You Don't Have to Sacrifice Your Social Life to be Fit!
- Kathleen Trotter
- Oct 26, 2016
- 4 min read
We all know the benefits of working out and eating well, but when it comes to our health, knowing and doing — especially doing over the long-term — are two very different things! Sure, most of us can be dedicated for a few days — sometimes a few months — but long-term change is a whole other ballgame.
Making healthier choices is often especially tricky in social situations. I get it. It is one thing to eat vegetables and drink water at home; it is a whole other version of dedication to abstain at a party or work event. Many of my clients confess to feeling that to lose weight and be healthy they need to become hermits. This is simply NOT TRUE! My clients don’t have to hibernate and sacrifice their social lives to make healthier choices, and neither do you!
It is possible to adopt a healthier lifestyle and socialize — it just takes some mindfulness, preparation, and creativity. You have to take the time to actively “set yourself up for health success.” Adopting a healthier lifestyle isn't a passive process. If you don't take the time to set yourself up for success, you might as well be setting yourself up for failure.
Always have a plan...and then a back-up plan.
6 Steps to “set yourself up for health success” — no hibernation required!
1. Don't let Yourself “Snowball”!
Don't let one missed workout snowball into a week of slovenly behaviour or one glass of wine domino into five. Portions count. Missing one workout is not the same as missing five. Enjoy a few Christmas treats — just don't mindlessly indulge. Eat something because you love it, not just because it is there. Enjoy your downtime, but at the same time, don't use the holidays as an excuse to do absolutely nothing. If you decide to have a treat or skip a workout, enjoy your choice and then immediately get back on your “health horse.” Decide to make healthier choices — not “tomorrow,” but now. If you regret an unhealthy choice, learn from the experience; make a better choice next time. Create new goals based on your new-found knowledge. For example, if you keep missing evening workouts, consider setting up a home gym or training before work.
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Be Mindful of What You're Putting in Your Mouth and How Quickly You're Eating It
At dinner parties, try placing your cutlery down between bites so that your brain has time to register when you are full. At parties, never stand near the food table; if you stand there you inadvertently graze. If you need to nibble while you talk, take a small portion of food (preferably vegetables) and then step away from the food table. That way you can keep a tally of what you have eaten.
[if !supportLists]3. Hydrate
[endif]Drink water before and during any social event so you don't mistake dehydration for hunger. Plus, drinking water will give you something to do with your hands so you don't inadvertently nibble.
[if !supportLists]4. Plan Ahead When Eating Out
When you go to a restaurant, preview the menu online beforehand. On arrival, don't look at the menu. Order your predetermined choice.
[if !supportLists]5. Offer Healthy Potluck Options
If the event is at someone's home, offer to bring a healthy salad, a lean protein, or a healthy dessert. This will ensure you have at least one healthy option.
[if !supportLists]6. [endif]Some Movement is Better Than No Movement
If you can't make your regular gym workout, don't use that as an excuse to skip your workout altogether. Get a great workout in a small amount of time with intervals. Every bit of motion adds up, and every situation can be re-framed as an opportunity for movement. Can't do a full workout? No problem; do 10 minutes. When it comes to exercise, getting started is usually the hardest part. So use my 10-minute rule. Tell yourself you have to do something for at least 10 minutes. Anyone can do anything for 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes you want to stop, fine. At least you will have done something. Once you start you will usually end up doing a full workout.
When you have a busier-than-normal week, use my "piggyback" strategy. Pinpoint daily, non-negotiable habits that you already do, then turn them into a workout: turn your daily dog walk into a jog or interval workout or have meetings with your colleagues while walking.
Kathleen Trotter has been a personal trainer and Pilates specialist for fourteen years. She makes regular TV and media appearances, writes for publications including the Globe and Mail and the Huffington Post, blogs bi-monthly for Flaman Fitness, is the featured trainer in the Globe and Mail’s online Fitness Basics video series, and is a spokesperson for Quesada. She lives in Toronto. Check out her official website and her book Finding Your Fit for more motivational fitness tips.
BABE BOX BONUS: You can win a copy of Kathleen's Finding Your Fit: A Compassionate Trainer’s Guide to Making Fitness a Lifelong Habit. How do we find the inner motivation to go from thinking about a healthier lifestyle to actually adopting one? This book provides readers with practical tools that will allow them to connect the dots between wanting to make a health and fitness change, and actually making it. Click here to enter.
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