Christmas is looming and with it come the festivities…drinks with friends, office parties, client events, not to mention Christmas itself with all the trimmings. If you have recently started exercising and only just getting into good habits of sticking to a training regime and a good diet, it’s pretty easy at this time of year to fall off the wagon and convince yourself that you will pick it all back up again come the new year. A couple of months ago we explored the benefits of getting into good habits now, before the party season starts and before everyone hits the gym floor come January. For a recap, here it is again.

This month we want to make sure your good training regime doesn’t slide into a cocktail (or five) with little chance of finding it again, so we have put together five easy tips to help you keep on track AND go to all the parties. This way you can feel virtuous while you party and know that the chances of you putting on that extra holiday weight is significantly reduced this year.

Check your goals

Are they still achievable? They should be challenging, but not too much that they put you off your training schedule. Have you done that well that you need to update them and take them to the next level? Or are you trying to bite off more than you can chew, in which case you could go a little easier on yourself? The increased work and networking (aka parties) that come with the run-up to Christmas could mean that we revise our exercise goals down slightly, but not that much that it isn’t contributing to achieving your ultimate goals.

Enjoy it or mix it up

If your chosen diet isn’t exciting, or you can’t face another smoothie for lunch, then mix it up a little. Find an alternative that you will enjoy and stick to. If you’re finding that exercising isn’t as much fun, find a friend to join you or try a different form of it – perhaps a team sport or complementary activity such as yoga or pilates – will help.

Find an event to train for

This is an excellent way of sticking to a training plan. You don’t want to get to the time of the event and find you are underprepared (and risk injury) or that you let down those that you are fundraising for or who have contributed to your fundraising.

Reward yourself

Don’t wait for a big milestone before patting yourself on the back. Small rewards for incremental achievements are important and keep the motivation going. That doesn’t mean a big bar of chocolate after every training session though!

Get a personal trainer

Sometimes you need someone to push you that little bit harder or tweak your programme to get results. A personal trainer is an excellent motivator who can work with you to target exactly what you want and give you plenty of tips and tricks to keep you going on those training sessions you’re on your own for.

For motivation, advice, and inspiration, you can turn to Valkyrie Personal Training and Massage at any time. A quick call to us on 07973 483314 and we’ll have you in your trainers before you can change your mind.