September to Mid November seem to really be when a lot of people start to get in a routine for working out again as their done with Summer travels. But when the Fall/Winter Holidays roll around and travel/parties are more frequent, then making it to the gym or sticking with a routine just seems harder than ever!
Don’t give up! Give yourself grace! It’s ok to adjust your workouts and focus more on keeping up with movement for your health and to keep you feeling your best vs feeling the need to always be pushing it!
Implement these tips to keep movement up and maintain your progress during busier seasons!
Tip 1: Condense!
If you’re following a 4 day workout routine, see if you can combine the workouts to make it 3 days if you know that it will be too hard to get to the gym all 4 days!
You can also try to see if there’s certain exercises you can do at home vs the gym, and try to plan out days for home vs gym if that works easier for your schedule too!
Also, switching from a body part split (ex: Monday Legs, Tuesday Arms, Wednesday Back, Friday Core, etc.) to a more demanding 2-3 day Full Body Split to still work on tightening and strengthening your whole body can be effective for when you have less time! If you need help with a custom routine like this, check out my Custom Training Programs here!
Tip 2: Try Something New
Maybe you’re used to going to classes but your schedule isn’t allowing you to make it to the gym at the right time. Or maybe you’re used to hour long workouts but need something shorter. Or maybe you’re traveling for 2 weeks with no gym access!
For any of these situations, I suggest trying to keep up with body weight/band workouts that you can do anywhere! Get my FREE Miniband Vacation Guide to keep up with activating your muscles wherever you are!
Tip 3: Focus on Steps
If you can’t get in a good sweat, then focus on steps! Keeping up with NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) whether we’re traveling or not is SO important in us feeling our best! NEAT is all the activity we do outside of formal exercise such as walking, cleaning, typing, cooking, laundry, etc. And having a high NEAT makes it easier for us to better tune in with our body’s fullness and hunger cues, and also allows us to better utilize calories.
A “easy” way to track if your NEAT is staying high is by tracking your steps! Most phones have an option for this if you don’t want to buy an activity tracker!
Check what you’re averaging now and try to shoot for the below goals:
-If you’re below 5k steps then shoot for 5k
-If you’re between 5-7.5k steps then shoot for 7.5k -If you’re between 7.5-10k steps then shoot for 10k -If you’re over 10k, then keep it up!
And if you’re not sure what best type of movement will help you overall with your fat loss goals, I HIGHLY suggest integrating strength training as much as possible as this is the type of training that signals your body to use extra calories to build muscle vs store it as fat. And having more muscle speeds up the metabolism making it actually possible to LOSE FAT even while eating at Maintenance Macros (which can be easier to keep up with during travel/the holidays)!
I’ve had plenty of clients and even myself, maintain weight (or even gain weight) but look WAY leaner because fat was lost while muscle was built!
Also! Focusing on building muscle now will likely lead to having a better cut in the New Year! This is because more muscle will help you have a faster metabolism for dieting AND having more muscle leads to a leaner/more defined look when fat comes off!
Did you find this post helpful? Comment below or contact me
Need help with reaching your fitness goals in a way that doesn’t lead to extreme stress with exercise and nutrition? Check out my coaching services which range from me setting up custom Macros and Training Programs to Macros with Meal Ideas to more in-depth 1:1 Coaching that involves 24/7 email access to me and weekly check-ins.
*This post was created by Ashley Cates who is not a Registered Dietician or a Medical Professional, nothing said should be taken as medical advice or replace any advice given by a Physician. This information does not in any way intend to diagnose or treat any health condition/disorder. The information provided is based on Ashley’s education and experience. This information is shared with the intent to be helpful.