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09. The value of coasting
18 Plays1 month ago
There are phases of our journey where we push, and phases when we coast & maintain. As we approach the holiday season, consider if the holidays is a time for you to push & be disciplined... or a time to coast. You're a human not a robot & can't be "on" 24/7. Rather than trying to learn something new or try to do more, what if you allowed yourself to simply let what you've already mastered marinate, keeping you tethered to your goals but also making room for LIFE with busier schedules & flavors that help make the holidays special to you?
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Transcript
Balancing Health Goals During Holidays
00:00:00
Speaker
Okay, my friends, we are going to be talking today about something that I think is very relevant to the time of the year at which I'm recording this, which is the holidays are right around the corner. ah We are less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving, um which typically means holidays kind of like a blanket statement for a lot of people where it it basically means I don't have time to focus on my health. I don't have time to focus on my um my goals.
00:00:32
Speaker
And so therefore, I'm going to put everything on pause and I'm going to start fresh in the new year, right? um I used to be that way. And arguably, I still somewhat am that way, meaning ah I kind of take down the dial of discipline in time a little bit.
00:00:47
Speaker
I kind of allow myself, give myself a little bit more permission to um be present with friends and family. And if I miss a workout for the sake of making memories around, um you know, the Christmas season, I'm going to make sure that I do that. Right.
00:01:01
Speaker
um But I think that, you know, two things can be true at the same time. We can be coming into the holiday season, but also stay tethered to what's
Adjusting Fitness Intensity According to Life Phases
00:01:11
Speaker
important to us. Right. Also stay tethered to our goals um and whatnot. Right.
00:01:16
Speaker
But the thing is, is that oftentimes we come into challenging seasons in our fitness journey and we feel like we have to make a decision between choosing our goals or choosing our life, right?
00:01:29
Speaker
And obviously, part of living a healthy and a balanced lifestyle means that there is balance. You are yes, of course, staying tethered to your goals, but that might look different um than what you are used to, you know,
00:01:45
Speaker
being tethered to, right, or used to focusing on. And I guess what I mean by that is there are seasons of your life, there are seasons of your fitness journey when maybe you are pushing the gas and you are super dialed in, you are focused, um you know, and then there are also going to be seasons of your journey where, okay, you're going to pump the brakes a little bit, you're going to coast a little bit more, and it's less about learning new things or,
00:02:09
Speaker
Uh, you know, really, again, like I said, being super dialed in, never missing workouts, all of those things and more of, okay, we are still working out. We're just
The Importance of Coasting and Balancing Effort
00:02:18
Speaker
maybe not pushing as hard in our workouts or we're doing one less workout a week.
00:02:23
Speaker
We're still getting in our steps. We're just maybe not striving for like the maximum amount of steps we can take. Um, and then of course, you know, same, same as it relates to like your nutritional choices. Okay. You're still, you know,
00:02:35
Speaker
prioritizing protein and fiber, you're still practicing restraint, but you're also maybe you're not logging your food. Maybe you're not trying to hit numbers on an app. Maybe you're eating a little bit more intuitively, but also still, you know, prioritizing what's important to you, right?
00:02:50
Speaker
Two things can be true at the same time. You can still be focused on your goals, while also not being all in just like you can still give yourself permission to be a little bit more human and less robotic without doing nothing at all, right?
00:03:05
Speaker
And so couple of weeks ago, i there was this trainer that I follow, um and I talked about this a little bit on my Instagram, but we're gonna really talk about it right now. ah There was a trainer that I follow, and he was basically saying, um if you are not pushing forward, if you are not pushing the gas, you're you are basically um staying stagnant. You are staying where you are. And if you are staying where you are, if you're stagnant, then that basically means that you are um backtracking, right? You are undoing some of the progress you made. You are no longer making progress. And like, I just felt like that was a very extreme example. And I understand what he's saying,
00:03:46
Speaker
More from like a motivational standpoint as far as, listen, when you have goals, like, yes, there are changes that you're going to have to make. And sometimes it really is a matter of suck it up, buttercup.
