Faith and Fitness: 5 Ways to Stay Healthy and Motivated This Holiday Season

'Tis the season! The holidays always bring the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin muffins, gingerbread cookies, roasted turkey with all the buttered trimmings…and the not-as-appetizing thought of January fitness resolutions. Too often, we tend to binge eat our way through the holidays, thinking, “I’ll buckle down between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” which leads to, “Well, I’ll start over after this next holiday party,” which leads to, “I’ll just get serious about my fitness and nutrition in January with everyone else.”The problem with that mindset is that it is based on denial, procrastination, and typically shame or guilt. And who accomplishes anything worthwhile while laden with shame and guilt? (Spoiler alert—no one!)I’ve been guilty of this pattern and finally broke out of the habit over the last several years. The biggest lie we can tell ourselves in fitness is “I’ll start over tomorrow.” Maybe you will. But why not now? Instead of continuing to eat poorly and be upset with yourself for the rest of the day, why not make a better choice with your next choice? Why not go for a walk right now? Why not move your body today instead of waiting for tomorrow…next Monday…next year…We would never do this with sin, right? We don’t sin and tell God, “Well, I already messed up today, so I’m going to just keep sinning until tomorrow, next week, or next year.” That’s silly. So why do we do this to our own bodies and our own mental and emotional health?Here’s the truth—there is a middle ground between over-indulging for weeks or months straight, and being so strict you don’t enjoy the holidays. There is a middle ground between loafing on the couch full of cheese for weeks and running yourself into painful shin splits on a treadmill. And that middle ground has everything to do with obtainable goals and a godly mindset!So here are five ways to create—and maintain—your fitness goals as you navigate the holiday season. Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/silverkblack