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In todays show I’m sharing part 2 of: How To Prevent Weight Gain Over Christmas and New Year.

If you’ll missed it, Part 1 which covers the first 3 of 6 steps is the #180 show. To recap, those first 3 steps were:

1. Start on a Peak
2. Gratitude and
3. Plan

You can grab a copy of the complete PDF Holiday Survival Blueprint here.

This show is dedicated to Festive Season Fun, Fitness and Fat Loss… which I believe CAN Co-exist! 

Without further ado let’s power on with the remaining 3 steps…

Step 4. Set Your Standards:

Set your standards prior to leaving (if you’re not traveling, then set them prior to starting your ‘period of relaxed guidelines’).

Standards are the absolute Must-Do’s not vague ‘goals’ that are oh too easy to let slip on hols…

Such as how frequently you will exercise and your strategies when eating out.

You laid the foundations in the ‘Plan‘ section, now let’s get more specific.  For example:

=> lunch in and dinner out.

=> 1 serving at the buffet where you prioritize salad and veggie room on the plate.

=> making a restaurant booking to avoid excess nibbling and pre dinner drinks while waiting for a table.

=> dessert OR wine.

How strict you need to be with your standards is going to be dependent on how long you’re away for.  If it’s a month it’ll be necessary to stick as close as possible to your day to day ‘ideal’ fat burning day.

Personally, for a 1-2 week period my standards are a little more relaxed, the important thing to note is that it’s a conscious planned decision to train less and eat more treats (I do this once a year only) as I see the value for both body and mind in doing just that.

As food is such a huge part of holiday season I even decide on some guidelines that make the decision making process easier. These are some of mine;

=> Non-negotiable (I don’t eat this during the year or on holiday): lollies, biscuits, cake/dessert unless it’s my #1 most fav in either case, cheap-nasty-crap-o-la-yet-convenient take-away.

=> In moderation (aside from bread on the weekend the following rarely features in my regular nutrition but on holidays it can, in moderation): bread, yoghurt, beer, Lindt dark choc, hot chips (they have to be super awesome though!).

=> Free for all (as much as I want, seriously…this is where I get the “where do you put it” looks (and the only thing that stops the guzzling is me is feeling self-conscious that my relatives think I’m a gutz!): fruit, veg, mum’s roast or pretty much any low carb main vego meal I happen to get my mitts on.

Is assessing the above it’s also useful to consider your trigger foods – you know, those ones that once you start you can’t stop?  …and to come to an agreement with yourself as to whether they should fall into the “I have zero self-control” non-negotiable list or perhaps you can accommodate them in moderation.

I find buying in one portion sizes and/or eating once per day only, help me with my trigger foods

Your standards will guide the decisions you make and once you’re clear on your standards the day to day choices you make with regard to your exercise and nutrition will become much easier.

As I did in Part 1 (show #180), I’m going to sprinkle the action steps throughout todays show rather than at the end so here we go…

Your action steps:

A. What are your personal standards for the holiday period?

B. Include your trigger foods and your…

• Non-negotiable:
• In moderation:
• Free for all:

=> When these tactics again get challenging, you guessed it – it’s time to focus on the results they will allow you to enjoy in the future.  Remind Yourself:

C. For what purpose do I want this.  What will this mean to me – to my ideal life and also to all those I LOVE?

Step 5. Be Proud To Be Contrary & Communicate Why Effectively:

Again this may seem less obvious than some of my previous points however it is a key component in surviving this holiday season in a fit and energized condition.

Unless you want to look, feel and perform like everyone else it is necessary to resist ordinary behaviour.  Ordinary behaviour will involve the following to name just a few:

(so this is your AVOID IT list)

=> Let an existing or planned exercise routine slip whenever a better, easier, more enjoyable or more socially acceptive alternative presents.

=> Eat the canapes and whatever beverage happens to be provided free because they are right there in front of you… and ‘all you can eat/drink’ is too good an opportunity to miss.

=> Skip meals when busy and overeat crap-o-la to compensate later that evening.

=> Buy the ‘on special’ chocolates, biscuits etc because they are right there irresistibly flaunting their festive wrapping at you.

To enlist the support of all those close to you it’s important that you are able to communicate exactly why you’re choosing contrary.  The person who no longer has the pudding they never even loved anyway or stops at one big serve of roast rather than stuffing themselves to the point of discomfort or asks for an adjustment to the menu when eating out. This person who perhaps gets up early to get a walk in or buys vodka when beer and bubbles are part of the bar tab… will INITIALLY have to deflect some questions.

We teach others how to treat us.  The first couple of times you take a new habit for a spin, it’ll likely attract some attention.  As you stick with it it’ll become normal, for you and for the people closest to you – who are likely just trying to justify their own indulgences by drawing attention to your choices.

In saying this I am laboring ‘choices’ …what you eat and when you exercise is your business.  As is what the people closest to you eat and whether they exercise. ZERO JUDGEMENT.

The goal is to get you feeling and looking awesome, certainly not to leave anyone else feeling worse.

You know the couple where the ‘naturally skinny one’ always critics whatever the ‘bigger one’ consumes?  Not effective.  Not nice.

