How to Stay Consistent with Fitness During The Holidays (Without Perfection)

00:00Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else. If you can carve out 30 minutes, 20, 30 minutes for a workout, it doesn't have to be full-blown, doesn't have to be an hour-long session in the gym.

00:31If you know that you'll have a window of time in the morning or right before dinner, lock it in like an appointment. Write it on your calendar, write it on your planner, set an alarm, treat it like a non-negotiable commitment. Once you show up for yourself, you're going to feel so much better. And at the same time, you're also going to show up not only better for yourself, but those that are around you and in your space during the holiday season. Yo, yo, yo. What is going on, you guys? Welcome back to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikki Stott, co-founder of Warrior Babe.

01:05And on this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikki Stott. And welcome to today's episode, episode number 216. And today, you guys, it's probably going to be light, short, and to the point because I know that this season, this time of year, is super busy, super hectic. And everyone's running around and getting plans made and, you know, enjoying the holidays, Christmases next week, which is wild.

01:39And the New Year's is the week after. So my plan for this episode today is to help you guys stay on track with primarily your fitness routine and getting your workouts done during the holidays. I think it's really important that you still prioritize yourself and, you know, an hour or less to get your workout done completed. Because afterwards, not only are you going to feel so much better, but you're going to be able to take on all of the chaos and the stress and the plans and all the things that come with the holidays so much better.

02:13So what I did before I even hit record on this episode today is I went into my calendar and I looked at the next two, three weeks and I set exactly on which days I was going to commit to getting my workouts done, exactly what time and put it on the calendar. And I essentially, by the end of this episode today, I want you guys to do the same thing. I want you guys to look at your calendar, however you, you know, organize your weeks. If it's a daily planner and you write it down, I would highly recommend that you look at the next couple of weeks and you figure out what days you can commit yourself to getting those workouts done and then pick a time on those days that you can show up and, you know, do a 30-minute workout.

03:00It doesn't have to be an hour. It doesn't have to be an hour and a half. It doesn't have to be two hours. All it needs to be is that you get in, you move your body, you feel good, you get some endorphins running, you show up for yourself, you keep yourself consistent and you keep the promises you make to yourself and then that's it. Because I get it. Like I said, like this time of year, travel, family gatherings, the schedule feels anything but normal and it's so easy to fall into the trap of like, oh, I'm just going to start fresh in January. But here's the thing.

03:30You don't need to have like a perfect routine to stay on track. You just need consistency and intention. So that's what I'm going to talk about today. I'm going to give you guys some strategies to stay on track with your workouts, keep the momentum going, avoid the, you know, I'm going to start over feeling in January. And just know like there's other people out there that are making themselves a priority during this holiday season. And it's just about how that how does that look like for you?

04:01Okay, so first and foremost, I want you guys I briefly talked about this like right before Thanksgiving. When that episode was primarily how to stay consistent with nutrition around the holidays. So if you need that support, I would go back to that episode and dive into what we talked about there. But primarily, this one's like more about the fitness one. But but this this this concept similar is similar to both. It's ditching that all or nothing mentality. That is the biggest barrier that I see people face during the holidays.

04:33It's this belief that like, you can't stick to your full routine perfectly. And then if that's the case, then you might as well do nothing at all. Right? Does that sound familiar? If you feel like that is you and you maybe know that is the type of not trap, like the type of thing that you could fall into over the next couple of weeks. And like, hear me out here that hear what I'm saying, because that's one of the biggest mistakes that you can make is thinking that it's all or nothing and thinking that if you don't follow your your routine perfectly, then you might as well do nothing at all.

05:11You don't need to be perfect. You don't need to have a perfect plan to stay on track. Progress happens through consistency, not perfection. Let's say that your workouts are typically maybe 45 minutes to an hour, but you only have 20 minutes to 30 minutes to get it in. Here's a tactical takeaway that you can do is majority. Maybe you guys are I assume that you guys are doing strength training workouts. Majority of you at least are.

05:43Let's say that your sets are four sets. You dropping every single set down to three and maybe dropping your reps from 15 to 10 or from 10 to 8 and just challenging yourself with heavier weights. That's going to allow you to buy back time where you need to. So having you show up consistently and whether it's and even though it's not going to be an hour workout, but it's 20 minutes is still enough time to move your body and to feel like you've accomplished something.

06:16If you don't if you're traveling somewhere, you don't have access to your usual gym equipment. That doesn't mean that you're off track. It just means that you have to get creative. I've seen warrior babes inside of our community pack their bands inside of their duffel bag or their suitcase. That doesn't take up much space. Okay, so here's like the mindset shift I want you guys to adopt during this holiday season as you go into Christmas as you go into New Year's. Something is always better than nothing.

