Firstly, why should you listen to me? Truthfully, you don’t have to…
I haven’t written a blog in AGES and I’m just your average Jo (excuse the pun LOL) BUT in saying that, I’ve spent 34 years on this earth making mistakes as I navigate my way through this thing they call ‘Health and fitness’. 

Honestly, in my opinion and from my experience, there can often be very little ‘health’ in the ‘Health and Fitness’ industry and I feel confident in saying that I have learnt the hard way…MANY times! 

So again, why should you listen to me? Well, you don’t have to BUT perhaps you can find some wisdom in what I share/plan on sharing on this blog…and if I manage to help 1 person, then I’m a happy camper…

Oh, I am also a qualified personal trainer, have just helped my husband open up a new gym in the heart of Umhlanga and have published my own recipe book, as well as help to write 3 others…So there is that I guess…And if you have gotten this far and somehow don’t know who I am…I am Jo, a 34 year old remedial teacher/personal trainer from Durbs and Pull ups and peanut butter is my baby…

Okay, enough with the rambling (I’m good at that, you can ask Sheldon if you aren’t sure)…

If you, like myself, are someone who thrives off routine then December can become a pretty stressful time of year for you, mentally that is…

I’ll use myself as an example here: I’m used to waking up at home, following my every day morning routine, working, getting my steps in, training, eating the same or similar foods daily (that I have full control over), winding down slowly in the evening and getting sufficient sleep every night…

December comes along and the social activities start to increase, your regular meals (or in my case, my nouriti and diet plan I have created for myself) are replaced with meals out celebrating the year end. Water is replaced with G & T’s and working out is either done half heartedly or replaced by bingeing the latest series on Netflix. 

Perhaps you go away and need to create a temporary routine because you are living out of a bag and are the tourist instead of the resident…
All of those things are, in my opinion. HEALTHY and an absolute MUST!!! Memories over macros as I always say…BUT in saying that, trying to transition back to ‘normal’ life can be tough…Especially if you are feeling disheartened and crappy about yourself…

Side note: Isn’t it crazy how our minds can control our moods and literally how we view the world around us…Perhaps it’s worse when coupled with post holiday blues, but I find that, if I allow it, I can honestly feel so sorry for myself that the decision to go back to what I once deemed as my normal (pre-holiday) routine seems so unattainable that I tend to wallow in my misery for far longer than I should…

BUT that’s about to stop and I’m going to share a few things that I’m doing to stop it…

1. Learn to say no and set some boundaries. I’m not saying don’t socialize or spend time with friends and family, but it can become overwhelming when you are trying to get ‘back on track’ and those around you aren’t. It can’t create unnecessary anxiety that just isn’t worth it. Perhaps explain how you are feeling and what your goals are, knowing that often we have to be ‘selfish’ in order to be ‘selfless’. If a goal for the year is to be a better version of yourself, or get back to ‘normal’ those that love you will support you! Remember that! 
2. Going into the New year, PLEASE avoid the approach of restricting and cutting out foods!!! PLEASE!!! Just don’t do it!!! Instead look at REPLACING certain foods with others…So instead of restricting yourself and cutting out a whole food group, or cutting out sweets or chocolates (or any foods that you may have overindulged in this festive season), rather cut back or replace sweets with some Neovita vitamins for example or substituting that Top Deck with a Futurelife lite bar. There is NO need to go completely cold turkey with food, in fact, if you have ever followed one of my diet plans, you will know that I always throw in treats of some sort to help with cravings because the only ‘diet’ that is ever going to be successful is going to be the one you can sustain and adhere to for a long period of time. All or nothing when it comes to food is so last century (LOL)…It all comes down to finding the middle ground and then making better choices, understood? 
3. Prioritize sleep. I know this may sound silly but good quality sleep is often overlooked but is so very important!!! During the festive season sleep is often neglected…Late nights, the occasional afternoon nap or even pulling all nighters often come into play during this time…Honestly though, having a good sleep routine will project positivity into every other aspect of your life! Even if you aren’t into fitness or lifting, getting a decent amount of food quality sleep per night will help to improve your overall health, your mental health, your mood, your appetite and and and…Pretty much everything is impacted by the quality of your sleep so going into the new year, try to keep this in mind!!!

How I like to do this is: 

• Reducing my screen time, especially in the evening. I also make sure I watch something light hearted before bed (No Jeffrey Dahmer in this household LOL)
• When I go to bed, I try to read at least 10 pages of a book and I DO NOT touch my phone. In fact, my phone goes on to ‘Do not disturb’ at 8 pm every night. 
• If this isn’t an option, I highly recommend getting a pair of blue light glasses (I’ve seen some cool pairs at Mr P, believe it or not) and wear those when watching TV/your phone before bed. The blue light from your TV or phone screen can inhibit the body from producing melatonin, which is necessary to help you fall asleep at night. 
• I try to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight outdoors every single day. This will make a massive difference to your circadian rhythm.

1. The last tip is to start SMALL. Please don’t overwhelm yourself. There is absolutely NO need to wake up in the morning and completely switch your life around. That approach isn’t going to work long term…Instead focus on building better habits every single day. Small little changes that will, over time, amount to BIG changes! Like I’ve said before, there is NO need to cut out food groups or hit the gym 7 days a week. Focus on making teeny tiny changes regarding the following : Sleep, Hydration, Exercise, Steps and Food. If you were to make 1 good (and small) decision regarding each one of those every single day, you will notice a GINORMOUS difference in your overall health and well-being…

For example: Go to bed 10 minutes earlier. Drink an extra glass of water a day. Get your hands on a workout plan (I can help you here) so that when you go to gym, you have a plan to follow. Keep a note on your step count and try to increase it slowly: Park further away/Take the stairs/ Go for a walk after work. Lastly, when it comes to food, try to cook your own food instead of eating out- even if it’s just a few times a week…

These small, minuscule changes, over time, will result in HUGE progress. 
You will be feeling like your ‘old’ self in no time!!! Grant yourself a bit of grace and let’s get started…small!!!

Have any other suggestions, feel free to contact me and let’s chat!

Yours in peanut butter

Jo

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