Turo Virta: 1:07

Hey, it's Turo here, and today I want to talk something about that shows up every single year around this time. And I see this with my group courses and with the people who I work online with, and that is what I like to call the holiday spiral. So this is the moment where many people say, I'm too busy. There's too many dinners. I will start in January. I already messed up. I will restart later, and before they know it, two or three weeks of normal life turn into two or three months of feeling frustrated, tired and stuck. But here is the truth, you do not need a perfect plan to stay on track during the holidays. You just need one grounding habit that keeps you steady when everything else feels messy, and today I'm going to show you exactly what that habit is and how to avoid the all or nothing trap, because there are people who are, and I'm, I'm, personally, one of these people who used to be in this trap. As as it's getting darker, it's getting there is this less daylight, and that is what is often happening. So this is an every year I see the same pattern with my clients. November is coming, and there is a less daylight. Days are getting louder darker, and routines are getting messy, and suddenly you are recognizing that there is more emotional eating, more cravings, maybe less sleep, fewer steps, and more stress, and that all results you are feeling more guilt, and most of the people think the problem is the food or motivation, but it's not. The real problem is thinking that healthy living only works when life is perfect. And let's be honest, life is never perfect. So if your health plan only works when everything goes smoothly, you don't have a plan. You have a fantasy. So let me give you a real example. So I like to talk about my clients. I don't want to talk with their names as it as it feels always, but it's it's now, already one year ago, last year, at this time, one of my clients, let's call her iris, and she's one of the most consistent people I have ever coached. She's not perfect, but she's just consistent. And was I still remember vividly how she wrote me one day that today it was it was beginning of December last year at this time, and she wrote me that today it was a messy and I had a lot of work stress. My routine was off, and all I wanted was to have sweets, and her favorite sweets are chocolate. And then she said that, forget it. And but instead of that, letting that, and then she was, she was eating that chocolate. But instead of letting that one kind of bad day, what she called a bad day, I call it kind of messy day or enjoyable day, what happens to every single, single person at some point, but, and she used to that those days used to turn out the whole messy week or messy month, maybe couple months, but she did only this one simple thing. She went for a walk, and that's it, nothing dramatic. It's a 1015, minutes walk, and that is what I call her, or what we called for her, was her grounding habit. And you know what she said after that, after that walk, I felt back in control. It's not perfect, but enough, and this is what I need you to understand in Messy seasons, perfection breaks you simple, grounding habits keep you going. And I want to tell one more story. So one of my clients Ingrid had a really hard period recently. So usually she gains two to three kilos during that time because she feels bloated, tired, stressed. What about then this time, she said to me, I had an imperfect week, but I didn't lose control. I didn't gain like before, I stayed steady. And why? You might think that why that happened? Because even in the middle of her messy days, she kept one thing. She kept walking, so no huge workouts, not perfect food tracking, just movement. And because she stayed connected to that one habit, she didn't fall into that old all or all or nothing loop. And she stayed grounded, and now she's back on track again, faster and easier than ever before. So if I had to give you only one habit that protects you from the holiday holiday spiral, it is this. So pick one grounding habit that you can do even on the busiest, messiest and most chaotic day. So I want to give you examples like these examples, it was simply just the walking, but that there are some other ways. So obviously walking, or your amount of daily steps, is a very, very, very good amount or way of doing this. One grounding habit, aiming for, for example, 7000 steps, 8000 steps, 10,000 steps, whatever number you are aiming with that number doesn't basically matter. It's where you are, at the moment, eat or maintaining it, adding maybe 500,000 steps, and that is your one grounding habit. Other example could be protein at breakfast. You know that I'm talking about these things very much, but this is just a very, very simple habit, what you can keep because that is why and why it's breakfast. That is, for most people, that is where you have most control over what you are eating. So other one thing, other thing could be one big glass of water when you wake up. And this was now, actually last week with Ingrid, when we talked about these things, what is, what is one rounding habit for her is, at the moment, this one big, big glass of water after waking up because she was struggling to drink enough water. And that is, that is just a simple habit. What you are doing when you build that habit and of drinking water first thing in the morning that helps you so much more than you believe. And by the way, you might hear that I'm talking a lot of lot of these kind of habits. And it's, it's a great book I have read from James clear atomic habits. I think I have really three or four times, and it has, that is, if you are reader. You want to read a book, go to read that book. That is, that is, that has, I think it's one single book. What have impacted me most on the way of style I'm coaching, what I'm doing, how I talk and communicate with the clients, and how we are actually building these habits and how they are actually easiest to build. So these are, these are just just that an example from that book is, is just that adding these grounding habits for something what you are already doing. So you are waking up, you have your morning routine, adding