00:03:58
Speaker
But oftentimes I think that that's the exact mentality that only furthers all or nothing, right? um I am a very big believer in period taking periods of your journey to specifically push, to specifically coast, um because think about athletes, right? Think about athletes as an example. They have off seasons just like they have on seasons, right?
00:04:23
Speaker
um And why do you think you're any different? ah You are a human. You're not a robot. You've heard me say that a hundred times. I'm not going to stop saying that because it's true, right? um You only have...
00:04:34
Speaker
as much capacity in your life, in your head. um And so I don't think that it's necessarily the um most healthy approach to be all in
Mindset Shift for Holiday Fitness
00:04:45
Speaker
to your health and your fitness goals 100% of the time, because where you are choosing to spend capacity, or I'm sorry, where you are choosing to focus in your life other parts of your life are not able to get as much focus, right?
00:04:59
Speaker
And so if you are so zoned into, I'm always constantly chasing fat loss. I can't allow myself to eat um you know foods that I want to eat. You're scared to you know not miss a workout and all of these things.
00:05:13
Speaker
Well, i'm goingnna I'm going to kind of push back on that and ask you, well, what are you now what are you giving up in order to be so focused and so dialed into that goal, right?
00:05:25
Speaker
um I don't think that it's a very healthy thought process or ah you know mindset to just be like blinders on 24 seven. um That's in my opinion, one of the easiest ways to lead to a burnout.
00:05:38
Speaker
And so you know if you really think about it, Think about a car. And oftentimes, like us in the fitness community, we we really try to compare our human bodies to a car. But like, there's just so many parallels there. So we're going to do that in this way.
00:05:54
Speaker
When you are on a road trip, right? When you're pushing the gas, yes, okay, you are moving forward, obviously, okay? However, if you push the pedal to the metal, you're going to burn more right?
00:06:06
Speaker
all right, um in that same ah in that same distance, right? Because you are pushing the gas more. You are using more gas to therefore go the same distance, but in a shorter time span, right?
00:06:19
Speaker
um And so if you were to coast, right, if you were to push the gas, accelerate a tiny little bit, um but then allow yourself to not push as hard intentionally and also um coast a few times, right? If you're going downhill,
00:06:33
Speaker
Coast. Allow yourself to not necessarily have to be pushing as much. You're going to save some gas, right? You're going to save some gas. You're still going to get to your destination. It might be slower, but it's going to be less exhausting. You're going to have to stop for gas less, and you're going to enjoy the scenery along the way, okay? You're going to notice things that you might have not noticed if you were ah constantly just like pedal to the metal, blinders on, looking at the road ahead of you and ignoring everything else around you, right?
00:07:03
Speaker
When you're coasting, you're still making forward progress. You're just maybe not getting there as fast, but we also forget this whole health and fitness journey thing. This is a lifestyle. This is not a destination, okay? And so what happens if you get to your destination faster than you Um, or what happens if you get to your destination as fast as you can?
00:07:24
Speaker
Okay. Well, the work doesn't stop. You know what i mean? Like you still have to put an effort to maintain that lifestyle that you created. You still have to put in effort to maintain, um, you know, a lot of those habits that helped get you to where you are.
00:07:37
Speaker
So the effort doesn't necessarily stop. Um, And so, you know, at the end of the day, we are so focused on that destination, pushing the gas, doing the maximum. And if we are, if we feel like we're not pushing, we feel like we're failing behind, just like that trainer said, i want you to entertain the idea as we come into the holiday season, there's going to be a lot of things that are going to be demanding your time as they should be.
00:08:05
Speaker
Holidays are special for a lot of people. I understand there are probably some people out there where the holidays are really stressful, right? um And it's not necessarily the happiest of
Practical Tips for Maintaining Fitness During Holidays
00:08:15
Speaker
times. Well, same, same. There's still a lot going on mentally, right?
