Like many of my clients, I’m on holidays.  We usually close over the Xmas/New Year period, because who doesn’t need a break from routine by then, it’s usually too stinking hot and we’ve all got lots of social and family commitments. 

Sometimes my clients complain about me closing, and yeah, part of why I do is to make them appreciate what they’ve got 😎

On a serious note, I know that a lot of women get anxiety at this time of year, and I used to be exactly the same.  On top of all the expectations of pulling together amazing gifts, memories, holidays, food and impressive social media posts – we worry about how we look, what we’re eating, how much weight we’ll gain and how much fitness we’re losing by not doing our regular workouts.

Hmmm, that’s an impressive mentally taxing list when you actually write it out.  Oh, I forgot to add “enjoy ourselves”.

This might be where you expect me to offer you some words of encouragement about getting some burpees done between cheese platters, and yes I have done that in the past – all well meaning of course.

But this year I’m sitting on my butt, I don’t know how many steps I’m getting in but I’m damn sure it’s under 5,000 per day.  I’m reading, watching movies and playing board games.  I’m eating chocolate at regular intervals and consistently flexing my beer/wine arm. 

I forgot to pack my activewear this trip, and I think it was my brain subtly telling me to sit the hell down.

I was chatting to a client about this, and she said “you’d be the first one to tell us to listen to our bodies”.  And she’s absolutely right. 

So I’m going to lead by example and spend the last bit of my holiday being Lazy AF.  You won’t hear me complaining about it when I get back either and here’s why:

• I regularly do between 14k – 20k steps during most work days
• I consistently train 5-6 times weekly with intensity
• It was time for a training deload, as I extended out my last training block to coincide with year end and I over reached just a touch on it (again, my body told me that)
• I have a pretty routine way of eating that has developed with time and practice that is super simple for me to get back into
• Sitting my arse down is actually making me appreciate the routine that I have

A break from routine has both physical and mental benefits in my opinion.  My body is rested, I’ve slept in and I’ve gained some body fat that will serve me well when I get back to training.  I’m excited to start my first block of training back, with new goals and session plans that I’ve been visualising on holidays.  On the mental wellbeing front, feeling guilty about having a diet or training break, is such a waste of energy and can diminish your enjoyment of a time you should ideally be enjoying with friends/family/yourself. 

So I’m not going to share an inspiring holiday workout routine this year, but I will give you permission to chill out, and come back fresh to smash it next year 💪

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