Implementing a Winter Action Plan:

Adjusting the roadmap to your goals to align with the new season and time change

Most of us just rolled our clocks back for Daylight Savings Time. As if our days didn’t already seem short enough, that feeling is now magnified. Our internal clocks are all out of whack and as the colder days approach our routines and mindsets are shifted as well.

AS WE SAY GOODBYE TO LONGER, SUNNIER DAYS WE CAN BE MET WITH SOMETHING CALLED SEASONAL GLOOM. SO WHAT’S OUR APPROACH?

Self care practices can really make a difference in the way that we feel about ourselves during the cloudy, winter months. During this time it is crucial to lean into the things that we know will make us feel like the best version of  ourselves.

Enter: Winter Action Plan

THE TOP 3 NON-NEGOTIABLES IN MY WINTER PLAN OF ACTION:

NUTRITION
A solid nutritional approach is just one of the comprehensive factors that contributes to my overall health on the gloomier days. Tracking keeps me accountable to my goals and what my body requires from me to feel and preform its best. Aside from tracking I use this time of the year to enjoy  ingredients that are flourishing in this season. We have a local farm here in Denton Valley and we love to go there in the fall and winter months to capitalize  on all the seasonal goodness which is a really cool way to make nutrition fun and exciting during these cold winter months.

MOVEMENT
My movement = My mood. If I don’t move my body I will not be enjoyable to be around. Movement is a major non-nonnegotiable for me. I haven’t always been like this but as I started realizing that taking care of my body was a high priority of mine I started to notice that on the days I went with little to no movement my mood was down. In a previous NEAT blog Coach Sav explains the importance of endorphins. Check it out, it’s a great read that explains more about the correlation between our endorphins and our moods! Creating a winter routine to get to the gym might look a little different this time of year as we lose light earlier in the day. Preparing a workout schedule at the beginning of your week before you plan anything else allows for you to work your schedule around your workouts and not the other way around. If you are anything like me non- scheduled workouts end up becoming non-completed workouts if you don’t 
prioritize. And I don’t know about you but I am a more productive part of my  world and society when I know I got a solid workout in that day.

ACCOUNTABILITY
Just as we thrive with accountability through tracking and maintaining nutritional goals, the same is true for fitness endeavors. Accountability is not as hard as it sounds. This doesn’t have to be done in person. I can check in with a  friend each day via phone and let them know I’ve moved my body and stuck to  my nutritional goals. 

When motivation subsides, as it tends to do on gloomier days, having a group of people who I consider accountability partners that know my goals and want to support me means everything. 

It’s okay to adjust our approach and our expectations in order to be our healthiest, most successful selves. Less sunlight does not have to be  intimidating and scary! The nights may come soon but there are many aspects  about this time of the year that can be so magical: incredible crock pot dinners,  tasty soups, evenings by the fire with your family and friends, crisp mornings, and pumpkin spice everything! 

Winter also means that the holidays are quickly approaching! We truly believe that the holidays do not have to be the reason or the excuse to fall off our fitness and nutrition goals and throw in the towel to “wait to start over in  January;” we can still enjoy this season and prioritize our health while staying on track and enjoying our time with family! 

All of our holiday recipes, nutrition tips, and best knowledge on how to stay on track during the holidays can be found on our website under “free content” and our social media’s!

Coach Britt,
Neatcoaching.com
@neatcoaching