The point in my last blog was simple: start now instead of waiting for January. Fair follow up question is what you’re actually supposed to build between now and then, since the real test isn’t starting in September, it’s surviving Thanksgiving through New Year’s without losing everything you built.
Why Most Plans Die Right Here
Complicated plans have a lot of rules, and rules are hard to follow when your schedule isn’t yours anymore. The all or nothing plans are the worst of all. One missed session or one plate of stuffing turns into “well, I already blew it,” and that’s how five weeks of progress disappears over one weekend.
The Habits Worth Protecting
If you can only protect one thing through the holidays, make it training consistency, even a stripped down version of it. Two sessions a week, no matter what, beats an ideal five day plan that only survives on easy weeks.
On the nutrition side, protein first is the companion habit. You don’t need to track every bite at a holiday meal, just get protein on the plate before anything else.
How To Actually Protect It
- Decide your minimum version now, not in the moment. “Two lifts a week, no matter what” survives December.
- Protein first at the holiday table. One decision, not a whole strategy.
- One off day is not permission to drop the habit entirely. That trap is exactly what we covered back in August, and it’s coming for you again this season.
- Save the full reassessment for January, not the middle of a chaotic December week.
Bonus Tip
If you’re wondering how much protein you should be targeting at a meal:
- Women: One open palm serving
- Men: One to two open palm servings
(bonus tip on that last bonus tip: this is standard for any meal any day of the year)
In my next blog I’ll lay out what a realistic twelve week plan looks like, session by session.
Michael Wilkie
Aspire Health & Fitness