00:08:20
Speaker
um And again, if you only have as much capacity mentally, ah you know, in your bandwidth, with the hours that you have in a day, with the energy, you know, all of these things that are demanding our time, what are we choosing to focus our time on? If we are constantly focused on pushing the gas, um we are going to give up some of those times that make our life life, right? Some of those times like spending time with friends and family, going out to eat, going, you know, to go see the Christmas lights or, know,
00:08:50
Speaker
going to a concert or whatever the case is, just having like a chill night with your friends. Um, And all of that to say, it can be, the holidays can be a time where you can still be tethered to your goals. Like I gave some examples earlier, um but being tethered to your goals doesn't necessarily mean that the flip or that the switch is flipped on, right? We usually look at our fitness journey as an on-off switch rather than a dial, like on an oven, okay? And so you can still be focused on your journey, but also turn down the dial of discipline, right?
00:09:25
Speaker
um Like I gave some examples earlier, you can still get your workouts in, but maybe you shorten those workouts so that you can make it to dinner with your friends and your family, right? um Maybe you're still prioritizing that protein and fiber, um but you are not necessarily going to track every single meal because that is not going to help you stay present with your friends and your family, right? And create those memories.
00:09:46
Speaker
um there are times to push and those who are chasing fat loss, right? Those who are maybe in a more strict goal. Yeah. You do have to kind of like put your blinders on a whole lot, but um again, are the holidays the best time to do that?
00:10:01
Speaker
Are the holidays the best time to say, I'm, I'm constantly going to feel like I'm fighting with myself to say, man, I really want that cookie, but no, I'm chasing fat loss. You know what i mean? It's like, can we just yes, okay, have a cookie, but also not let that cookie turn into like 10 cookies.
00:10:20
Speaker
See what I'm saying? All or nothing versus giving yourself permission. Okay. Um, I will also say i was talking to a client earlier this week as it relates to her workouts. Okay. And so she is somebody who she is in a bulk. She is chasing, um, we're trying to build some muscle. She's trying to get stronger, all of that.
00:10:41
Speaker
And when you are trying to get stronger, when you're trying to build muscle, you have to take your your workouts to a different intensity. Okay, we have to bring basically almost every single set close to if not to failure, right?
00:10:55
Speaker
Of course, trying to build muscle, of course, trying to, you know, get stronger, that's of course going to require... a nutrition component of that, right? So that's of course going to require you to have to eat enough food. um Protein is ah super important. Sleep, rest days, those are all really, really important, right?
00:11:11
Speaker
um However, we were talking earlier this week and ah she was basically saying, um you know, man, this whole entire week, I just feel like I haven't been able to push.
00:11:22
Speaker
um And I feel like I'm just like mentally not there this week. Like, I don't know what my problem is, but like, I'm just not there. And she was basically hinting towards she feels guilty. She feels like she wasn't giving it her all.
00:11:37
Speaker
um She feels like, man, I just, I couldn't get into it. I'm just kind of going through the motions and like, i get it. It doesn't feel great, right? To... to kind of get to a workout and feel like, man, am I wasting my time? Like, what is even the point of me being here?
00:11:51
Speaker
But this is what I said to her and I want to share with you. Sometimes pushing means going for that extra rep. Sometimes pushing means, hey, let me try to put an extra five pounds on the bar, an extra 10 pounds, you know, relative to what you're lifting.
00:12:07
Speaker
And so sometimes pushing truly does mean trying to do more, more, and more, right? However, pushing can also mean you didn't want to show up to your workout and you still chose to show up for your workout.
00:12:20
Speaker
And that was you pushing forward. That was your effort. And so we're not going to let the fact that, okay, maybe you didn't lift as heavy as you usually do.
00:12:30
Speaker
Maybe you weren't as dialed in as you usually are, but that can't take away from the effort that you just gave yourself being you showed up, which arguably, if you feel like you don't want to show up, guys, we all know how hard that is. so That is more than half the battle. You got yourself in the door, right?
00:12:48
Speaker
um You made it happen despite not feeling it, despite not you know knowing that the workout wasn't going to be as good as you usually um are able to feel. And sometimes it'd be like that. Sometimes you're not going to have the best workouts, right? We don't only show up when we are motivated. We don't only show up and celebrate only the times when we PR.
