By Kevin Hirose – BHK, CSCS

I’m going to keep this brief and to the point.  December is a busy month: the shopping, the planning, the dinners, the parties, etc.  So inevitably your workouts and training may suffer or even become non-existent because of the lack of time and energy.  Some people actually feel guilty and become stressed when they cannot exercise as much as they normally do.  My advice is don’t beat yourself up over it; it’s not worth it!

There are just certain times of the year that it is just not possible to maintain the normal workout schedule and if you come to except that, it will be much easier to manage.  Actually, intense exercise during times of extreme busyness and stress will only produce more stress and hormonal changes such as increased Cortisol levels.  Cortisol is produced during times of heavy stress, including during intense physical activity.  One of the things it can do is induce the body into a catabolic state which, in layman’s terms, means a state where muscle tissue is broken down.  Obviously, we don’t want too much of that.

So this holiday season, relax and do not be too harsh on yourself if you don’t workout as often as usual and simply get back on track in the New Year.  Just think of it this way – you can’t always do everything you want all the time because life gets in the way.  Just like you, I might not be able to train as much as I would like in the next month and I’ll probably not eat the healthiest but that’s alright because life is too short to not enjoy.  I’m going to enjoy my holidays by not putting too much pressure on myself and I’ve started by keeping this entry short!

Happy Holidays!!