We are well into the New Year and it’s time to take a good, hard look at how you’re doing on your fitness goals. If you’re like many people, you started the year with gusto and newfound determination. You had big goals and were committed. Fast-forward a few months. The workout sessions have gotten fewer. The bad habits have crept back into your life and, more than likely, you’re not feeling too great. Don’t throw up your hands and wait until January 1 of next year. I have 5 steps to help get you back on track right now and put those goals within reach. I urge you to get out a notepad and write these 5 steps out for yourself instead of just reading them.

1. Make an Assessment of Your Failed Plan. It’s important to look at what went wrong to help you get it right. Was your plan overambitious? Were you doing exercise you didn’t enjoy? Did you join a gym that was inconvenient to your home or work? Look at all of these things to determine if your plan was doomed to fail. Many are so excited to get in shape at the start of a new year, that they go full force with an unrealistic, unsustainable plan. If you did that, it’s ok. Pinpoint what went wrong.

 

2. Revise your Goals. Now that you’ve figured out what the problem is, change your goals. For example, if your original goal was to lose 50 pounds by Spring Break, change your goal to something much more attainable. It might be much less overwhelming to change your goal to 5 lbs. per month. Make your goals reachable and then go crush them.

 

3. Make a New Plan. So, you know where your plan went wrong, you’ve set new goals, now it’s time to put a new plan in place. Write out a new plan that is doable and compatible with your schedule, interests and personality. Maybe your original plan had you running 4 days a week, but you hate running. Don’t run! Do what you enjoy. Take classes that are fun. Get outside and walk if you prefer that. Didn’t enjoy the gym setting? Plan at home workouts 4 days a week instead? Really look at and decide on a plan that you can sustain. Ask yourself these questions. What form of exercise do I enjoy? How many days per week can I feasibly workout? Do I enjoy solitary workouts or a group setting? Set your plan according to your answers. So often we make our plan according to what is popular or because something worked for a friend. Each person is unique and your plan needs to be specific for YOU. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing or what’s popular on social media.

 

4. Don’t Make Too Many Changes at Once. Once your new workout plan is in place, be careful not to overwhelm yourself with too many changes. I usually advise clients to get the exercise going first and THEN work on your diet. As you are getting back to a solid fitness routine and are feeling confident, start making slow, steady changes to your eating. One change at a time can often be the best formula for success.

  

5. Tell a Friend. Call or have coffee with a friend and explain your new workout routine and goals. Ask for accountability. Pick someone who loves you enough to be tough with you and truly hold you accountable. Invite them along because chances are they need accountability, too.

It is so easy to get off track from the healthy habits we start at the beginning of the year, but you don’t have to stay there. Follow these steps and you’ll be back on track and feeling great in no time.

Have you heard that the average person gains 8-10 lbs. during the holidays? Whoa. No wonder gyms and fitness classes are bursting at the seams in January! Like most people, I love this time of year. Over the years, I’ve learned some tips and tricks to keep from putting on that dreaded holiday weight while still fully enjoying myself and not feeling deprived. It is possible!

 

1. Keep Working Out! This is huge. Continuing your workout routine throughout the holidays goes a long way in keeping those pounds off. I know life is busy in November and December, but you can carve out some time to exercise. Get up a little earlier. Spend less time on Facebook and Netflix. I guarantee you can find time in your schedule if you try.

 

2. Get an Accountability Partner. Find a friend who wants to keep the holiday pounds off, too. Encourage each other to stick with your workouts and not go off the rails with eating. Check in daily by texting or calling and support each other when you’re struggling.

  

3. Drink Water. You’ve probably heard that drinking water helps curb your appetite, but have you actually tested it? I have and it really does help. Buy a fun water bottle and carry it with you everywhere. Drink a big glass of water before meals and before you go to parties or events. I also like to drink a glass after a meal if I’m planning to have dessert.

 

4. Move More. It’s important to keep on our feet as much as we can, but it’s especially important during the holidays. Work to increase your steps by 1,000 during this time. Stand when you’re online shopping or working on Christmas cards. Take a walk around the block after dinner. Just move more! Being on your feet and moving burns calories and every little bit helps.

 

5. Pick which days you plan to indulge. Most people simply give themselves carte blanche throughout the holidays and put off worrying about it until January 1. Instead, pick your splurge days. Maybe your plan is to splurge at Thanksgiving, a few parties or events, Christmas day and New Years. If so, eat a healthy diet on the other days. Having splurge days keeps you from feeling deprived while keeping you from going hog wild the entire month of December.

  

6. Snack BEFORE the party. I know people who starve themselves all day before a party or event and then go NUTS at the party. I’ve found a better plan is to eat like normal and even have a healthy snack before the party. By feeling satisfied and not ravenous, you will have better control and not inhale the entire dessert table.