00:13:08
Speaker
PR-ing, you know especially when you get um you know stronger and more advanced in your lifting, those PRs are way more and infrequent. And so if we are constantly
Developing Natural Fitness Habits Over Time
00:13:19
Speaker
only looking at that metric of did I push enough, um you're going to feel very disappointed, right? Like we have to understand there's different kinds of pushing.
00:13:29
Speaker
um And also at the same time, you know, it is one of those things where it's like, okay, what is ideal? Ideal being your goal is to show up and do your best in your workouts.
00:13:43
Speaker
Did you show up? Did you do your best? Well, that's ideal. Regardless of whatever happened, that's ideal, right? um And so if the alternative is I'm not going to show up, then yes, we need to celebrate the fact that you chose to put one foot in front of the other And that is, again, you pushing, um if if you will.
00:14:02
Speaker
So, you know, I just think sometimes we get into that mindset of unless I am giving it my all, meaning trying to do more, trying to learn more, we feel like we're not doing enough.
00:14:15
Speaker
But in reality, sometimes we need to let the skills and the habits um that we are learning to, you know, build into our lifestyle and incorporate into our routines, Sometimes we need to give those enough time to marinate in our life. You know what mean? And the more, not the more, the longer that we can practice the same habits, the longer that we can implement the same routines, the more that those habits and routines are going to take footing in our life and
00:14:48
Speaker
the easier it's going to become for us to be more of a reflex and less of a cognizant decision, right? um You know, i don't necessarily wake up in the morning with the biggest smile on my face, like, oh my gosh, I'm so excited to be up at five o'clock in the morning. I'm going to totally work out. It's like, well, no you still have to make that conscious decision to, you know, not hit snooze and to like get out of bed. It just becomes easier. Yeah.
00:15:15
Speaker
to happen or to make happen because you have done it over and over and over again. and you know how you feel when you make it happen compared to when you don't make it happen. Right. And so I think that there are times in your journey where, you know, kind of coasting and allowing what you've already learned to marinate, to take footing in your life.
00:15:33
Speaker
it It helps us make those choices a lot more um automatic and less of a calculated decision, if that makes sense. think about Think about chicken breast, okay? We're gonna use an analogy. Think about chicken breast when you're marinating some chicken breast.
00:15:51
Speaker
If you were gonna marinate that chicken, for 30 minutes versus marinate that chicken for three hours, which do you think is going to have more flavor? And depending on what you're using to marinate, be more tender as a result of taking more time to marinate, right?
00:16:06
Speaker
Well, the same, same can be said in your fitness journey with all of your habits, with all of the changes that you are trying to make, right? And so each and every single time that you choose to put forth some effort, a little tiny deposit that you might not think is as big of a deal, um every single time you make a conscious choice to do something instead of nothing, you are making that marination, or I'm sorry, you are allowing yourself to marinate a little bit more in those skills, in those habits, making it easier for you to show up, right?
00:16:39
Speaker
And so that's kind of like the whole entire point of what I wanted to talk to you guys about today. When we are coming into the holiday season, don't allow the busyness to, well, the busyness and all the different flavors and all of the things that make the holiday special to you, don't allow that to make you feel like I can't also be tethered to my goals, right?
00:17:03
Speaker
I can't also, at the same time, enjoy an extra cookie and then, hey, maybe tomorrow, use that as an opportunity to see if I can push a little bit more weight, right?
00:17:14
Speaker
um Don't use the holidays as a opportunity to say, I don't have time. And instead, i want to encourage you to shift your focus away from what's out of your control, what you can't do, all of the things that are demanding your time. And instead, focus on, okay, what can I do within that situation? Okay, okay, I can't meal prep as I usually do. i can't work out as long or as often. I can't get as many steps in. Okay, cool. These are all facts.
00:17:45
Speaker
Within those facts, where is your opportunity? What can you do within those limitations, right? And it might look different than you're used to, don't get me wrong, but different doesn't mean bad.
Planning Fitness Around Life Events
00:17:57
Speaker
Different just means, okay, you're in a different phase of your life right now, right?
00:18:01
Speaker
Maybe that means, okay, we intentionally take a break from fat loss in the holiday season to give yourself a little bit more flexibility as far as how much you're you're giving yourself um to eat every single day, right?
