Coming up with titles for these articles is by far the most difficult part of writing this column. After the hundreds of decisions I make when it comes to the content itself, the last thing I want to do is figure out what to call it. Do you know how many decisions you make each day? Although it’s difficult to count the number of times we have to make a choice, it’s easy to notice when we’re tired of deciding. We have a limit to the number of decisions we can make each day, and we often regret our choices long before we reach that threshold. As our calendars get busier and busier, we must recognize which decisions are most important to us and find ways to ensure we choose correctly, especially when prioritizing our health. Today we’re going to discuss how you can overcome decision fatigue and keep up with your healthy habits through the busiest time of the year. 

The first thing we need to do is recognize what is most important to us. Chances are something will have to give, and if your health is important to you, your healthy habits can’t be the ones to go. Take inventory of all of your current obligations, whether they’re to yourself, your family, work, your community, or other organizations. I like to use my Scheduling & Planning Worksheet to help brain dump, categorize, and prioritize my current to-dos. You can download your free copy at www.calofitnessllc.com/scheduling. It’s important we add our healthy habits, like our workouts, to our calendar and treat them like we would treat a meeting with someone else. You cannot show up as your best self for others if you don’t show up for yourself. 

Now that you have an idea of what you’re facing this season, let’s dive into your health habits specifically. What things do you currently make decisions on every single day that can be automated or chosen ahead of time? For example, instead of choosing what to eat for each meal every day, you could do a bigger grocery shop and cook more food once or twice a week. This will help you eat nutrient-dense meals without having to think about them and plan them out multiple times per day. The same thing can be said for your workouts. Instead of figuring it out as you go, you can create a weekly or monthly plan to help you stay on track and not have to decide on every exercise for every workout every day. The more we can plan ahead of time, the easier it will be to keep up with these habits we know help us feel our best. 

You may not have the time or desire to figure these things out on your own, and this is where getting professional help and guidance comes into play. It’s frustrating to dance between wanting to stay in shape and not having the time to figure out how to do it. This is why I am running a four-week challenge this holiday season called the Move More Challenge. The intention of this challenge is to help you fall in love with exercise again, and I know having this support is the exact holiday survival guide you need to help you keep yourself a priority while you take care of everyone else. The Move More Challenge will run from Monday, November 28th through Friday, December 23rd. This challenge includes four strength training workouts per week, a 30-day walk challenge, activity tracker questions, and an accountability group to help you not only stay on track but also have all of your workout decisions made for you. Registration will open next week, but you can get on the waitlist by emailing me at maggi@calofitnessllc.com.

Xoxo

Coach Maggi