How To Not Lose All Your Fitness Progress This Holiday Season

Author: Billy Storm

The Holidays can make or break your fitness goals. Physiologically and psychologically, a lot is going on. Everyone around you is eating and drinking in excess. And they expect you to do the same thing. Some may be offended you’re not eating a cake they baked. And some will simply be offended that you care about fitness more than they do. 

Even without the social pressure, there’s just so much good food around. And if you’re having a great time, you’re going to want to indulge. The good news is that there are ways to enjoy yourself (even in excess) that will still let you take care of your body and stay on track for the coming year. 

Here’s how to do it. 

1) Remember It’s Not All or Nothing 

There’s a well documented “What the hell” factor that happens in fitness and dieting. 

Here’s what happens. You’re on a roll, doing great with an eating plan. Then someone hands you a cookie and you impulsively eat it. It’s delicious, so you eat another one. Then another one. 

Then it hits you, “I totally screwed up my diet for today.” 

The truth is, you didn’t screw up. And definitely not “totally.” You went against your plan, but 3 cookies will not do that much damage. What actually creates the problem is the next thought: “Oh, what the hell…” in which you decide that the rest of the day doesn’t matter. Or the weekend. Or maybe even the week. You splurge and splurge. 

What was a 300 calories overspend is now a 3,000 calorie overspend. And while your mind may be processing this as a black and white decision (“Am I following my diet or not?”), your body and hormones are feeling extreme differences in the impact. 

During the holidays, it’s almost impossible to have any fun and stick to a strict diet completely. That’s why you have to constantly remember “it’s not all or nothing.” 

One slice of pie is different from two slices of pie. Two slices of pie is different from three. And half a pie is different from a whole pie. Same with glasses of champagne and workouts missed. 

No matter how far you’ve gotten off track, you can always minimize the impact and contain what you’re doing. 

This brings us to the next point.  

2) Indulge, Track, and Forgive 

This is another option. At first, one might think I’m going against the point above. 

Here, I’m actually encouraging you to indulge. Have as much pie as you want. Get drunk with your buddies… AS LONG AS YOU track all your intake and absolutely forgive yourself afterward. If you don’t have one yet, get the Cronometer app or MyFitnessPal, so you can start keeping a log. 

Here’s why this is important. 

If you’re tracking your calories, you stay mindful. You understand everything you eat and drink has consequences, and you decide it’s worth it for the celebration. 

That makes it an adult, honest decision. You’ll still enjoy it. And yes, you’ll probably eat and drink less, because you’re keeping an eye out. But that’s not even really the point. The point is that no matter what you eat or drink, you’re still in control. And that is the foundation of discipline. 

You also must commit to forgiving yourself. 

There can be a lot of shame after a splurge. And that shame can cause future splurges. This is because when someone is ashamed, they tend not to feel like they deserve good things. And that lack of deservedness leads to more bad choices. 

So count all the calories and track the foods. If you manage to have 8,000 calories for the day, that’s completely ok. You can decide to make different choices the next day. You didn’t hand yourself a blank check. You wrote out the exact amount, so all is accounted for. 

Your peers will most likely have the opposite attitude. Mindless indulgence, followed by a silent “This never happened.” 

It did happen. And that’s ok. And now you have a confidence around your eating that will take you so far in the coming year. 

3) Small Wins Count 

During the holidays a lot of people are traveling, or spending a lot of time with family. This often means that you can’t make it to the gym. In fact, there’s a good chance that on some days, the gym will be closed and it will be impossible to do your usual workout. 

But just like your eating, fitness isn’t black and white. It’s not all or nothing. 

A walk in the morning counts. Actually, it counts a lot, especially if you are loading up your stomach with a lot of food that day. 

A light workout with bands counts. Even 15 minutes is extremely helpful compared to 0 minutes. 

If you don’t have any bands, I suggest you get some right now. They can slip into any suitcase, taking almost no room, and give you the ability to do some resistance exercise anywhere. 

And if you have no equipment at all, you can always do some pushups, bodysquats, and situps. Again, even 15 minutes before you shower makes a difference. 

When you do all of this, you’re setting your body up for success, but you’re also strengthening your mind. 

You’re telling yourself that fitness is important to you. You’re telling yourself that you know how to have fun and pursue your goals at once. 

And you’re building an identity of power for yourself that will spread into every other goal you have. 

Make the holidays a nurturing, rejuvenating experience that takes you forward in life.