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Fall Fitness and Surviving the Holidays
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I have a secret for you. In fact we get asked all of the time what we REALLY do. I remember one time I was working a CrossFit Seminar a few years ago and one of the participants pulled myself and one of the other trainers aside and asked, "so what is the secret - what do you guys really do to get so fit and stay so lean?"
We told him, but asked him to please keep it hush hush. If the word gets out - everyone will be walking around specimens of fitness. There has to be SOMETHING that other people know - that you don't - RIGHT?
So what is it?
Paleo? Macros? Supplements? 3 Workouts a day? Special programming for the elite?
So many people say they have tried EVERYTHING. They would do ANYTHING - if they only knew what the right program was, or the right diet, the exact macro breakdown.
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So here it is.... the KEY to everlasting fitness:
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER
Otherwise known as
CONSISTENCY
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In my opinion - consistency is the most highly overlooked component of a person's fitness program. I don't mean consistency for a week, or a month, or a 12 week "cutting" phase. I mean consistency across a year, 3 years, a decade, your whole life.
Here's why:
Let's say you are the average January New Year's Resolutioner. You get all gung ho for a month or 6 weeks in January. Over the course of those 6 weeks you start to make some changes. Changes to your body, your metabolism, how your body handles blood sugar, your ability to push in workouts due to increased fitness and overall strength and even improvements in technique!
And, JUST as your body is starting to shift and change - just as you are really getting somewhere - you fall off.
This same person might get motivated again around the middle to the end of March. Now it's time to "get ready for summer"! But, since they fell off the wagon for 2-3 months - insulin sensitivity (i.e. - how your body processes carbs and sugar) is out of whack again. You lost your strength, cardiovascular, and technique gains you developed in January - so you are back to square one there too. You may stay motivated for April, May and June. Hell, you may even push on through the sunny months of Summer - but then what do we see happen time and time again?
THE HOLIDAYS HIT! This time of year is NOTORIOUS for people basically giving up until January. We get it. It's busy. It's cold. Your clothes are covering you up anyway. And for crying out loud - pumpkin pie and sugar cookies are delicious.
You need 2 things in order to REALLY see your body change and to maintain it for the rest of your life -
INTENSITY AND CONSISTENCY
And one feeds off of the other. Intensity is your ability to produce a higher power output in your training. Being able to go faster, use more weight, do more rounds - all equal an ability to have higher intensity in workouts. The higher intensity you can produce - the better your results will be. The goal isn't REALLY to beat anyone else on the whiteboard - it's to beat your previous self. This is why we re-test workouts!
This might not sound fair, but it's true -
THE FITTER YOU ARE - THE EASIER IT IS TO MAINTAIN FITNESS BECAUSE THE HIGHER LEVEL OF INTENSITY ACTUALLY BRINGS BETTER RESULTS.
So you can see that these losses in strength, cardiovascular gains, and improvements in technique leave you almost starting over every time you take a break from the gym. It's not just about the lbs of fat you might put on that you need to worry about if you decide to get lazy.
When it comes to how your body responds to food - think of it this way - it takes years, decades sometimes for people to damage their delicate system for how your body operates. It takes TIME for your body to re-set. And I hate to break it to you - 12 weeks is probably not going to reboot the whole system.
THE TRUTH?! Getting the workouts in 4 days a week and eating well 80% of the time YEAR ROUND. Will ALWAYS deliver better and longer lasting results than 6 days a week and 100% for 8 weeks 3 times a year.
Our message for the next 3 months will be "Fitness is made in the WINTER". Allow yourself the cheat days when appropriate, miss a workout here and there - it happens. But stick with us for the next 3 months and be ready to feel a LOT better once it's time to hit that January motivation!
- Miranda
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR NUTRITION GURU: COACH MOLLY!
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The Holidays are on there way and so are the treats!
As the weather changes and the air is filled with pumpkin spiced everything we can see the holidays on the horizon. This time of year can really challenge your willpower and commitment to your goals. So often I talk to people about how great they were doing and then the holidays came and they figured they would just pick back up after the new year. Just because the holidays are here doesn’t mean we have to compromise our goals or fun- we can have both!
Handling a holiday party like a Pro
- Go in with a plan! If you’re going to allow yourself a bite of a treat, stick to the plan and don’t cave last minute, no matter how good the brownies smells. Remember you are making this choice for no one else but yourself, don’t let peer pressure take that away from you.
- Don’t show up to a holiday party hungry. Make sure we have had a good amount of healthy foods in the day, so we don’t show up and eat everything in sight.
- Focus on the people and conversations not the food.
- Get a double serving of greens! This volume of healthy food will help you feel more full and satisfied.
- Cut your treat up into small bites. Cut the treat into smaller bites will allow us to satisfy our craving, consume slowly so we don’t end up to full and sick from sugar
- People will always make comments and try to peer pressure you into drinking or eating bad foods. You have set goals for yourself that not everyone is going to understand and thats OK. Try responding with something positive like, “I’m super happy with the way I’m eating as it aligns with my goals” The more positive you are with where you are at the less inclined they will feel to push you to eat or drink more
- Faux-tail can save the day! When I’m trying to avoid drinking, but dont want to deal with answering all the questions as to why I’m not drinking, I order a Faux-tail. This is basically a fake cocktail to make it look like I’m enjoying an adult beverage, but without the hangover. Soda water and lime should do the trick!
- Indulge in your treat! Whatever you decide your going to have for the night, enjoy it and move on from it. Your whole nutrition plan isn't thrown out the window because we had one piece of cake, or glass of wine.
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Treats at the Office
The office can be a tough place to escape the treats. Every corner you turn there is a plate full of sweet, delicious foods. When we get stressed (which is going to happen in the work place A LOT) we tend to gravitate to those feel-good sugary vibes to lift us up. Sometimes we don’t even realize we're eating things when we just mindlessly snack on treats because they are so accessible at work.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t have a treat or enjoy the holidays- I’m just asking you to think about WHY you are eating the treat. Our number one goal is to bring awareness to the food we consume and what we are eating. Here are some ways to
- Make sure you pack enough well balanced meals to last you the whole day
- Consume a little extra fat around the time you are most hungry in the day. This is usually your afternoon snack.
- Bring your own treats! There is plenty of better treat options you can make at home and pack for work. This way you know EXACTLY what went into your food instead of the mystery processed crap.
- Set a timer when you want to consume a treat. When you pass by the office treats and think about eating one, go back to your desk and set a 5 minute timer. This will allow a little time for you to really think about if you want/need the treat instead of eating off impulse.
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