Simplicity during the holidays sounds lovely right? We’re all super busy during this time of year, but we can’t let our strength go by the wayside! Many of us are still training for races, or trying to keep our health and fitness in check during the cold winter months.
So this month we are following the KISS “keep it simple, stupid” rule, with routines that are quick and effective, taking 15 minutes or less each day. Watch for bonus and extras to pop up in case you have time for a little more!
In the spirit of KISS, let’s chat about a few ways we can use the “keep it simple, stupid” principle to simplify our life.
- Health & Nutrition: Instead of agonizing over which diet you should choose to go on, simply ask yourself what the healthiest foods are to eat. You already know the answer. Stick to that.
- Exercise: We have our challenging months, but December isn’t the time for it. If you stick to the plan and set aside 15 minutes for your strength training, you’ll come out on top and be ready for those January races.
- Relationships: The holidays mean time to be around family and friends and sometimes this is the most challenging part. Take what people say at face value. There is no need to waste your energy wondering what their ulterior motive is, or if they are not telling the truth about things. Keep it simple and accept their truth. Say what you mean and mean what you say. If communication is simplified both ways, you can be much happier knowing that everything is out in the open. At the same time, don’t just go off and say something you will regret later.
- Procrastination: If you are avoiding a particular task, you are just wasting your time, and possibly other people’s time too. Set a timer for 25 minutes and use that time to get the task done. If you haven’t finished within that time period, take a 5 minute break, and set the timer again and resume working toward completing the task. This is called the Pomodoro Technique. It really works and it will help you make the little time you have more productive.
- Time management: When you are really busy and struggling to get everything done, do what every KISSer does, and write a list. Write everything you have to do, including deadlines, and then number everything in order of importance. Work your way through the list from most important to least important. Be sure to cross things off as you go along as this will give you a sense of accomplishment.
- Problem solving: If you can see that there are issues that need resolving, be the person who does something to get it done. Don’t sit around waiting for someone else to do it, even if it’s not your job. If you can see a problem, don’t be part of it. KISS, and don’t play mind games at work.
- Work/Life balance: No matter what work you do, create boundaries. When it’s work time, focus on your work. When it’s not work time, focus on your life. This is super simple, yet not everyone does it. You’ll find you are more productive in and out of work, have a better family life and feel happier.
- Enjoyment: What activities do you enjoy most? These are the things you want to dedicate your spare time to. Adding deliberate enjoyment to your life makes you happier, more productive and more fun to be around.
Too many people over-complicate things. If we apply the KISS principle not just to our workouts, but to everything in our life this holiday season, we’ll be more productive, feel better about the decisions we make, and will have a happier and more pleasant disposition.
Applying these KISS principles to our life will help us get everything done, have time left for ourselves, and enjoy the holidays more!
Buddy Up!: Keeping things simple is even easier when we have someone else keep us on track. If you want to keep the same buddy, that’s ok…but ONLY if you are keeping each other accountable. Be honest with yourself and your buddy. It’s ok to find someone new to tackle December with!
Holiday Simplicity
Our December 2017 Challenge is below. Similar to the past couple months, we have runner specific strength workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and quick workouts that will include strength and cardio on Tuesday and Thursdays. You will be familiar with most of these workouts, and within the first week, you will be able to run through these routines with your eyes closed!
Simple, familiar and effective. But YOU have to commit to get it done every day! Who’s with me on making a commitment to keep it alive in December? Shout it out by putting it in writing! Let’s do this Crew!
Strong to the Core 