FitFluential Five – the “me first” approach to balance during the holidays

I’ve just become the newest (and proudest) member of the FitFluential Ambassadors and so far, all I can say is this: damn is this one highly inspired, motivated, driven and fit bunch of people! I LOVE IT and am so glad I took the plunge. (check out the FitFluential blog here if you haven’t already)

One of the areas we’ve been talking about lately is the concept of balance…and the holidays. The one time of year that tends to toss as many curveballs at us as possible. From holiday parties with friends, to the loads of treats that magically appear at the office, to the many, many, many “reasons” to skip the gym –the balancing act is just so much tougher for most of us this time of year.

Personally, in the last couple of years, I’ve taken the “me first” approach to the holidays, as terrible as that may sound, initially.

But hear me out….

“Me First” and the holidays – a FitFluential Five:

1 – Get comfortable with the word “no.” Just because you’ve been invited to the sixteenth holiday party in the two weeks leading into Christmas and New Years, doesn’t mean you automatically have to accept the invite. If you’re feeling spread entirely too thin, that you’re here, there, and everywhere and feel a little lost? My advice is that “no” is ok. No guilt needed. Your friends will understand.True friends will, anyway.

2- Consistently aim for “me first”  moments in your day. The hours in the day somehow get shorter and shorter as the holidays near. So maybe you aren’t able to get your usually killer workouts in (in their entirety, anyway) some weeks. Instead of giving up entirely, throwing in the towel “until the new year” – aim for mini “me first” moments in your day. Drop and do a set of planks and push-ups before bed. Get up a few minutes earlier to stretch out sore muscles. Take a quick walk during the day at work to grab a coffee – enjoy the few minutes of fresh air and that time *not* spent at your desk. Those little “me first” moments will add up, keeping you sane and centered. Balanced. Of course, if you can stick to your workout schedule as much as you can during the holidays, all the better. If you’re like me, you’ll no doubt feel much more centered with a semblance of workout consistency amid  the holiday fun.

3 – Eat well. Consistently. Seems like a no-brainer but I think it’s far easier to throw caution to the wind when the word “holiday” comes into play. It’s like suddenly the unspoken rule of “it’s the holidays, do it up!” comes out in full force. And before I go any further, I’ll stop and say – I’m not a party pooper, I swear. I love good wine, good chocolate, good food. But I also like to feel like “me” during the holidays – which means eating like “me” as consistently as I can during the holidays. Choosing my battles – an extra glass of wine or the frosted sugar cookie I spy on the dessert table at the holiday party. You get the idea.

4 – Make every moment count. One of my biggest faults is “can’t waiting” for the weekend, for the next social outing, for the next date night, etc. I end up rushing through life when I do that and miss out on the little moments that make the world go ‘round. It happens even more during the holidays. Sometimes the best way (for me) to slow down and embrace every moment is to literally stop myself in my tracks and whisper to myself “slow down.” I did this last night, actually. I was starting to panic about all of the holiday parties I’m hosting this year and I was sucking the joy right out of the whole thing. I pulled back. Settled into the couch. And made a to-do/to-buy list. A giant one. Assigned dates to each item. And suddenly, I was calm again. Everything felt doable. Not stressful. I felt calm and excited to embrace every single holiday moment spent with loved ones.

5 – Just be. My friend Steph has instilled this mantra in me this year. This goes hand-in-hand with #4 in that the more I step back, focus on moments and memories, the more I’m able to stay in the moment and just be…happy, fulfilled, content, joyful, energized, just…me.