 

7. Splurge on seasonal goodies. One fun aspect of holiday food is that much of it is only around during this time of year. Cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, fudge and eggnog aren’t on your normal weekly menu. When you splurge, don’t waste calories on things you can eat anytime such as bread or brownies. Save it for seasonal stuff.

 

8. Eat greens at every meal. This is a good year round tip, but it can be especially helpful at the holidays. Load up on plenty of healthy greens to help fill you up, leaving less room for all the other stuff. I even enjoy having greens at breakfast by throwing some spinach in scrambled eggs or a smoothie. If that’s not for you, have fruit with your breakfast. Having healthy produce at each meal is always a good idea.

 

9. Enjoy your food and don’t feel bad. On the days you choose to splurge, fully enjoy it and don’t stress. One of the keys to enjoying your holiday splurges is to eat healthy and exercise throughout the year. When you have a consistently healthy lifestyle, some holiday indulgence won’t hurt you. Key word is “some.” Indulging constantly throughout the holidays will have you wearing your fat pants in January, so pick your days. Once you do that, relax and savor every bite.

 

10. Finally, and this is crucial, get right back on track. So often, we have an “all or nothing” mentality. We think, “Oh Well! I’ve blown it, so I may as well keep eating garbage.” Before you know it, you’ve gone two weeks without working out or watching your diet. Free yourself from that way of thinking and just get right back at it after a splurge. Overdid it Christmas Day? Start back December 26. Went a little nuts at a Christmas party? Get back the very next meal and workout the very next day. Don’t let unhealthy habits linger.

 

With a little effort and planning, you can fully enjoy this wonderful season without doing damage to your waistline. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, y’all!

 

Years ago, I struggled with guilt when I would go on vacation. Being off my normal eating and exercise routine would cause me stress and although I always enjoyed my vacations, I could never quite shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong. “Will I gain weight?” “Will I be able to get back on track?” Well, that was then and this is now. Over the years, I’ve realized a few things about taking time off and how to do it without negating all my hard work.

 

1. Eating healthy and working out consistently throughout the year trumps a few weeks of vacation. One of the biggest ways to avoid a big vacation waistline train wreck is to work out and eat well all year long. Week in, week out. Not a few weeks here and a few weeks there. Not at the beginning of the New Year for a month or two. One reason I don’t stress about lying on a beach for a week or eating my way through Seattle is because I know I’ll be right back on track when I get home which leads me to my second point.

2. Get a workout in within two days of returning. Re-entry into the real world can be quite the buzz kill. Laundry, grocery shopping and gads of emails to return can make it easy to justify not getting back into your healthy routine. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself three weeks home from vacay without a workout. I make it a goal to workout within one to two days of getting home. No excuses. It doesn’t have to be a life-altering workout. Just do something to get back into the flow.

 

3. Avoid the “unbutton the pants” fullness. Splurge and have fun, but stop before you’re super full. I hate the feeling of being uncomfortably full, so I stop eating right when I’m satiated. If you don’t go nuts on your portion size, you can enjoy things you don’t normally eat without guilt. That’s all good, but what happens when you do go a little crazy and wind up in a food coma? See point #1. Yes, your pants may be a tad tighter when you get home, but if you return to your healthy living routine, you’ll be back to normal in no time.

4. Relax and enjoy! I take full advantage of my time off now. Sometimes I might go for an easy run to check out my new surroundings. Sometimes I don’t. I only exercise if I truly desire to do so. Some vacations, I just need a total break. Either way, I don’t stress. My goal is to relax and enjoy the time with my family.

Getting a break from life is a gift and we should all take advantage. Guilt free. Happy vacationing and I’ll see you at the gym when you get back!

 

Whether you’re just getting into this fitness thing or you’ve been at it for years, I have a couple of tips to make this habit just a bit easier and more fun. Who are we kidding? I have a ton of tips, but I’ll just focus on two today.

The first is to like your workout clothes, and by that I mean, buy cute workout clothes. Don’t wear your hubby’s old t-shirt, no matter how comfortable it is. Don’t wear the shorts you weed your flowerbed in either. Give yourself permission to go shopping and get some clothes you really dig, clothes that are actually designed for exercise. It makes a world of difference! Before you even start your workout, you’ll feel better just because you like what you’re wearing. Workout clothes breathe better which helps you perform your workout better. An old t-shirt gets heavy and cumbersome as you sweat and that is NOT a good feeling when you’re in the middle of a tough class. Today’s workout wear is so fun, fashionable and comfy that I still feel and look somewhat decent running errands after my gym session.

My other tip is to invest in a good gym bag. Have that sucker packed and ready everyday. When I get home from the gym, I unload my bag and restock it for the next day. It certainly does speed up the process of getting out the door each morning when my bag is ready to go.

