How to get shredded over the Holidays — Bergford Performance Systems

Thanksgiving and Christmas are a time when most people get together and merry themselves with jovial conversations, adult beverages, and a crap-ton of unhealthy food as they let themselves slide into oblivion.

And it’s fun, no doubt!

New Year’s Eve is similar in many ways, but usually involves A LOT more alcohol… Which means most people sleep in on January 1, and when they do wake up to the joyous fog of a hangover, get to start the new year off not with a bang, but with headache-ridden groaning instead.

So… If you want to use Thanksgiving and Christmas week as a kick-off to getting shredded, and go into the New Year with a clear-headed and vibrant running start, it stands to reason that all you have to do is the exact opposite of what the masses of people are doing.

The holidays, after all, can be a time of great enjoyment without devolving into a "Gluttony-off." And pretty much everywhere you look (assuming you have goals around better health and fitness) are examples of people doing exactly what it takes to get the opposite results you’re looking for.

That’s actually a great thing!

Instead of feeling pressured to go bananas over the holidays, just look around at the constant parade of behaviors that crush peoples' health and fitness, and be grateful. Let it remind you of what you are going to do instead: the opposite.

There's a Seinfeld episode where George decides he’s pretty much made a mess of his entire life. He concludes (rightly) that it’s a result of the decisions he’s made.

… And he’s had enough, damnit!

So, what does he do? He resolves that from here on out, he’s going to do the exact opposite of what he would normally do in every situation he encounters.

The results are profound, thought-provoking, and sure do shock the heck out of George. You can check out a priceless two-minute clip of the episode here: https://youtu.be/1Y_6fZGSOQI

So if the results you’ve been getting for yourself aren’t exactly the most "thrilling," what if you mixed things up and made some opposite – or at least opposite(ish) – decisions?

What if, for instance, instead of crushing a turkey leg, 10 slices of ham, a giant bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy, and chasing it all down with 5 cookies and 3 pieces of cherry pie with whipped cream at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you doubled your water intake at dinner and ate portions a third of the size?

And just for fun, what if, instead of fighting with your in-laws at dinner when they make a comment about politics that you think is a load of crap, you let it go and make a point to give them a hug and tell them how much you appreciate them later that evening.

"Whoa – easy there!" You might say…

But seriously – what’s it going to hurt if you take these last 9 days of the decade to experiment with some very different approaches? Wouldn’t it be cool to see what comes out of it?!

And I know that life isn’t always as simple as "doing the opposite." There is great value in getting strategic guidance from, say, a great coach (I know of a guy if you need a recommendation).

But often times, the simplest solutions to our problems have the most profound impact on our lives.

So, what do you have to lose?

Take the Do the Opposite challenge for the next 9 days and see what happens – you may just surprise yourself this holiday season, and go into 2020 with a very different perspective.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

- Brian Bergford