06:47If you can get in a quick workout, do it. If it's only 20 to 30 minutes, do it. If it's only 20, maybe it's not four days a week, but it's three days a week. Do it. If you're short on time, do what I had just recommended. Focus on the intensity over the duration. Bring down the sets. Bring down the reps. Challenge yourself with a little bit heavier weight. You're not here to be perfect. You are here to stay consistent. And trust me, now believe me later, but trust me that I believe in you.

07:21Even if you don't believe in yourself that you can do this over the next three weeks, I think that, like I just said, it's going in it with a little bit more intention. And if you can do what I said at the beginning of this episode, which is like look at your calendar and intentionally set up the next two to three weeks, then that's something. And that something is always better than nothing. And if you're showing up to that something and you're getting in what you can get in in that day, you're consistent. And that's all that matters.

07:52So I know that one of the biggest challenges during the holidays is that your schedule is totally out of whack. What I want you to do, and this is what I did, is look at your calendar over the next. I'm going to tell you guys exactly what I programmed for myself over the next three weeks. So this is going live on Monday the 16th. This week is the last full week of without the holidays. The next two weeks of Christmas. And talk about Christmas being right smack dab right in the middle of the week.

08:23So it's like y'all have the whole week pretty much. It's going to be slow moving. And, you know, really enjoy that time. Like slow down. Give yourself grace. Like enjoy the moments. Enjoy the memories. Have joy in your days. And, you know, this is – I personally love when Christmas and New Year's is in the middle of the week. Because it really does intentionally make everyone slow down. Because majority of people's work weeks are kind of shot too as well. Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it.

09:03Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat, and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. So, okay. So it's going live on Monday, this episode. This week is pretty normal for me. I'm going to get a workout on a Monday. I'm going to get a workout on a Tuesday. I'm going to get a workout in on Wednesday. I'm going to get a workout in on Friday. All of my days around that, that being Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, are off because I have plans for the weekend. Now, moving into the holiday week of Christmas. This is what I did for myself, you guys.

09:33I put a workout on Monday the 23rd, a workout on the 26th, the 27th, and the 28th. I'm giving myself the 24th and the 25th off. And if I need to, this is the beauty of having only working out four days a week. Let's say that I don't feel like it on the 26th. Like, I'm still feeling the holiday bliss. Like, I'm still relaxing. I'm really kicking it back with family. Maybe there's some plans that we decide to do on the day after Christmas. I will move that workout.

10:04I'll move everything a day back. So I would do the 23rd, the 27th, the 28th, and the 29th. It doesn't matter. Let's say you have four workouts in a week. You have seven days. It doesn't matter when you do the four workouts as long as you complete the four workouts in those seven days. So you have some leeway to move things around with the extra days that you have added to your week, right? The following week, I did pretty much the same exact thing. I committed to the 30th, the 2nd, the 3rd, and the 4th.

10:37Look, me, personally, I am most likely, I'm not going to say 100%, because maybe I will find myself in the gym on New Year's Day. But, most likely, you will not find me in the gym on New Year's Day. So, it's going to be absolute chaos. If I do go, it will be later in the afternoon when everyone's gotten it out of the way. I don't know, but it's probably going to be mass chaos. So, I planned around those New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

11:11Again, the same thing. Like, you, if you don't, if you get to the, you, I have four workouts in my week. There's seven days. I can move. I have an extra day outside of the holidays that if I don't get it in the day after New Year's Day, I can get it in still in the rest of the week. So, that's what I would recommend that you guys do, too, as well. It's like, I know you have travel. I know your family obligations. I know that there's holiday events. And it makes me feel like there's no time to work out. But I promise you, there's always a way.

11:41And it's doing what I just said. Like, if you can carve out 30 minutes, 20, 30 minutes for a workout, it doesn't have to be full-blown. It doesn't have to be an hour-long session in the gym. If you know that you'll have a window of time in the morning or right before dinner, lock it in like an appointment. Write it on your calendar. Write it on your planner. Set an alarm. Treat it like a non-negotiable commitment. Because, like I said at the beginning, like, if you, once you show up for yourself, you're going to feel so much better. And at the same time, you're also going to show up not only better for yourself, but those that are around you and in your space during the holiday season.

12:15Okay? Another thing that I would highly recommend is if you are with family or friends, make it a group activity. Walking. Even, like, you heard in the other – how about that episode with Jordan Sye, you guys? Such a dope episode. Had a blast filming with him. If you didn't listen to it, it was the last episode that launched right before this one. It was last Friday, episode 215. Even the power of just getting a walk-in, as we even talked about in that last episode, is huge.

12:50Get the family together. Get outside, even if it's cold or not. Bundle everybody up. After a meal, go get a walk-in. Do a mini workout with your kiddos. Invite a friend or a sibling or somebody to join you for a quick bodyweight or band workout if you're traveling. If you don't have access to equipment. Invite your family or friends to go to the gym with you. Make it fun. And as long as you're moving your body, you're still consistent in showing up, right? So – and it's all about this – adding that in with family could add another memory to the memory bucket during the holiday season, which I think is so freaking cool and so well worth it.

