The Christmas Trap

Don't fall for the Christmas TRAP

Routine over these next few months is vital for everyone to go into the new year on the front foot.

So, fuck it let me dive deep into what we have seen with members over the past few years during the xmas period.

November and December we see people slacking with their daily habits and start to dip in motivation within the gym and activity outside the gym.

I will use member A (THAT’S WHAT I WILL CALL HER) as an example:

LET ME SET THE SCENE……..

Member A works 9-5, has kids and goes the gym on the ADAPT group a minimum 4 times per week. She also try’s to fit in another day or 2 on top of the 4 days she does if she can get the kids minded or she feels energetic, but 4 days are here non negotiables.

She eats well but doesn’t restrict herself of any foods but has got good discipline when it comes to over eating too much.

Its now November 11th and she’s feeling the pinch of all these extra social events coming up. She’s got 3 night outs this month and 3 next month in-between this she has got to do loads of xmas shopping and hopefully fit in her gym sessions.

She normally hits 10-12k steps per day by going for a walk on her breaks in work and or walking to work. She normally also does a lot of steps during housework and activities with the kids of a weekend and after school.

But this is starting to slack, the cold is hitting life and it gets darker day by day.

She now only gets 6k steps per day and her dinner break consists of eating in the staff room where everyone else is and they are al sharing sweets and cakes which she is finding it hard to resist.

CAN YOU SEE WERE WE ARE GOING HERE …..

Its now December she’s fully fell off the lifestyle habit train, she has started to miss breakfast and she’s now picking at shit throughout the day. This means she’s not getting hungry for proper food and she’s craving sweet stuff. Any cake that hits her version she’s eating no danger.

But now her mood and love for the gym is awful and she cant be assed going so she misses Mondays off (the session she use to see as no non-negotiable) now she only goes 3 times per week. Which is enough but on top of the lack of steps lack of quality food and lower energy levels this is starting to become a terrible schedule.

Its near Christmas now and she now goes into the gym just for the sake of it, no real drive to be stronger or fitter just going coz she’s paid her membership. Her hormones are all over the place because her energy levels have dropped through lack of proper nutrition.

She’s snapping at the kids when she use to have patience and her fella isn’t getting any action coz shes too tired. (not good for the relationship this)

Its January she has an uphill battle.

She must get back into routine, create better habits, start training with intent and lower her calories because sh needs to lose weight for her holiday in the summer.

This isn’t good.

SO WHAT WOULD WE DO TO MEMBER A IF SHE CAME TO US IN NOVEMBER?...

We would go through her schedule and make non negotiables stick.

We work around the social occasions let her have fun but make sure she doesn’t slip up and press the fuck it button.

We would plan out her day….

·      ⏺ 6:30 wake up – water electrolytes and vits

·      ⏺ 8/9- breakfast – yogurt and fruit

·      ⏺ 12-1 – lunch – soup+ chicken

·      ⏺ 5/6 – training

·      ⏺ 7/8 – family dinner

In between these non-negotiables would ideally be packed with healthy high protein snacks and maybe some walking to get steps in. But we know this might be a problem with the time of year so as long as she has got 3 meals and pencilled her training days then we are good to go. 80/20% rule

We make sure 80% of her day and week are choices that will help her progress.

Member A now has a plan, she knows if she falls off its ok she gets back on the next day as she still has a lot of the week left to get her 80% habit and routine in check.

Fast forward few weeks its 28th December. She feels like she’s put on a little weight over xmas but she doesn’t lookalike she has. She has more energy throughout the xmas period going into the new year.

She’s excited for the new training block to start and feels like she’s ready to attack it for the summer holidays. She doesn’t need to drastically drop calories so she can make small adjustments to her nutrition which wont feel like she’s on diet.

The point we are making is, A PLAN WITHOUT ACTION IS JUST A WISH.