How to {ACTUALLY} stay on track during the holidays 🍗🍷

Nov 1

In today’s post we’ll chat thru…

① What is this “WAGON” and WHY do we FALL OFF?
② Why does it MATTER to “get back on?”
③ How to {ACTUALLY} stay on track during the holidays.

LET’S DIVE IN. 🖤

Hey hey SISTERHOOD! Happy NOVEMBERRRRR!!! After last night I feel like we’ve OFFICIALLY crossed over into what people call “the holidays” and with that I wanted to create an episode that supports you in this season..bc I get it….you’re working towards goals and trying to stay consistent with routines, habits, and behaviors that support and serve your best self…and it can also be a chaotic time of year.

The holiday season can be a sneaky one. It’s the time of year I’ve seen women lay down their goals and healthy habits for the sake of “waiting” until a New Year and it breaks my heart every single time.

Your goals aren’t meant to be something you only set when a fresh year arrives…there are things YOU DESIRE right now…in this moment…that don’t need to wait.
Your best self isn’t a seasonal thing…she’s HERE, right now, WITH YOU…and she deserves to come out and play this holiday season.

So I wanna do “the holidays” a little different around here. I want this to be the kind of episode that you leave feeling refreshed and ready to take some action but also the kind of episode that puts some things in perspective for ya, too.

I also want to include a little caveat that “ON TRACK” means something different to every person listening in. My version of “on track” and your version and Sally’s version on the internet are all wildly unique bc WE are all wildly unique. I want you to listen to today’s episode with an ear that isn’t considering what you “should” be doing…but rather…what feels AUTHENTIC for YOU as you show up + live out your best days.

Ready?! Let’s dive in. 🖤🤟🏼

1. WHAT IS THIS “WAGON” AND WHY DO WE FALL OFF?

The phrase "falling off the wagon" is probably a phrase you’ve said before whenever you’ve lapsed in maintaining a specific behavior, habit, or commitment to yourself. Typically we say something like “I’ve fallen off the wagon” when it’s related to a goal or routine. The "wagon" isn’t a physical object, right, but rather symbolizes the path or journey associated with that behavior or goal.

The concept of "falling off the wagon" is often used when we talk about dieting, exercise, and other self-improvement efforts and it’s why I wanted to bring it into this space today. I feel like self care…growth…and our wellness journeys…they are this PATH we’ve placed ourselves on and from time to time (esp when life gets busy…and esp during the holiday season) we can find ourselves gravitating off the path we’ve laid for ourselves and I want to help you find a different way this season.

But first let’s talk about WHY we fall off in the first place. Bc here’s the deal…it’s NORMAL to fall out of alignment with our goals and routines. But WHY during the holidays does it tend to happen to us more?

If you’re nodding your head, relating…here’s WHY:

THE HOLIDAYS ARE A STRESSFUL TIME. Ya’ll we get this, right? The holiday season often comes with added stress bc we’re planning, shopping, cooking, and organizing family gatherings. This stress can lead to emotional eating (which is a very real thing) or a lack of time making it harder to stick to wellness routines.
PEOPLE EXPECT A LOT FROM US. Let’s be real…women are often expected to take on a significant role in organizing and preparing for holiday events. There is a MENTAL LOAD that women carry. It’s invisible and it’s uniquely female and it can be heavy. This added responsibility can often cause us to place ourselves on the back burner while we consider others.
FOOD AND HOLIDAYS GO HAND IN HAND. Many holiday traditions revolve around special, often indulgent, foods. I know in our family we have special cookies we make, drinks we enjoy, and hearty meals that make the table. It can be difficult to resist these foods or to find healthier alternatives that align with your wellness goals. And TBH…I don’t want you to go thru the holiday season and deprive yourself bc DIETS DON’T WORK. You’ll never hear me tell you that you can’t have something. I will, however, ask you if it’s WORTH IT. And yes…sometimes the pumpkin pie is worth it.
ROUTINE GOES OUT THE WINDOW. The disruption of regular routines during the holiday season can lead to a lack of consistency in exercise, sleep, and eating patterns. This can make it challenging to maintain wellness habits. Period. You have to FIGHT for your right…to keep your routine. Amen?
PEER PRESSURE IS REAL YA’LL. Yep in middle school…and yep…even today. Social gatherings and family events often involve food and drinks. And with that, you might feel a pressure to partake in the festivities, including consuming high-calorie, less-healthy options…esp if that’s how your friends or family “know you.”
THE HOLIDAYS DEPLETE US EMOTIONALLY: Real talk…the holidays can be emotionally taxing. Dealing with family dynamics…loneliness…past traumas…all of that may lead to emotional eating or other behaviors that deviate you from your best self choices and your wellness routines.
YOU DEEPLY DESIRE TO BE PERFECT. You might feel the pressure to have a "perfect" holiday season, which doesn’t just include the ugly christmas sweater parties, the decorations, the foods, the matching jammies, the presents, the wrapping paper, the church or spiritual services…it ALSO includes maintaining your wellness habits. I’m already exhausted FOR YOU sis. And this idea of having the “perfect” holidays can lead to added stress and frustration if the expectations you’ve placed on yourself aren’t met.

