a team to give you the best possible experience.
Community – Finally, one of the most underrated and misunderstood benefits of our approach is the Community and Culture. These are things most clients don’t initially value, but find to be the most appealing part of the process once you’re here. Having a community of like-minded individuals supporting you through your journey is something you can’t put a price on.
“After 3 workouts, I can honestly say that this has been the best decision of my life! My expectations were probably on the high side just based on what my friends have both told me, but you guys have FAR surpassed that. It’s the most welcoming and encouraging place I’ve ever been – not even just for a gym. The coaches are amazingly patient and thoughtful. They each made sure I was 100% clear on what I needed to do. They have pushed me when I needed it (already went up on weight for 2 of my exercises!!) and did it in the most bubbly, high energy way. That increase in 5 lbs felt just as important as I would’ve expected a 20 lb increase to feel.
It’s SO easy to schedule online!
Seriously, you’ve created a special thing here, and I’m so thankful I get to be a part of it.”
– Sarah C.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’ve been looking for a solution that delivers results, takes the intimidation out of fitness, and has you looking forward to your workout each day, check out MUVFit Personal Training. We would love to meet you.
Top 10 Holiday Fitness Tips
And what a week it was! As most of you know – I am a die-hard, lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. This past week has been my heaven. For those living in a bubble, the Cubs came back from a 3-1 game deficit to win 3 games in a row to win it all. It was painful, laborious, gut-wrenching, beautiful and epic – all in one. The Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908 – and it was one of the most amazing World Series ever in how it played out. It’s been a happy week in the Meng household.
Now I can take a deep breath and…wait! It’s time for the holidays?! How did this happen? I’ve never been so invested in post-season baseball this far into the year because…well…the Cubs have never been there in my lifetime! More stress?? I don’t know if I can handle much more!
Let’s face it: as much as the holidays are a beautiful and wonderful time of year – it’s also the most stressful for many people. And we all know it is really hard to stick to a healthy eating and exercise plan during the holidays. Everywhere we turn there are tempting foods and drinks—from treats at office parties to our own traditional family favorites. When you add in a busy schedule filled with shopping and get-togethers that make it tough to squeeze in exercise, you have a recipe for disaster as far as our scales are concerned.
I have a challenge for you this year! Instead of waiting until January 1st to begin making good decisions and essentially “righting the ship” from the debacle that was the last month and a half, I want you to have a different goal this holiday season.
Your Holiday Challenge – Maintenance
It will take some effort, but you will thank yourself a thousand times when January 1st rolls around and you have no regrets!
This is a better goal than trying to lose. Remember: you want to enjoy the holidays, not be miserable from deprivation. The holidays are a time to enjoy your family and take a minute to appreciate this life. Life is too short to live by “rules” all the time, right? This means that you will allow yourself occasional treats and splurges and keep the scale where it is rather than trying to actually decrease your weight.
Here are 10 Holiday Fitness Tips
Don’t skip your workouts. Even moderate intensity workouts can burn 300-400 calories per hour. You need this calorie-burn to keep up with the richer food that you will be eating. You will also be less likely to overeat if you have just sweated through a hard workout!
Eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast consume fewer calories throughout the day than those who skip this important meal.
Keep a food diary. Write down every single thing you eat—even if it is only one bite of shrimp cocktail. It is a proven fact that keeping a food journal results in better weight control than not keeping one.
Monitor your hunger. Never show up at a party or buffet ravenous—you will most certainly overeat. Drink water and have a protein-filled snack (such as nuts or cheese) before arriving. This will help you to have more self-control around the temptations.
Weigh yourself twice each week. Normally it is not a good idea to step on the scale too often, but during the holidays it’s a great way to stay on track with your goals. If you see the scale start to creep, you can immediately take steps to correct it, such as backing off your calories for a day or two, drinking more water and adding in a little more exercise.
Watch your portion size. If you have an idea of how much food you are putting on your plate, you will be less likely to overdo it. Take a look at the chart to familiarize yourself with portion sizes as they compare to your hand.
Deal quickly with leftovers. If you have unhealthy leftovers in your home, you are likely to indulge. Don’t leave them sitting around. Freeze them, give them away (even better) or toss them. It’s not worth the temptation!
Check in with your future self. Every day, speak to yourself from the future—say, from January 1. Thank yourself for doing the tough work of self-discipline during these holiday weeks. You might say something like this:“Thank you! I feel great! I’m no heavier than I was in November, I’ve stayed on track with my exercise, my energy is incredible and I’ve got the momentum to spend the rest of the winter getting in even better shape before spring gets here!”
Go public. Sound scary? It’s supposed to! Let others know what your current weight is and check in with them each time you weigh yourself. That kind of intense accountability will give you will power when the cheesecake and fudge starts showing up at the office!
Keep this goal top of mind. This one is really simple. Write yourself a note and stick it to your mirror in your bathroom, your dashboard in your car, etc. Reminders to stay on track with this goal to maintain. It’s easy to get lost in the chaos. Keep your goal fresh with this simple trick.
You can survive the holidays with no added weight gain. Remember these tips and keep a vision of what you want to feel like on January 1 in mind. It’s going to be a great holiday season! I’m excited!
And one last time – Go Cubbies!
P.S. If you need any help with more ideas on how to maintain your weight or need some additional accountability to this goal, please contact us and let us know. I’m happy to help!
