Traditionally, Christmas is a time of excess. A period of a few weeks, during which many people allow themselves to overindulge and then worry about the consequences in January. However, if your clients have been making great progress or are training for a specific fitness challenge, it can be difficult to keep them motivated to come to sessions and stick to their healthy eating plans. While you can relax your health and fitness regime somewhat over Christmas, you don’t want your clients to lose all the progress they have made. We spoke to two personal trainers with very different views on how you can help your clients stay motivated over the festive season.
Lucy Arnold, personal trainer and nutrition coach, Sheffield, Lucy Locket Loves
“Plan your training into your schedule, especially for when you finish work; by having something planned, you’ll be more committed to going. For example, I have a 5K run in my diary scheduled for Christmas Day first thing and Boxing Day; because they’re in my diary I will do them. I’ve also got a training partner, who is running his first half marathon, meaning we are less likely to flake on each other.
Indulge but also resist! There isn’t any point in eating a week’s worth of calories in one day; allow yourself to have the things you like in moderation and motivate yourself to resist temptation to overindulge. So, have a little bit of things you love, instead of trying to fully resist and turn to overeating instead.
Set your clients a challenge – whether weight loss or fitness related. For instance, a 5K run for the 12 days of Christmas or train every day between Christmas and New Year. Give them a prize or medal if they complete it or challenge them to maintain their current weight over Christmas.
Anne Iarchy, weight loss expert, Finchley, North London, AI Fitness
“For me, the Christmas period is the week between Christmas and New Year. It’s a week of spending time with family and friends, and food and drink are a massive part of the celebrations. However, if throughout the year your clients have worked at learning new habits around food and drink, they probably will have a bit more than usual, but hopefully won’t go back to feeling so stuffed and drunk as they did before. They will also generally feel more motivated to move, even if it’s not doing their usual workouts.
So, for me, it’s all about enjoying your time. You’ve worked hard during the year; don’t feel guilty and know that on 3rd January, you’ll be back on track. There are 52 weeks in the year, so realistically, between holidays, birthdays, weddings and special occasions, if you add them all together – it’s only probably about six weeks. There is no way you can mess up 46 weeks of a good healthy lifestyle, in a few weeks of letting your hair down a bit.”
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