00:18:16
Speaker
Maybe instead of dieting, maybe we allow ourselves to eat a couple more hundred calories a day, and maybe that gives us a little bit more wiggle room to enjoy some of the holiday flavors that help make the holiday special to us, right?
00:18:29
Speaker
um Maybe that means instead of working out six days a week, we allow ourselves to take it down a notch and coast throughout the holiday season so that we don't feel like we are doing something wrong by not working out five, six, seven days a week because we said, hey, listen,
00:18:47
Speaker
For these next few weeks, as life gets really busy, I'm going to give myself permission to take my workouts down a notch. I'm just going to work on like three to four workouts a week. That's going to give me more time throughout my day and throughout my week so that I can have more capacity, right, um to live my life, but also stay tethered to my goals.
00:19:07
Speaker
It's not all or nothing. It's turning up and turning down the dial of discipline, right? And so I just want to encourage you, focus on some some realistic action items that you can do every single day, regardless of how busy you are, right? Maybe that means starting every single day, um writing down three things that you're grateful for.
00:19:31
Speaker
Maybe that means ah before every single week, you do like a pre-week planning session and you look to see Hey, I only have room for two workouts today, or I'm sorry, two workouts this week.
00:19:42
Speaker
Awesome. ah That's two workouts you're able to do, right? um You're planning to get those two workouts in rather than saying, I don't have time for it because I feel so frazzled. You know what i mean? Like, I want to encourage you to take some time and think about some things that you can do every single day. That's going to keep you tethered so that you don't wake up in the new year saying, okay, I'm starting all over again.
00:20:04
Speaker
And instead you're basically saying, okay, we're just continuing or we're turning up the dial of discipline, right? um Something that I work on with my clients at the beginning of every single year is I help them period,
00:20:18
Speaker
Why can't I say this word? Periodization. I help them um ah create basically a structure, a schedule of their goals for throughout the entire year, right? And so we're looking at times like summer where it's hard to stay disciplined and focused.
00:20:36
Speaker
We're looking at times like the holidays where it's hard to stay disciplined and focused and we are intentionally not chasing strict goals during times where it's hard to focus and stay disciplined, right? Instead, we're trying to find pockets of time throughout their year where they're not traveling, where they're home, where there's not a whole lot of stuff going on in their life, where they can focus because you only have so much capacity. And if we are um spending all that capacity, like I said earlier, on other parts of your life, it's going to be really hard for you to focus on
00:21:07
Speaker
this whole fitness journey thing, right? So make it more sustainable. um You know, I would encourage you to, you know, do something similar to that. Where is an opportunity where you can push?
00:21:18
Speaker
And is that push season during the holidays? And if not, can we give ourselves permission to take it down a notch and coast? And that coasting still requires effort, right?
00:21:31
Speaker
That coasting is still going to move us forward. It's just simply going to allow us to be a little bit more realistic and more balanced in our approach to living our best life, but also staying tethered to our goals at the same time.
00:21:43
Speaker
um And so, yeah, I hope that that was kind of helpful for you. um you know That's kind of the idea behind your fitness journey is so much more mental than you might realize and you might give it credit for.
00:21:57
Speaker
um And having an understanding of kind of a big bird's eye view as far as planning when you are going to push and planning when you are going to coast. Sometimes those strategies make all the difference in your ability to, you know, push, give it your all and then coast to recoup some energy, right?
00:22:15
Speaker
So that you can feel recovered, recharged, refreshed to be able to push again, right? And so I hope that that's kind of helpful kind of just as we... approach the holiday season. um
Audience Interaction and Feedback
00:22:26
Speaker
i hope you guys have a wonderful day. i would love to hear from you. Don't forget, if there's a topic that you want me to cover, feel free to fill out the form in the caption ah below. Let me know some topics that maybe you've heard of in the past um that you kind of would like some more clarification on.
00:22:41
Speaker
um or anything that maybe you specifically are going through. If I can help you in any way, shape, or form, I would love to be a resource for you. um But I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Let's make great things happen. Don't focus on what's out of your control.
00:22:53
Speaker
Focus on what you can do within your situation.