that one extra grounding habit. It could be that having a protein, drinking a water. It could be 10 minute walk. It could be then next grounding Habit could be three deep breaths before eating, so focusing on breeding. And this is breathing exercise I earlier in my coaching career, I I was thinking that of this breeding is just some Hulu thing, what is? What is not actually that. I didn't believe it. But now we started to implement it with with Olympians, athletes who are preparing for Olympics as it's breathing it. It helps so much to start your recovery faster after workout, but also it gives you brings your stress down just and it's just very, very, very quick way to do it. And you get the clear mind. And through that breathing exercise, having a clear mind, calming you down, you might start to see patterns that you are making better decisions when it comes to food. And of course, if it's it's impacting also to your recovery, like for professional athletes. So other grounding Habit could be that no snacks eaten standing. So those are all things that you probably have heard that you are not eating while you are standing. You have to sit down every single time that there is a big no go eating over your sink, zinc and and these are like, very, very, very small things, but they are, they are such a powerful habits when you And most likely, if you are not, if you are new to this, you are still learning these things, but, and you will forget. But this is just it. This is like, like I said, this is not about all or nothing mindset. So the next example could be 10 minutes of stretching, lights out by 11 o'clock. It could be 1030 it could be 10 o'clock, whatever time you are aiming to go to sleep. So those are just the small grounding habits, and I don't want to it really doesn't matter which one you choose. It matters that you stick it even the worst days. So just pick one habit, and because that one habit that it keeps your identity connected to your goals, it reduces your guilt. It stops or reduces drastically, your emotional eating. It keeps your energy stable, and it prevents that mindset when you are telling yourself that I will fix this in January, I will start over when there is a new year when there is a January, and it keeps you in control, and one single, simple habit is enough to stop the spiral. So because most of the people, they are all or nothing thinkers, and like I said, I'm personally killed guilty of doing this also, and this sounds in real life. So if you recognize yourself with these sentences, what I'm what I'm going to tell you, this is definitely you. So if you are telling yourself that I already ate sweets today, the whole day is ruined. I didn't work out the week is ruined. It's holidays. I can enjoy myself little bit, and I will start again in January. So but here is something, what is very important, you will not ruin two months from one meal, but you can ruin two months from giving up. So people don't lose progress because of food. They lose progress because of quitting. So one cookie isn't the problem. Telling yourself you are a failure is the problem. So focusing on your one single crowning habit, and the guilt resets. So let me give you a clear, simple plan for this next 30 days. So step number one is that to choose your one crowning habit, habit. So pick only one thing you will do, even on the most chaotic days. And I repeat this examples. Obviously it could be your own example, but it could be X amount of steps. For example, 7000 steps, protein at breakfast, one big glass of water when you wake up, 10 minute walk, three deep breaths before eating, no snacks eaten standing, 10 minutes of stretching and lights out by 10pm 11pm whatever time you decide to work. So this is what you have to choose, choose one grounding habit you are you feel that you are able to do even in your most chaotic days. And step number two is tracking that your habit for next 30 days. So it's not about tracking your calories, it's not about perfection. It's just that one habit and and what is the goal? Goal is not to get 30 days done. What I like to call when you start to see actually progress is that you are able to do it 80% of days. So next month of calendar, when this is coming, end of episode is coming out, end of November, so until Christmas, if you get 24 days, that is from next 30 days, that is 80% consistency. And if you get that 28 days, you are doing your habit, what you promised to yourself. You are starting to feel in control. You are reducing that all or nothing, thinking, and you will see that all those things, what you have told to yourself in the past as an all or nothing thinker are going to drastically reduce so step number three would be then to celebrate those tiny wins. So you might think that this is it's not worth of it to what is it to worth of it to celebrate. But if you are able to do, for example, 10 minute walk on a stressful date day, that's a huge win, because otherwise, in a stressful days, you probably wouldn't do it. What about protein at breakfast when you didn't feel like it. It's a huge thing, and you have to step number four is to accept those messy days. You will have them and but remember that those days don't define you. And step number five is to do not compare yourself to your old self, because you are not the same person. You have a different routine, you have a different life, you have a different body. Build success for this version of you, and what I want you to remember from this episode, so you don't need a perfect holiday season. You only need one grounding habit that keeps you connected to your goals no matter what. And small actions done consistently beat perfect actions done randomly. So that's how my clients, Iris was winning. That's how Ingrid wins, and that's how you will win. So I hope this episode was helpful, and if this episode helped you, send it to a friend who usually falls into that all or nothing spiral every year, and if you want tools, plans or coaching to keep you steady this holiday season, you can always find everything at personaltrainer turo.com Take care, stay grounded, and remember you don't need perfect days. You just need one steady habit. habit.