Don’t Cancel On Yourself: My Four Step Guide to Hacking Exercise during the Holidays

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At this time of year, holiday parties creep in, 4Q deadlines approach and many of us become overwhelmed with external pressures and completely give up on our personal routines.

As the last few weeks of 2018 stare you in the face with obligations and stress, you may hear yourself say things like:

“Oh, what the heck, I might as well have this cake.”

“It’s late, I’ll just order pizza.”

“I might as well just skip the run and get the beer.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow!”

 

Those of us who struggle with putting our work and other people first, may continue to let this lazy, internal voice win. That means skipping out on ourselves and our exercise time, which helps us manage stress, clear our heads and become healthier and happier.

I’m here to ask you this:

Who’s better – the you who ran and cleared his head this morning or the you who woke up and ran into his office?

It’s time to stop cancelling on yourself.

Follow these steps to finish 4Q strong and step into your highest self:

Step One: Find something you love. I don’t know how else to say this… just stop doing anything that you don’t enjoy. Especially when it comes to exercise… I promise you there is some form of activity, workout, or sport you DO enjoy and you just have to find it. Eliminate the word “Should” from your vocabulary and find what really makes you happy.

Step Two: Buy yourself the right, nice gear. Consider it an early Holiday gift from You: to You.

If you like golf, get fitted… and get good clubs. If you like tennis, get great strings, balls, and rackets. If you like cycling, get great gear and shoes. If you like running, get the latest breathable apparel and watch/gear. If you like yoga, treat yourself to the Lululemon yoga pants and an awesome mat.

Step Three: Invest a little deeper. There is no reason to get a trainer 14x a week. But it makes sense that every Wednesday you have a trainer. You don’t need to a perfect group to ride your bike with everyday, but maybe there is a great group you ride with on Saturday mornings. You don’t need a running coach when you know you can bang out your miles, but what if you could meet with a running coach 1x a month to dial in your performance? Treat yourself and watch your dedication grow.

Step Four: Schedule Your Workouts for the rest of the year.

Entrepreneur, Marie Forleo, says, “If it isn’t scheduled, it isn’t real.” Getting it scheduled is just the first half… because there are alot things on our calendar that are scheduled that we just don’t do. How many times have you put “Gym” at 5am and slept in? Treat these appointments with yourself just like you would with your boss, or a client.

It’s ok to reschedule if an imperative call pops up, or an emergency happens, but it’s not ok to skip. If you have to make your gym time at 9pm, It’s okay to show up at the gym and have a half-assed workout, but its not okay to skip the workout. It’s okay to do a run, walk, stop… but it’s not okay to skip your run.


It’s not time to give up, it’s time to invest in ourselves, in our health and our lives.

Comment below and say “DONE” once you’ve completed step four.

You can also share this with a friend and create extra accountability:

[bctt tweet=”Sharran shares his tips on finishing 2018 Strong. Who’s better – the you who ran and cleared his head? Or, the you who ran into his office right after waking up? Check out his four tips to finishing 2018 strong & healthy. #10xgrowth” username=”sharran”]

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