And just like that, the holiday season is here! Cue Mariah Carey ’cause all’s I want for Christmas is YOU….

HEALTHY for the HOLIDAYS!

[Omg Coach Josh – this is the MOST cliché blog like ever!]

Last year, a blog like this would have looked different because welp, life was different!

But today, Healthy for the Holidays is me lovingly nudging you to ask yourself and assess:

• HOW you are taking care of yourself nowadays in a global pandemic?

• HOW you are balancing your mental health when ALL of your worlds have collided into one?

You’re multi-tasking as a professional, parent, caregiver for aging loved ones, substitute math teacher, Zoom extraordinaire, keeper of the Lysol wipes, master of creating unique ways for your family to have fun…..the list goes on.

Healthy for the Holidays doesn’t mean “surviving” the next month and just “getting by”. What it means is mapping out how you’re going to:

#1. Maintain CONTROL + SANITY through the end of 2020.

#2. ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY without shaming yourself, “falling off the wagon” or feeling guilty for eating “bad” food.

#3. GIVE A DAMN about your HEALTH. If you aren’t on the top of your list, that’s OK! There are still little things you can do daily that will add and have a BIG impact on your mental and physical health come December 31.

Today, I am here to help you plan ahead for the next 7 weeks so you wake up every day feeling a little less stressed, a little less anxious and a lot HELATHIER, both physically and mentally!

TAKE A PAUSE….

You don’t need me telling you the holidays are stressful and chaotic. Package that with a global pandemic and here we are.

For the next 2 minutes, let’s assess how you are feeling and how you want to feel December 31:

#1. WELLNESS CHECK: So, how are you feeling right now in this exact moment?

Take 45 seconds now to dig deep and get super HONEST with yourself. This is a safe space and no one is here to judge. Here, I’ll go first while you think.

Personally, I do NOT feel as merry + bright as I did in the picture below.

This picture was taken last December at our annual Ugly SWEATer workout party. Life was different than and none of us, in our wildest nightmare, imagined we’d soon be living in a pandemic.

As a small business owner, I’m scared, stressed and worried knowing our ability to connect with and help humans like YOU live healthy, happy + strong is at risk.

This makes me sad because being healthy is so important and yet feels so hard for us to do right now.

So….how are you feeling?

#2. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: Now, take 45 seconds and asses how you are dealing with that emotion:

• Feeling stressed? Anxious? Sad? How are you dealing with that?

• Is there a 1,000 pound gorilla sitting on your chest? How are you dealing with that?

Yes, we all process and digest things differently. The key is making sure what you do to address, internalize and deal with “it” leaves you better off, not worse.

An example of this would of course be exercise vs. having a few adult beverages. I’ll preface by saying, no one is judging you. Just making a case for support:

Exercise is medicine. It’s not just about looking good it’s about having the time and space to focus on yourself because doing so leaves you better off. You feel a huge sense of accomplishment doing what you never thought you could, have more energy to give for things you enjoy (spending time with your family), you get stronger -major confidence booster, you connect with others and form meaningful relationships, you feel motivated and overall, super healthy!

WOW – so many good things!!!!!

Having some adult bevs and catching up with old friends via a Zoom happy hour or winding down with a nightcap after a long day is something you look forward to. Having that downtime is important (again, not here to judge). After a few drinks, you feel less anxious so you pour another glass of wine or crack open a delicious IPA.

Again, totally NOT here to judge but am here making you aware of the potential domino effect:

One drink opens the floodgates and before you know it, you are passed out on a pizza box. Waking up, you feel like shit, your brain is foggy, you’re less productive, probably feeling super anxious because alcohol is a downer, and you just want to be lazy all day.

So, in the end, those adult beverages did NOT leave you better off.

TAKE-AWAY: You can have your cake and eat it, too.

Can you have that glass of wine? Sure. More importantly, you need to be layering in habits to elevate your mood, enhance your physical health and boost your mental clarity. Find a healthy outlet to appropriately deal with how you are feeling by identifying one specific habit leaving you BETTER OFF both physically and mentally.

This is WHY exercise is highly recommended. This is not earth shattering news but most certainly something we all need to hear again and again knowing it’s easy to put off or delay until tomorrow when life feels hard.

Moving your body is the simplest form of stress relief with endless benefits. We should all be moving our bodies daily through regular exercise – period.

The best type of exercise? The type that helps you mechanically move WELL, safely and the one you consistently do. Our philosophy and what we do at Results Fitness is create safe, effective and smart training programs using strength based exercise because scientific research proves this is most effective for:

#1. Promoting quality movement! Getting out of bed, bending over, using the stairs should NOT cause you pain. Give your body the opportunity to do what it’s capable of versus always being in pain. If you body hurts now from just walking, imagine how you are going to feel in 10 years….

#2. Having MORE energy! If you are mostly sedentary, you will feel noticeably more tired, sluggish and BLAH compared to someone who is moving more frequently. Moving your body changes all of that and gives you the turbo boost to spend time doing what you love without feeling tired.

#3. Making you stronger! Hanging up that Christmas tree? Carrying groceries? Carrying your kids / grandkids? You need strength to do those things. Again, if it feels hard today, it’s going to feel impossible 5-10 years from now.

#4. Promoting bone health! Especially important for pre + post menopausal ladies. From your 40’s on, you are going to hear this a ton from your doctor. And, if they know their stuff, they will tell you to start exercising and using weights.

#5. Preventing chronic disease! Think it’s too soon to think about what life will be like as you age? Think again. The shit you do today will make your life 10, 20 and 30 years from now BETTER or WORSE. Choices, choices choices!

#6. Boosting your confidence! Do you shy away from family photos? Hide behind a huge blanket on your Zoom calls? If you don’t’ feel comfortable in your own skin, that’s no way to live. Exercise turbo boosts your confidence and shifts how you look and see yourself.

HOW TO TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD

First, I am not here passing judgement. I understand HOW you are feeling and the stress you carry. I understand you are not just responsible for your own self but many other adult and tiny humans.

You do NOT need to overhaul your entire life right now but you also do NOT need to barely get by this holiday season, say to “hell with it” and wait until the New Year (talk about cliché!).

You can take action NOW and plan for the next 7 weeks based on what fits in your lifestyle and schedule, not the other way around.

The good news? I am a coach and am here to help you do just that! I am here to help you stay healthy for the holidays because feeling happy and being healthy matters.

Healthy for the Holidays means giving you the support, coaching and accountability you want and need to stay focused and in control instead of overwhelmed and overconsumed with fear, anxiety, frustration, and sadness.

What does having a coach mean for YOU?! It means as your coach, I do all the thinking for you by giving you a step by step easy to follow plan. You get exactly what you need to feel good, to release that tension and to deal with the emotions weighing you down.

YOU DIAL IN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT! Most of us think we don’t have time but we do. Maybe some days are easier to navigate than others but you can dial in or scale back as needed. The most important thing is you stay consistent. You just need accountability.

On Friday, you are going to get another message from me about our 21-day coaching and accountability program Healthy for the Holidays. It starts Monday, November 30 but THIS FRIDAY I am opening registration with an early bird black Friday sale.

The 21-day program is normally $350, but you can snag it for ONLY $79!

OMG THAT IS WICKED WILD! If that’s not something to make you smile, I dunno what will!!

Stay tuned and reply back to me now if you have questions!