I genuinely thought we were still in September.
Not in a dramatic “where has the year gone?” sort of way.
I actually had to check.
I’ve been that busy recently that September seems to have disappeared somewhere between work, preparing for new gyms, meetings and all the usual stuff.
Then this weekend didn’t help.
Bit of sun.
Fairly mild.
Didn’t really feel like October.
I’m not complaining.
Give me a bit of sun over sideways rain any day.
But yep, we’re in October.
We’re officially into the “-ber” months.
Or the “brrrr” months, if you’re anything like me.
And that got me thinking.
We’re already into the bit of the year where people start treating Christmas like it lasts three months.
Christmas itself isn’t the problem.
It’s all the ordinary days between now and then where things can quietly start slipping.
Nobody wakes up one morning in October and thinks:
“Right. Sod it. See you in January.”
It happens bit by bit.
Work gets busy, so you miss a session.
You’ve got a meal out Friday, so the food goes a bit wonky from Thursday.
Saturday is a big one.
Sunday becomes a write-off.
Monday comes around and you’re knackered.
“I’ll get back on it properly next week.”
Then there’s something else in the diary.
Before you know it, you’re still telling yourself you’re doing alright, but three training sessions have become one.
Your steps have dropped because it’s dark and chucking it down.
Friday night has somehow started stretching into most of the weekend.
And because Christmas is “coming up”, there never seems to be a good time to get back into your normal routine.
Except Christmas isn’t next week.
January is roughly 12 weeks away.
That’s basically a quarter of a year.
A long time to spend treading water.
And definitely a long time to decide there’s no point bothering because you’ve got a Christmas party in December.
You don’t need to be perfect for the next 12 weeks.
I certainly won’t be.
There’ll be meals out.
Drinks.
Weekends where training and food aren’t quite as organised.
Christmas will come around and I fully intend to enjoy it.
You should too.
But enjoy the days that are actually worth enjoying.
Don’t write off all the normal ones in between.
That’s the difference.
If you’ve got a big meal Saturday night, have it.
You don’t need to turn Thursday to Monday into a five-day event.
If you normally train three times and one week you can only make twice, get your two sessions done.
If the weather is crap and you don’t fancy your normal walk, do a shorter one.
You’re not trying to win some fitness award.
You’re just keeping things ticking over.
Because the alternative tends to catch up with you.
January arrives.
Your clothes feel tighter.
The first session back feels much harder than it should.
You don’t particularly fancy getting on the scales.
And the most annoying bit?
You know you were actually doing alright back in October.
It wasn’t Christmas Day that did it.
It was all those normal Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays that got written off along the way.
So pick your battles over the next few months.
Enjoy yourself when there’s actually something to enjoy.
Then get back to normal.
No guilt.
No trying to “burn it off”.
And no waiting until next Monday because you had a burger on Saturday.
Speaking of Monday, here we are.
New week.
You don’t need to smash it this week.
Just get your sessions booked.
Get some decent food in.
Get your steps in where you can.
Keep doing the boring stuff that works.
Then when the good stuff comes around, enjoy that too.
Twelve weeks from now, you’ll be glad you didn’t turn Christmas into a three-month event.
-Ryan
P.S
You’ve just read what to do.
If actually sticking to it on your own is normally the hard bit, that’s exactly what our 6 Week Meltdown is there to help with.
We’ve just closed the October intake, but there may still be the odd space available at some locations.
Hit the Find Out More button below and we’ll put you in touch with the Head Coach at your nearest Transformation HQ.
They can let you know if there’s still room to get started this month.
Find Out More 👋