Hello to you, Fitness Friend! I don’t know if you’ve looked at the calendar recently, but mine tells me it’s late October. And that is actually the perfect time to talk about planning for the new year.

No, you don’t need new prescriptions on your lenses. You read that correctly. Working in and around gyms and fitness centers for as long as I have, I’ve noticed a few things. And one of them is the huge drop off in attendance that happens during the fourth quarter of the year.

I get it. Kids are back in school with all the attendant drop offs and after school activities that go with it. We are also moving towards weather that has us putting more clothes on (at least if you are in the northern hemisphere). Couple that with the fact that we are about to be hit with three to four eating focus holidays (again, if you happen to be in the US/Canada). It’s tough to find a routine and stick to it.

But here’s the rub: doing so now will make the biggest difference come January 1. Typically new years is such a huge kerfluffle for weight loss related goals because we feel sluggish, slow, solid, and soft after two to three months of indulging and not moving. Research numbers actually suggest that most of us only gain between half and one and half pounds during this time, but it doesn’t come off during the rest of the year. Hence the resolutions.

I’m not going to sit behind my keyboard and tell you to avoid anything delicious over the coming weeks. Honestly, I get pie once a year and I will be eating some, so it’s unfair to demand different of others. Instead, I am going to make the case for indulging intelligently and finding regular movement that fits into your busy schedule during this time.

As I said in the previous paragraph, my family (original and married into variety) does pie one time per year. Thanksgiving. And crumble top apple pie is the GOAT, you can argue with the wall. But I have my slice on Thanksgiving and then for breakfast on Friday morning (it’s a whole tradition) and then I’m done.

Take stock of what indulgences are once a year specialties or are just unique to your experience of the occasion. Spend your calories on those things. You can have a brownie any other time during the year, but sweet potato casserole or fried okra or homemade babka or barfi (Diwali happens in this time frame, too) is probably a special occasion situation.

Keep it in control, though. Just because I am telling you it’s okay to have mashed potatoes doesn’t mean I’m telling you it’s okay to dive headfirst into a pool of them. If you are going to eat the things that bring you joy during the festive season, let them actually bring you joy. Don’t rush. Slow down and taste it. Seven or eight savored bites will be much more satisfying than 20 that you rushed through before you realized you were in fact eating mashed potatoes.

Fall brings new routines to most of us, especially those of us living with kiddos. Find ways to fit exercise and movement in. I am, and have always been, a big proponent of at home workouts. In part for this very reason. Sometimes it’s just too much faff to pack extra stuff, drive out of your way to the gym, get in a session, and then get back to your life. The living room is right there. And fifteen to twenty minutes most days will do the trick.

Walk, where and when you can. If it’s safe and available to you, walking is the single best thing you can do for your physical and mental health. I will never not point that out. At any point during the year, but especially during the high stress holiday season. Try and schedule some strength work. Again, a $20 set of resistance bands in your living room will work just fine.

My point with all of this is to say that January will be less of a shock mentally and emotionally if you spend a bit of time and energy caring for your physical self now. With a routine already established, it will be much easier to bump up instead of starting back from square one.

So absolutely plan to enjoy the next couple of months. I’m also just encouraging you to take a minute now before things get chaotic to plan for how you’d like to handle to challenges of routine between now and the new year. I think you’ll thank me for it later.

Until next time, move well friends!

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