And how it can change your life’s trajectory for the better
to you
Coach Kayla and I hope you had an outstanding Thanksgiving weekend, filled with memories and fun!
Although the excitement is over (for the moment), now’s the time to enjoy being back, full swing, to the health-promoting habits that make you feel your best!
If that sounds like exactly what you’re doing, you’re probably used to feeling great most of the time, are confident in your health, and feel prepared to get the most out of life – because you’re actively doing the right things to put yourself in that position.
If you don’t feel that way, but want to, right now is an excellent window of opportunity!
Perhaps, like many, you were stressed out last week from scrambling to get ready for Thanksgiving. (Even more so if you were hosting or traveling!)
Even if none of that applied, once the big day arrived, you certainly wouldn’t be alone if you ate and drank more than you “should have.”
After feasting on turkey, stuffing, and dessert, perhaps it felt like you had a beach ball in your abdomen?
Or maybe you woke up the next morning feeling like you rammed your head into a brick wall (and couldn’t remember enough to be 100% sure you didn’t)?
And given that it was a four-day holiday weekend, maybe this went on for a few days.
Thinking I’m about to start lecturing you about discipline and restraint?
Nope.
At least not for a holiday weekend.
Sure, maybe you had some pangs of regret and disgust.
Maybe you thought to yourself that you could have had just as much fun without as much overindulgence.
But it happens. And it will happen again.
With that in mind, here are four steps for steering it in a beneficial direction.
Step 1: Embrace the sting
Whether you’re tired, regretful, disgusted, or all of the above, soak it in.
Pay close attention to how you feel and what you’re thinking. Reflect on why you’re displeased about the choices you made and the outcomes they led to.
But don’t blame it on the holiday weekend. Instead, use it as a point of reference for everyday life.
Overindulging on a holiday weekend is not what causes people to be overweight, suffer from avoidable health conditions, or feel far from their best.
It’s the choices they make during the other several hundred days of the year.
If you have any remorse about your holiday choices, use it as motivation to make those other several hundred days better. Let it be your reminder of the undesirable trajectory you could otherwise be pushing yourself towards.
One weekend doesn’t make much difference. And you can’t change the past. So, there’s no value in getting down on yourself.
But don’t just ignore the remorse until it fades away, because if you don’t act on it, it’s likely to return, possibly with added consequence.
Step 2: Be objective – and brutally honest with yourself (this is the most important step!)
It’s human nature to brush things off and subconsciously downgrade their significance. If we didn’t have this tendency, life would feel even more stressful and overwhelming than it sometimes already does.
For example, it’s so easy to fall into thinking “I won’t live forever, so I might as well enjoy myself” – until quality of life takes enough of a premature nosedive to fully expose the shortsightedness of this perspective.
The science is real – there’s no doubt that your daily habits have major potential to influence your health, wellness, and quality of life, ultimately shaping your life’s trajectory.
As a reader of this newsletter, you’re probably already on board with that. But how strong is your belief?
Will you still believe it when faced with the difficult prospect of change? Or will you take the path of least resistance by shrugging off the warning signs, convincing yourself everything will be fine, and continuing on as usual?
Here’s the bottom line – if you want a different outcome, you need to take different actions.
Since those different actions typically aren’t easy, you need to firmly believe that they’re the best path forward. And for that firm belief to even be possible, you have to be willing to face the reality that your current choices may not be the best path forward.
You have to face the uncomfortable prospect that you’re actively shortchanging your future self.
In other words, you have to own the choices you make and the risks that accompany them.
That starts with understanding the risks.
Appropriate and objective appreciation (but not fear) of risk is a core component of the motivation you’ll need to create and maintain the habits that will help you thrive.
It’s a common misbelief that the holiday season is bad timing for lifestyle change.
It’s arguably the best time of year to have expert coaches on your side, helping you finally find a good balance between health and indulgence.
Coach Kayla and I are pros at this balance. We live it, and we know what works (and why).
Remember, it’s the hundreds of days per year of ordinary life that make a bigger difference than holidays and other periodic social events.
We’ll help you master those “ordinary” days, and we’ll help you navigate social situations more effectively without sacrificing the fun.
Most importantly, we’ll help you build a foundation of healthy habits you can rely on to feel your best month after month, year after year.
Book a free call with Coach Kayla to see how we can help you enjoy the holiday season without feeling like you need a New Year’s resolution to make up for it!
Step 3: Take action, but make it small
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good enough.
Coach Kayla and I have seen so many examples of people sprinting out of the starting gate, aiming for immediate perfection, and burning out just a few weeks later.
They get in their own way by getting carried away with ambition and holding themselves accountable to unrealistic (and unnecessary) expectations.
Remember, it’s not the single off-the-rails holiday weekend that threatens to push your health, wellness, and quality of life in the wrong direction – it’s the days, months, years, and decades of everyday ordinary life.
This means you should be thinking in terms of changes that will last a lifetime.
To prevent that from being overwhelming, focus on the single most important change to start with, and chip away at making it a regular part of your life.
If you eat too much processed food, commit to just one meal per week that is 100% whole foods.
If you don’t exercise, commit to just one purposeful workout per week, even if it’s brief.
If you can handle more, go for it, but don’t let unsustainable expectations for quick results burn you out.
You’re looking to change the trajectory of your life, not turn your life upside down for a few weeks or months, only to end up back where you started.
Lasting success doesn’t happen overnight!
Step 4: Expand your foundation … gradually
When you brush your teeth, take a shower, or fix your hair, do you debate with yourself about doing it?
Do you get in your own way by questioning whether your toothbrush is good enough or if the water is filtered enough?
No, you just do it, without barely even thinking about it!
Although some lifestyle habits require a bit more thought, they should eventually feel automatic like this. When they do, that’s when you’re ready to take on more (if needed).
If you’re in a reliable groove doing one workout per week, make it two. Or if you’re consistently eating a 100% whole-food meal once per week, add another day.
The main idea here is to start small and build gradually so that you solidify long-term habits without overwhelming yourself.
Yes, you can be more aggressive than the examples above, but only if you can quickly recognize when it's too much and scale back accordingly.
And just in case you get bored with the idea of small changes and gradual results, think of where you could be this time next year – with zero fear of an off-the-rails holiday weekend throwing you off track.
That’s not hype – this is as real as it gets. I live it, Coach Kayla lives it, and many of our clients live it. So can you!
Here’s your challenge:
Specifically identify what could most improve your quality of life right now. More energy? Less stress? More positivity? Better managed health symptoms?
Then consider the single habit change most likely to lead to the biggest improvement. Better nutrition? Exercise? Better sleep? Stress management?
Choose a small piece of that change that feels manageable, but also like a promising building block that will realistically lead to progress.
And start doing it – immediately!
Along the way, remind yourself of why you’re doing it and what may happen if you don’t.
The magic here is that taking on small, manageable changes leaves no room for excuses, procrastination, or deliberation. Just do it!
If you need an extra nudge, hit reply. I’d be happy to help get you started!
To keeping the fire burning strong,
Dr. Vin