As a health and fitness professional, one of my favorite things to do is educate by sharing stories and experiences I have compiled over the years working with individuals of varying ages, abilities, and aspirations. Wellness is such a broad topic which can cover everything from fitness to mental health, and what "being well" means to one person can be completely different to another. Wellness can also be an overwhelming topic for many. One that gets you thinking about exercise (or lack of it), nutrition (or how much we need to improve it), stress (how could I possibly decrease it), rest (when to possibly fit it in), and relationships with our family and friends.

Each season we encounter our own challenges and obstacles as we strive to be well. During the holiday season it becomes particularly challenging as we work to "fit it all in" while maintaining that ultimate balance of physical activity, nutrition, stress management, rest, and maintaining our personal relationships with those around us.  I'm sure at this point you may be laughing because when you think of it all and all there is to do…wellness seems the farthest from the priority list.     

As the holiday season hits and we are bombarded with all of the tasks that now pop up on our "to do" list which in our mind are necessary for the holidays to be on their way. For most of us these tasks come on top of an already busy schedule which, as a result, creates the ultimate recipe for excuses to put our healthy (or healthier) habits on hold.

How many of you have said "I'll wait till the new year", "My New Year's resolution will be…" or "I might as well wait till after the holidays"?   We are all guilty, but what you may or may not realize is that by giving yourself this "excuse" ultimately gets you further and further away from those "good" habits, making that "New Year's resolution a pretty tall one to reach.

A better path to follow during this holiday time is to give yourself a little more "wiggle" room in your wellness plan. Often when we think about a fitness regimen or nutrition plan we understand it as sticking to your "30 minutes of exercise 5 times per week," or eating a well balanced diet. For some of you, veering from this plan will feel like failure but what you need to know is just like anything, if you go off track the most important thing to do is to get back on track. If you don't have your typical 30 minutes per day to exercise, find time in your schedule to squeeze in 10 or 15 minutes. If you have a holiday party coming up where you may overindulge a bit, make sure you plan for a light lunch and, at that party, take smaller portions of those rich foods you enjoy. Making good choices will ultimately make you feel better physically and because you have made great strides to stay on course you are setting yourself up to continue to make better choices. Don't throw in the towel because you veered off track. Jump back into your healthy habits so that your road to better health "after the holidays" is a shorter one.      

In my upcoming columns I look forward to sharing tips and recommendations with you on how to get on the right path to better health and more importantly, staying on track. As is everything we do in life, staying well takes a little knowledge, work, patience, and perseverance.  Wellness, however, is one the most important things you can do for yourself and those you care for. 

I welcome your fitness, nutrition and health-related questions and can be reached at JenMorin@TotalFitnessClubs.com.

Be Well…