During the holiday period many of us take a more relaxed approach to our dieting. Focusing on training and nutrition is a huge task when combined with all of the catching up with friends and family. The odd slice of pumpkin pie may have squeezed its way into your macros like an ugly stepsister trying on Cinderella's glass slipper.

Enjoying ourselves and occasionally indulging is what life's all about. However, the festive season has officially drawn to a close for yet another year and it’s time to start redirecting our focus back to reality. Work, training, nutrition and routine. The other parts of life.

For some, the idea of getting back into a routine can’t come fast enough. For others, facing reality and getting back into the swing of hitting macro targets and grinding at the gym is met with avoidance. Let’s have a heart-to-heart and get 2017 started on the right foot!

Tough Self Talk

Let's start with some tough self-love. No one can force you to do anything. You must remind yourself that the commitments you made last year are still important this year. Don’t approach summer and realize that you let last year's festivities distract you from making 2017 your best year yet!

Clean out the Kitchen

If treats and leftovers from family gatherings are still lingering in your fridge, do a clean out. If the food doesn’t match your goals and is going to tempt you, don’t be afraid to throw it away.

Your body won’t mourn the sugar crash from Aunt Sue’s gingerbread cookies after you throw them in the trash. I promise.

Don’t Move Too Fast

Just because you’re trying to get back to reality and you’ve cleaned out your fridge doesn’t mean you can’t reminisce at all. You may have thrown out the pecan pie and bags of candy, but that cinnamon spice shaker and leftover turkey meat can fit your macros and help make your exit from the holidays less abrupt.

Store food away or freeze it down. Plan ahead and work small portions of it into your weekly routine. You don’t need to eat it all right now!

Start Planning

Even if you're not a planner, mapping out your first week back to reality in detail makes the transition a lot smoother.

Plan your meals for the week and write a grocery list. Then schedule the days you will be working out and what your training program will be.

Now it will be like the holidays were 6 months ago and the following days will flow automatically.

Start Small and Start Today

It’s great to have big plans for 2017 but focusing only on the end result is overwhelming and a recipe for procrastination. The key is not to rely on willpower and pure grit to get the job done, but to start small and start today. Write down your ultimate goal:

“I’m going to lose 10 lbs. this year and add 10 lbs. to my snatch!”

Now list the individual tasks that need to be done to reach that goal. Focus on the small steps you need to take each hour, day, week and month to achieve it. Start small and try this:

“In the next hour I will drink 20 oz. of water.”

“Twice a week I will stretch for 20 minutes.”

“This week I will prep my meals so that I reach my macros.”

“This month I will be in bed by 10pm.”

With time, momentum will build. Your small goals will get bigger, become easier to achieve and you’ll develop the right habits to ultimately accomplish anything!

By giving yourself a small goal to achieve each week, starting today, you’ll be motivated to focus on the now and look forward to the future.

We absolutely want to hear how YOU’RE getting 2017 off to a running start. Please use the #WAGgoals hashtag to share your goals and what you’re doing to make sure you reach them!