What do you like better? Fridays or Saturdays? I’ve always been more of a Friday guy, but I’m gonna throw a curve ball your way because I could have easily made the case in college that Thursdays were the best days.
So, tomorrow we’re finally running our 8-mile trail run at a beautiful place on the Mississippi River called Pere Marquette. It’s the only way you can get me to jog for exercise.
The forecast? Not great.
We’re in for a nasty rain, and possible tornadoes tonight. Not ideal conditions for a trail run in the morning.
But, I love a good challenge, so bring it on.
Speaking of challenges, we’re officially in the meat of the holiday season. And with the cold weather and parties, it’s easy to slip into the “F-it, I’ll get back in shape in January.”
Hey, I love putting on sweatpants and binge-watching Entourage with the best of the them, but instead of completely switching off the fitness dial, what if we just back off a little.
A few years ago, my cousin Ryan told me that he had gone out 20 out of 21 days during the holidays. Like we all have done, he pulled the pin on that grenade and just let himself go. From Nov. 15 to Jan. 1, he went from 175 to 189 lbs – I guess the thought of 190 scared him straight:)
And he ain’t the only one.
So, what can we do to get through the season without digging ourselves a huge hole?
1) #nevermisstwice – If you miss one day, over-indulge, and don’t exercise, no big deal. But once you miss two days in a row, you start heading down a slippery slope.
Two days becomes three. Three turns into a week. A week turns into January 1st with you scratching your head wondering, “What in the hell happened?”
2) Have a Plan B – When we’re stuck inside, the unhealthiest option is always the easiest. It’s way easier to throw a Red Baron in the oven than bundle up and go outside for a walk or jump in the cold car to the gym.
Have a place in your house where you can do weights-free, or band workout. We like to make a big batch of healthy soup, freeze it, then throw it in the crockpot to avoid the frozen pizza days.
1) It All Counts – You ever listen to coaches in the beginning of a season after a loss and say a version of this, “It’s still early.”
Guess What? A loss in April counts the same as a loss in September in the standings for our beloved St. Louis Cardinals.
15 minutes of exercise instead of your usual 30 is still better than nothing.
Two pieces of pizza instead of the four your hungover body is craving is 50% better.
Instead of 12 Budweisers, have six with a glass of water in between…also 50% better.
While we’d all love to be perfect and not skip a beat during the holidays, I love this time of the year, so small tweaks help me get through.
Stick to the 80/20 Rule and use what we discussed above, and your New Year’s resolution won’t seem so daunting (more on the following weeks).
You’ve got this.
Your #1 Fan,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – A great way to stay on track is to keep your workouts on your calendar. And as luck would have it, the 18STRONG App has a calendar built-in. What are the chances!?
You’ve got it free for the next 7 days, so you’ve got nothing to lose as you right the ship.
Here you go: https://www.go18strong.com/app-test-drive