13:27So overall, like, making the time – because you have the time, which is making it intentional, making it a commitment and making an appointment for yourself. But I think it's really important to say that when you – you don't need to be perfect. You just need to show up consistently. And then getting over the idea that you'll start fresh in January.

13:58Like, this one's the big one that I want to just nail home. I get it. I understand that. I know that some of you guys want to prioritize, like, traveling and plans and feel like you don't have enough time. There's a lot of chaos going on and it's – there's some anxiety. Like, I totally understand that. And the holiday season feels like such an easy excuse to pause everything and say, I'll just start later. But let me ask you this.

14:30Why not start now? Why not keep the momentum going even if it's slower or smaller than usual? Because here's the truth. If you wait until January, you're going to feel like you're starting from scratch. But if you keep moving in these next couple of weeks, even if it's just 20, 30 minutes of daily movement, of doing some light bodyweight exercises, some squats, some knee pushups, some burpees, some mountain climbers, you know, making it like more high-intensity bodyweight exercises.

15:08Like, jump lunges, pop squats, those things can make a really effective freaking workout, okay? So, even if it's just for a limited amount of time a day, you already have momentum going into January. You're going to feel stronger. You're going to feel more capable. You're going to feel more confident in your ability to stay consistent. So, don't let January be a starting point. Make it a continuation of what you're already doing right now.

15:41So, as I mentioned earlier, I believe this was going to be a really super quick podcast. And as it is, I think that I've, you know, given you guys some tactical takeaways of what you can do and setting your mindset with intention moving into the next couple of weeks and how you can strategize a plan for yourself to show up consistently for yourself. You don't need to be perfect, but you can show up consistently for yourself. So, really quick, just a recap of some of the key takeaways that we talked about. Did she all or nothing mentality? Progress is about perfection. Progress isn't about perfection. It is about consistency.

16:12Plan ahead. Take the time following this episode right now. If you do, if you have the time or if you can later on in the day to really look at your calendar over the next couple of weeks, whether it's digital or written. And plan the workouts out that you're going to have. Schedule it and make a commitment and keep the promise to yourself and show up. If you have to, make it effective, short. Those types of workouts can be your best friend during this time. Whether it's bodyweight circuits, whether it's a quick walk, whether it's you have access to the gym, but it's only doing 30 minutes and you lower what I said earlier, your sets down from four to three or even from three to two.

16:53But you still make it, you know, intense over the duration that you're there. Focus on bringing people in, bringing family in, bringing your siblings in, bringing your kids in and making it a well-rounded, fun, memorable experience. Because if you bring, if even if like your aunt hasn't worked out in forever, even her just like playing around with some squads or like doing something could maybe open up some type of awareness in her that gets her excited to maybe start doing more come the new year.

17:29Like you could be the catalyst for change for your family this new year. Think of it like that. And then don't wait for January to start fresh. Keep this momentum going, even if it's slow. So that January is a continuation, not a reset. All right. The holidays don't have to completely derail your progress. It's all about it's not about being perfect. It's about being consistent. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace during this time. Stay flexible and focus on what you can do, not what you should do.

18:00So small efforts during this time will compound over time and they matter way more than one perfect week. Okay. So if this helped you guys share this with a friend, share this with a family member that needs to hear it. Maybe somebody is completely feeling stressed out during this time and they're worried about staying on track and maybe this episode can help them. All right, guys. I appreciate you guys. I love you guys. In the next couple of weeks, you're going to hear some mashup videos.

18:32This is going to be one of the last episodes that I filmed before the new year. We're going to have a guest speaker coming in, our guest episode on this Friday. And then for the holiday week, we're going to have some mashup videos that we've compiled from season two. And then coming into the new year, we're going to have some fresh fire new episodes for you guys. And I'm really stoked. Some cool guests will be on. So this one, the last episode. It's crazy to think about that before we hit the new year.

19:04So I hope that you guys, I want to say thank you. Thank you so much for your support over this year with this podcast and listening and sharing it, leaving reviews. I hope you guys, if you celebrate Christmas, have a very merry Christmas. If you celebrate Hanukkah, happy Hanukkah. If you celebrate any other things, I just hope that you have very, very happy holidays and enjoy the time with your friends, your family, people that are around you, making new memories. That's the most important thing during this time. And have a amazing new year.

19:37Set some goals for yourself. Set some intentions for yourself. And then most importantly, come up with a word or come up with a motto that's going to carry you into 2025. That is, you know, you thinking about the person that you want to become in 2025. 2025 can be your year. It's just about how you show up for yourself in that year. Think about the person that you want to become. What is that person doing every day? How is that person upholding her habits, her beliefs? Just bring that into an intentional word or motto for you and then say that every single day and then take the action to follow up as her now.

20:12All right, guys. Love you guys. Peace out. Hey, really quick before you go. I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take just a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all of the difference. It's helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much. Thank you.

20:43Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.