Seasons Greetings Friend!

December is here and the pace always picks up fast. Schedules get crowded, expectations stack up, and it becomes way too easy to slip into survival mode. I see it every year with my clients and I feel it myself. The to do list grows while the things that support our energy often get pushed to the side.

This month is your reminder that you can care for yourself without adding more pressure. Small amounts of movement, mindful choices around food, and a little clarity about what actually matters can make the season feel lighter. These are the moments that help you stay grounded while everything else speeds up. You deserve to enjoy your own holiday, not just manage it for everyone else.

Movement: The Holiday Fit-ish Guide

Staying consistent with workouts during the holidays takes extra intention. I know your schedule is already packed, but your workouts should not be the first thing you drop. Put them on your calendar and protect that time. These sessions help keep you healthy, sane, and energetic when everything around you gets crazy. 

Instead of skipping.... adapt!  Shrink the session. Break it up. Slide it into the open corners of your day. Five to fifteen minutes of strength or mobility work can keep your body feeling strong enough to handle the season without adding stress. Treat these as movement anchors. A few sets of squats. A hinge pattern. A row. A short flow when your neck starts tightening from wrapping or cooking.

If you want short workouts already built for you, you can still sign up for the Fit-ish Festival today. This is the last day to get in for the month. You will get simple workouts, daily prompts, and the structure you need to stay consistent through December.

Nourishment: Practical Tips For Holiday Gatherings

Most holiday eating stress comes from feeling pulled between perfection and chaos. You want a plan that allows you to enjoy the delicious dishes of the season without feeling restricted or guilty.  A few Moderation 365 strategies can make parties feel much easier.

• Eat a real meal earlier so you are not walking in starving.
• Drink water before you go and keep hydrating throughout the event. Dehydration can feel like hunger and can make decision making harder.
• Add color to your plate first. Fiber and plants help with fullness and regulate energy.
• Choose the foods you genuinely enjoy instead of picking at everything out of pressure.
• Use portions to your advantage. Take a small amount of what looks good, enjoy it, then wait about twenty minutes. If you still want more, go back for it knowing the choice is intentional rather than impulsive.
• If you choose to drink, be thoughtful with alcohol so it supports the night instead of hijacking it. 
• Check in with how you want to feel when you leave. Aim for satisfied. Not stuffed. Not deprived.

You can enjoy your favorites while still supporting your energy and well-being this season.

Mindset: Choose presence over pressure

The holiday season comes with a heavy load of expectations. Everywhere you look there is a picture perfect version of the holidays. The magazine spread. The TV family with matching pajamas. The spotless kitchen and the perfectly wrapped gifts. It is easy to feel like you are supposed to create all of it while also keeping every tradition alive and keeping everyone else happy.

This pressure pulls you away from your own experience. You end up managing the season instead of living it, and it is very easy to look back in January and realize you barely enjoyed any of it. This is where a simple shift helps.

Start by noticing what actually matters to you and the people you love. Have a real conversation with your family about what they enjoy most during the holidays and what they could skip without missing a thing. Pay attention to the traditions that bring connection, ease, or joy and keep those. Then look at the tasks you take on only because they feel expected or because they match some polished holiday image you have seen in media. That is usually the work that drains you without giving anything meaningful back.

Let yourself choose what stays and what goes. Scale back the pieces that only create stress. Allow shortcuts. Allow simple. Allow space to breathe.

You deserve to be present in your own holiday, not just the person behind the scenes holding everything together. When you protect your time and energy, you create a season that feels real and enjoyable instead of performative.

As you move through the month, keep things simple and doable. Short workouts count. A little intention around food goes a long way. Protecting your time and energy gives you space to actually be present. None of this needs to look perfect to work for you.

I hope this newsletter gives you a few anchors to lean on as the season ramps up. And if you are joining the Fit ish Festival, I will be right there with you every day. When the holiday noise starts to creep in, come back to what feels real and authentic for you and your family. Let your values guide the decisions, not the picture perfect version of the holidays you see everywhere else.

Here is to a season that feels imperfectly perfect in all the right ways.