Sustaining Progress During the Holidays
“I’m freaking back people and we’re coming back firing hot rods right into your coffee this December 1st morning. First newsletter as a new dad, here we gooo:”
The holiday season is here, and with it comes travel, family time, extra social events, and a whole lot of great food we hope. This time of year can feel chaotic and inconsistent and many including myself have seen their fitness routines slide off track. To an extent, that is okay! We don’t need to be perfect during the most wonderful time of the year! In my own experience when I have seen people try to be perfect they almost always crash and burn and spiral into the abyss. I want to avoid that at all costs so let’s go over a plan of action for the upcoming month.
Give Yourself Permission to Enjoy the Holidays
I encourage you to have fun! I always do but now especially.
If you’re constantly policing every bite, every drink, every party, you’ll mentally burn out and that is what causes people to go to the gym for a week straight in January and then fall off the cliff yet again. The goal isn’t flawless discipline. The goal is balance.
Enjoy the foods you love. Be present with your friends and family. Take the pressure off.
At the same time, be honest with yourself. Some people can loosen up and jump right back in. Others need more structure to feel good. You know yourself better than I do. Choose the level of flexibility that supports you.
Stick With Your Habits
One thing about December is it’ll challenge your daily/weekly routine. You may be traveling or seeing family on days that you are normally supposed to workout or meal prep. It’s gonna happen and that’s great. What I don’t want to happen is for you to completely lose track of your routine so that when this month is over it’s an absolute burden to break in the same habits once again. We want to continue some of our habits to make the transition back easier for us.
Here’s what I recommend:
Get at least 50% of your workouts in per week. Do more if you can/want to but doing 50% will keep the habit alive.
Keep protein high. This keeps your hunger under control and protects your muscle.
Keep walking. It helps digestion, lowers stress, and burns a higher fat % than most exercise.
Sleep as best you can. Travel and events throw this off so control it when you can.
Even a “reduced version” of your routine is still a routine.
That consistency is what keeps your momentum alive.
If You’re Traveling or on Vacation… Enjoy It
Go on the trip. Eat the food. Have the drinks. Sleep in. Relax.
Just know this: the gym will be waiting for you when you get back. You won’t lose all your progress. You won’t lose all your strength. Your body is more resilient than you think.
The key is going into vacation with a realistic mindset:
“I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll be ready to hit it hard again once I’m home.”
Setting that expectation upfront makes the transition back much easier.
Shift Your Mindset to the Long Game
Thinking long term, we need breaks in our training. It’s better for our mental health in addition to being beneficial for the long term progression of our training. Escape the near-sighted mindset of “I’m going to gain weight this week.” or “It’s going to suck to get back into it.”
We are training for the rest of our lives! The holidays are canon events in our lives, don’t let some short-sighted BS affect that. Breaks are part of sustainable progress. A long-term mindset keeps you level-headed and consistent instead of fear driven
In a lifestyle that spans decades, a few days of holiday meals aren’t even a blip.
And If Fat Loss Is Still Your Goal…
Some of you want to keep cutting through the holidays and thats great, but be smart about it.
Here’s what actually matters:
Stay in a caloric deficit overall, even if some days are higher.
Keep protein high (this is non-negotiable).
Prioritize weight training when possible to preserve muscle.
Don’t starve yourself to “make up” for big meals. That always backfires.
Consistency over perfection.
Awareness without obsession.
That’s how you make fat loss sustainable, even during the most tempting time of year.
The Bottom Line
You’re not trying to win the holidays.
Enjoy them in a way that supports your long-term goals and your mental health.
So enjoy yourself.
Stick with your habits at whatever level is realistic.
And when January hits, you’ll be ready to turn it up again.
See you in the gym, let’s finish the year strong.
