Eat, Drink, and Don't Overthink
A Practical Guide to a Guilt-Free Silly Season
Oh, Christmas! Such a crazy time full of festive fun and gorgeous foods often served with lashings of exhaustion and a side of guilt. It seems one thing that can be hard to maintain during the holidays is a sense of normality and more importantly balance.
Falling into an all or nothing mindset seems increasingly unavoidable the closer we get to Christmas between the social pressures, abundance of tasty foods, lack of time and those chocolates you seem to get offered everywhere you go but it doesn’t have to be this way. Here’s a little guide to navigating Christmas guilt-free and actually enjoying it.
1. Rest is Productive
In a world obsessed with productivity, rest is for the weak. There’s often a pressure to hustle continually harder, even during the holidays, but alas rest is not the enemy. Rest is actually productive.
Taking time to recharge whether that’s lounging on the sofa in your Christmas pyjamas watching movies and eating mince pies, finally putting your laptop down or taking long walks, is essential. Think of rest as the fuel your body and mind need to tackle everything else in life.
As a ‘possibly highly ADHD’, (as enlightened by many recent YouTube comments) rest avoidant workaholic I can attest first hand that rest is in fact not as scary as it seems and in fact is very helpful indeed.
So even if it taking some down time gives you the ick or you feel slightly guilty taking a few days (or weeks!) to slow down, then ‘don’t think, just do’. Rest doesn’t mean you’re failing; it means you’re human and you’ll come bouncing back bigger and better after a well deserved break.
2. Food Isn’t the Enemy
Let’s cover the big hitters early shall we… food! I don’t think you could go far wrong stating that food and drink is one of the pillar-stones of the festive season, and for good reason. Mince pies, roast dinners, mulled wine, cheese boards and my personal favourite, advent calendars. Christmas is elite tier when it comes to the food offerings but that’s often served with a big ol’ side of holiday guilt.
I know in the health and fitness world you often hear the phrase ‘food is fuel’. For sure thats true but let’s get real food is so much more than just fuel. It’s a chance to connect with others, it’s a celebration of culture and has so many emotional attachments.
We know rationally that a few meals or some extra drinks really isn’t going to derail months of work but it feels like every extra mouthful either goes straight to your stomach or sits on your shoulders with the weight of several rocks. What we really need to work on here is mindset, and while that could be it’s own blog post in its own right here are a few quick tips to get you started:
Shift Your Perspective
Food isn’t “good” or “bad.” It’s nourishment, connection, and part of enjoying life. Labelling food creates unnecessary guilt when you “break the rules.”
It’s one season, not your whole year. A few days of indulgence won’t undo your progress or change your health. What truly matters is consistency over time and remember, advent calendars aren’t a year round thing so monopolise of that magic now!
Practical Tips
Eat mindfully. Savour the flavours, eat slowly, and stop when you feel satisfied. This helps you enjoy food more and listen to your body.
Don’t “save up” for big meals. Skipping meals to “earn” a Christmas dinner leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortable. Stick to regular, balanced meals.
Balance indulgence with nourishment. Enjoy the cake and have some veggies. You don’t have to choose.
Food isn’t going anywhere. If you feel the urge to stuff yourself to a level of discomfort remind yourself the food will still be there in thirty minuted if you don’t eat it right now. It can be enjoyed at any time.
3. Self-Compassion Is Key
Would you criticise your best friend for taking a break or enjoying a big Christmas dinner? Of course not. So why have different rules for yourself? Self-compassion is about treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding you’d offer someone you love.
If you’re feeling guilty about anything this Christmas, pause for a moment and ask yourself: “Would I judge someone else for this?” Chances are, the answer is no.
If you overeat or feel out of control, remind yourself: It’s okay. I’m human. Avoid the urge to “compensate” with extreme exercise or restriction. Tomorrow just continue as you normally would and try your best not to dwell on what has been. Firstly, it doesn’t change any thing (cue one of my favourite quotes ‘no amount of guilt will change the past and no amount of anxiety will change the future, focus on now) and secondly, consistency is key and the bigger picture says that big changes happen from the small, sustained habits.
TLDR: Be kind to yourself, being mean will change nothing.
4. It’s a Short Season
It’s easy to feel like Christmas is going to derail everything, but let’s put it in perspective. December is one month out of twelve. That’s less than 10% of the year. Allow yourself to step back and see the bigger picture. A few extra slices of Christmas cake or skipping a workout (or five) won’t undo all your hard work.
Similarly to above your long-term habits and choices are what really matter. If anything short breaks can be beneficial. It allows your body to rest and gives you a chance to let your hair down and enjoy yourself. If worst comes to worst remind yourself that you don’t lose huge amounts of body fat in a few weeks, therefore you won’t gain massive amounts of body fat in a few weeks either.
5. Balance Over All-Or-Nothing Thinking
The "all-or-nothing" mindset can be so tempting around the holidays. It’s easy to think, "Well, I’ve already eaten one mince pie, so I might as well eat five more." Not to be a broken record, stuck on an annoying Christmas tune but balance and consistency is yet again where the magic happens. You can enjoy the holidays and stay mindful at the same time. It’s not an either/or situation.
Enjoy the treats you love, but don’t feel pressured to go all out if you don’t want to. Likewise, if you’re itching to get in a workout or move your body, go for it—but only because it feels good, not because you’re punishing yourself. There can sometimes feel like an age old rhetoric that if you are exercising or be mindful of your eating around these bigger events that you are ‘obsessive.’ Heck, we know that can be met with some sarcastic comments from family and friends sometimes. Now’s the time to realise these comments aren’t about you at all and the most important thing is being selfish in the best way possible and doing what makes you happy!
6. Focus on What Matters
Finally, remember what Christmas is really about. It’s not about how many workouts you log or how "clean" your diet is. For most, it’s about connection, joy, and making memories with the people you love or simply just having a bit of down time.
I’m also accutely aware that for many people it’s just simply another day. For years when living in Australia, I would work on Christmas day, never bother with decorations and couldn’t be bothered with the ‘Christmas cheer’ because it was just me alone and to be honest, I kinda loved it!
Whatever your thoughts of this crazy season, years from now, you won’t remember the one day you skipped a workout, or the extra calories you ate but you will remember the laughter, the food and the time spent with loved ones.
Christmas doesn’t have to come with guilt. This is a great time to practice a little self-compassion (something we could all use), perspective, and balance. You CAN navigate the season in a way that feels good for both your body and mind and how that looks is different for everyone. So ask yourself what would YOU like your days to look like and self indulge in that.
So here’s to enjoying the mince pies, taking the naps, and embracing the season for all it has to offer or simply gliding through with business as usual. No matter what I’ll catch you on the flip side!
Merry (belated) Christmas crew! ❤️
Merry Christmass and thank you for this reminder 🥰