So, what should you have in your gym bag? I have perfected the art of packing a gym bag since I live out of mine. My gym bag may actually be a tad over packed since I teach fitness classes and want to be prepared for anything, but I’ve discovered a few essentials that everyone needs in their bag.

FOOD! 

I always have snacks in my bag. It’s a good idea to have a snack 30 minutes to an hour after your workout. I’m usually running errands at that time, so having snacks in my bag keeps me from making a less than healthy choice when I’m out and about. Sometimes, I burn through my breakfast before I’m done at the gym, so having a KIND bar on hand saves me in the middle of my workout. It’s also nice having extra snacks with me to help someone else who may not have fueled properly before class.

Water Bottle

I bring a big, ole bottle to guzzle, not the little fun-sized, kid-sized bottles. I drink steadily throughout my workout and try not to let myself get thirsty.

Sweat Towel

I’m a sweater so I really love my little sweat towel. You may not think you need one if you are just starting out, but as your fitness level improves, the harder you can go, and the harder you go, the more you sweat.

Baby Wipes

I have to “fake” my showers after class when my schedule is tight. Baby wipes do the trick until I can get home.

Dry Shampoo

Again, faking it.

Jacket

Most gyms have the AC cranked; at least they do in the group fitness rooms. I almost always have a jacket on before I start class. After class, I’m sweaty and get cold if I don’t have a jacket.

Chapstick

When you’re working out at an intense level, you’ll be breathing out of your mouth and your lips can get very dry. I always put on chapstick right after my workout.

Breath Mints

With all that mouth breathing, everyone’s breath needs a little freshening!

Those are my essentials. With cute workout clothes and a well-packed gym bag, you’ll be ready to conquer the world or at least the gym.

(Photo taken at the Waco Family YMCA, for membership information, click here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all know that in order to establish lifelong fitness, we need to find a workout or workouts that we like and consistently do them. More and more studies are showing that it isn’t as important what type of workout you do. What’s important is that you DO SOMETHING and do it regularly. Don’t listen to people who say that one workout is better than another. Maybe that certain workout is better for THEM, but if you don’t like it, it’s not for you. Don’t be confused by what you see on social media. You will see all kinds of workouts and varying fitness information, but no matter what you see, the best exercise is the one you will actually do…long term.

With all that being said, I thought I’d share my very favorite way to workout. It should come as no surprise, but group fitness rocks my world. I LOVE it so much and not only because I teach it. Of course, I totally love teaching it, but I love being a participant, too. There is just nothing like it. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy solitary workouts. I either run or do HIIT training alone once or twice a week. Running by myself clears my mind and, as a dance fitness choreographer, I do my best choreographing in my head while I’m running. Go figure. Still and all, group exercise is special and my favorite.

I love walking in the door, seeing familiar faces, and being greeted immediately each class. I get a sense of what Norm on “Cheers” must have felt when he walked in the bar and was greeted with a loud “Norm!” each day. As you get to know the people around you, friendships form. Some of my best friendships have come from a group fitness class. I love how the people in class become a family and look out for each other. I know many people in my classes text each other or send Facebook messages when a fellow class member is absent. We care about each other and that’s not typically something that forms in the cardio room on treadmills.

I’m much less likely to skip a workout when I know my fellow class members will be there and wonder where I am. It definitely makes it easier to be consistent when I have that built in accountability.

In a group fitness class, you push yourself more than you might otherwise. When we exercise on our own, it’s easier to stop when we probably could go a little harder and a little longer. When your instructor is pushing and challenging you, it’s easier to continue on when you really want to quit.

I feel a sense of camaraderie in class that I don’t get elsewhere. We are in the fight together. We struggle, groan and hurt together. These are my fellow warriors. My people! We laugh together, like today when I went face first into my mat while trying to hold a difficult pose in yoga class. Thanks to my friend, Holly, for lightening the mood with “She’s going down!” as it happened. We bond over our soreness and encourage each other to keep going. It’s comforting to have my buddies with me, working hard, enduring the pain and getting through even the toughest workouts together. It’s a bonding experience and I always leave feeling accomplished, empowered and just a little better than before.

I also learn from group fitness. If you have a good instructor, he or she is constantly educating you on fitness and health and keeping you updated on the latest research and information. Also, class members share great information with each other. We swap everything from recipes and diet tips to what stores are having great sales on workout clothes. I’m constantly learning from people in my classes and it’s awesome.

Just writing this has me excited about my class tomorrow. I’m ready for a little bit of socializing and whole lot of hard work with my fellow workout warriors. If you’ve never tried a fitness class, I encourage you to give it a shot. It will change more than your backside. It could change your life.

All photos taken at the Waco Family YMCA. For membership information, click here.