If it’s important to you to fuel your body the food that best helps it look and function as you would love it too – to prove to yourself that you can – then there is no shame in that.  It’s not fussy, it’s a simple decision to take the actions that allow your to achieve your goal.

Finally, it does not matter whether you’ve just decided a few days ago or whether you’ve maintained your goal physique for years and are committed to continuing that path.

(likely you’re in between) …my point is if you were to fear judgment in the form of ‘why is she/he even bothering’ then you’d never start anything new and positive.

Back your ability to achieve this goal and feel confident communicating it’s importance to those who love you.

Your action step:

A. For what purpose are you committing to take these actions that will allow you to achieve this goal? (focus on the positive it will allow you and those you love to experience rather than any negatives you’re looking to avoid)

(YES. It’s that important to focus on the Why)

Step 6. Love What You Indulge In:

…also your regular meals & how you exercise as much as possible:

Long term there is no place in your eating regime for those high calorie, carby, fatty foods that you don’t absolutely LOVE.  If you’re choosing a treat – then make it worth it!

You work hard in your exercise sessions, so don’t waste that effort on some average bowl of half soggy chips or a bunch of bland biscuits or a sickly rich dessert.

Here are some easy guidelines that I follow:

Generally I’m really not tempted even by ‘the best’ as I crave what I eat and when I’m not eating it I find I feel like eating it less and less …however if I do want it I know I can have it, still stay lean and also avoid feeling deprived.

=> I’ll only eat my very favourite biscuit (Anzacs) or cake (carrot) or ice-cream (hokey pokey) or chocolate (Lindt dark) or dessert (tarte tartin)… and so on!

=> Plan your indulgences.  Eat a generous amount – never feel guilty and ensure you only buy enough for that planned serving (no left-overs!).

=> Never eat crap-o-la out of laziness or a lack of planning or because everyone else is. This simply comes down to planning and preparation.

A crucial component in being able to feel ok about only eating the best of your indulgences is to really enjoy or Love the vast majority of everything else you eat.

=> Know that it’s possible to get joy from a food because of more than simply the way it tastes… for example I love certain foods for the nutritional value they give my body.  Also for the fact that I know they will never lead me to gain fat… so called ‘free foods’ that I don’t waste brain time wondering “can I get away with this?”

=> Bother to have your meals looking attractive and looking generous – visually appealing food will be more enjoyable… and a decent serving of food (built around ‘free’ fibrous veg) will be more satisfying.

With regard to your exercise, in an ideal situation you would Love the most effective forms of exercise… lifting decent weights and high intensity interval training.  If you don’t, there are still plenty of options to find the love (!) or at least find tolerable and work towards more enjoyable.

=> Focus on getting enjoyment from an exercise because of more than the process… how about the result?  Or how good you feel once it’s over – whether that be the endorphin rush or the sense of achievement.

=> Could you love that sticking with a way to exercise is an opportunity to get better at moving beyond your safe and boring comfort zone? …and that skill is applicable to every area of your life.

=> Finally, be conscious of the power your language holds and choose the communication that makes exercising easier by either downplaying or reframing any negative emotional intensity and amping up any positive emotional intensity.

For example: “I hate horrible hard cardio” could become “I love feeling energized and satisfied when I finish my cardio”.

Your action steps:

A. What are your ‘best of the best’ foods in any relevant category?

B. What are some past situations – people, places or emotions – that have led you to consume sub best of the best (!) indulgence food… and what can you do next time instead?  It may be a better quality food swap, an alternate action (like calling a friend or getting a manicure instead of reaching for the choc biscuits) or simply not putting yourself in the danger/trigger situation.

SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT!

To festive season fun, fitness and fat loss… I believe they can co-exist!

BEYOND THE BLUEPRINT?

If your ideal health in 2015 means staying as you are or even shedding just a little fat over the holidays then this Holiday Survival Blueprint is really all you need.

However, if you’ve been struggling with your weight for years… if you’re frustrated by restrictive diets and steadily loosing faith in your ability to ever change your body…

I can help you sculpt the mindset that means staying lean and energized no longer conflicts with and instead supports your ideal lifestyle.

I believe “When your mind is stuck you’re wasting your time moving your body”. 

I also know when it comes to BODY GAIN the resolve to Back Yourself and to give it 100% trumps any and every quick-fix-silver-bullet-over-promising-hope-eroding-MYTH!

On the 2nd Jan 2015 I’m hosting a webinar to share 3 Mindset Hacks to Build Your Belief In YOU and create the fit, lean, healthy body you were born to ROCK 24/7 365 Days.

Details to register for this FREE LIVE WEBINAR are available HERE:

If you’re listening after the 2nd Jan – Huge Happy New Year!!! – and it’s all good, I’ll have details to listen to the webinar recording soon.

I’d really love to meet you on the live webinar though – that’d rock.

That brings us to the end of todays show. It’s been a longer one – so thanks so much for hanging with me. I appreciate it. I’ll be back tomorrow with the Tuesday Tucker show and: Veggie Haters – How To Find Green Love!

If you liked this you’ll also like: How To Prevent Weight Gain Over Christmas and New Year (part 1).

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.