What does it mean to be mentally tough? To me it means having the strength to battle against the defeating thoughts in your mind, persevering, and going the complete opposite direction from where the easy route would lead you. This is the type of mentality that we need to have in order to achieve our fitness goals, even around the holiday season. With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, there surely will be much temptation to eat lots of good food – food that may go against your goal of losing weight, eating healthy, or just being in the best shape of your life.
Well from a fitness perspective I like to look at the holiday season from three different angles:
- I can use this time as extra motivation to workout extra hard so that I can eat whatever I want once the holiday is here. I won’t feel as guilty stuffing myself knowing I put in the extra work over the past month or so. That means by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, it’s time to reward myself by eating good.
- I can continue to stick to my fitness routine and be sure to limit my food intake once the holiday is here. When I know there will be three different pies that I love, I’d just choose one to eat. Watching portion control is key too, but making plates and saving leftovers for the following day or days after helps balance it all out.
- I could use the holiday as an excuse to pig out and totally lose all self-control when it comes to my eating habits. It seems worth it in the moment, but then you have to reel yourself back in if you don’t want to get into a negative, counterproductive cycle of eating even after the holidays are over. If you do go a little overboard, use your experience as extra motivation to reset and restart, taking back control over your health and fitness life.
The key is to make up your mind now. Personally, I think option 1 is the best bet becaue it’s the best of both worlds: discipline and total indulgence. I encourage you to practice being mentally tough now by turning down foods that you would normally eat that you know you shouldn’t be eating; motivate yourself by thinking about what you have to look forward to. Challenge yourself to go to the gym that one extra day that you have been missing week to week. If you take total control over the defeating thoughts of your mind now, you’ll be stronger and ready to reward yourself by Thanksgiving!