2. WHY DOES IT MATTER TO “GET BACK ON?”

But here’s the deal. I know I just shared a LOT of reasons why you might deviate off the path towards your goals. And I know I said to give yourself grace. But… you pressed play on this episode for a reason and you know I’m gonna push you. You don’t want your reasons to become excuses, right? You WANT to get back on track and live in alignment with the goals you’ve got. So it DOES matter that we get back on and it DOES matter that you don’t delay your dreams year after year waiting for “the holidays” to be over.

So let’s talk about why it matters to get back on track.

YOUR GOALS MATTER: When you set specific goals or intentions for yourself, you do so with the desire to improve yourself or your life in some way. THIS MATTERS. Falling off the wagon signifies a misalignment with those goals, which can create a sense of dissatisfaction or the need to regain focus and that’s just not a great feeling, right?
PROMISES MATTER: Committing to a particular behavior or habit involves making a PROMISE. And IDK about you, but if someone I knew kept breaking promises to me I’d lose a lot of trust + faith in them. The same thing happens when you routinely break promises to yourself. When that commitment is broken, there's often a strong internal drive to restore one's sense of integrity and self-discipline. AND the best part…when we keep promises to ourselves? That’s when CONFIDENCE can build.
PROGRESS JUST FEELS GOOD: When you can track your progress toward a goal or habit, it just FEELS GOOD to make strides in the direction of your desires. Falling off the wagon disrupts that progress so the quicker we can get back on track, the better we feel.
YOUR HEALTH SUFFERS WHEN YOU STOP SHOWING UP: Like we’re talking about today…many of the behaviors or habits associated with "the wagon" are related to health and well-being. When you feel blah…you want to do something about it fast to get back to feeling your healthiest.
AND CONSISTENCY ALSO FEELS REALLY FREAKING GOOD: Just like progress feels good…so does CONSISTENCY. The secret to fitness and health isn't just in what you do; it's in how consistently you do it. When we fall of the wagon for prolonged periods of time (like a whole season we like to call “the holidays)…it affects us, right? So the quicker we can get back into a routine that serves our best self, the better. I love to tell the women I work with that CONSISTENCY CREATES CONFIDENCE. Wanna build some confidence? Get consistent AF.

3. HOW DO YOU {actually} STAY ON TRACK DURING “THE HOLIDAYS,” THOUGH?

Two ways. And I want both of these to be the kinds of things that SINK IN DEEP vs giving you shallow tips like “meal plan on Sunday.” Girl I know you know how to do that and the benefits. Today I want to give you something DEEPER to consider so that you ACTUALLY stay focused + intentional this holiday season with what matters MOST to you.

So first…

BE REAL ABOUT WHAT “THE HOLIDAYS” REALLY ARE.

Friends. I’ve been putting “the holidays” in air quotes this entire time for a REASON. It’s because “the holidays” are not this three or four month period. I mean sure…there’s a vibe you’re gonna see in Target from September thru December…but the holidays aren’t four months. They are four days.

Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Years Eve

Shoot…I’ll even give you Black Friday and Christmas Eve and that’s STILL less than a full week.

Isn’t that wild? The thing we call an entire QUARTER of the year is truly LESS than a week.

And hear my heart. I know Black Friday isn’t a holiday but I’m counting it bc it’s a day we usually spend away from work and surrounding by family and extra foods. And I know we don’t all celebrate the same holidays nor would your list look like mine. It’s not about the actual days or what we do and do not celebrate…my heart is to show you that we’ve turned a few days into an excuse to lay down the routines, habits, and behaviors that support our highest self and I’m challenging you if that’s serving you anymore. For me…I realized I could MAINTAIN a level of growth even in what others would consider the busiest, most stressful time of year. And I know you can, too.

Yes life picks up during that time and you might travel more…spend more time shopping or in the stores…cook bigger meals…see more people and attend more parties. I get that. But that’s where we make MEMORIES. So enjoy those moments without feeling OBLIGATED to be there. Everything you do or don’t do in the next few months is a freaking CHOICE. So own your choices sis.

This is where Spicy Britt is gonna come out and coach you:

You can set realistic goals for yourself vs an all or nothing mentality.
You can meal plan healthy choices between the parties vs throwing in the towel and submitting to all the latest seasonal junk food trends.
You can bring a healthy dish to a party vs using the party food as an excuse.
You can move your body in meaningful ways and place it as a priority on your calendar vs allowing everyone else to dictate your day.
You can stay hydrated by always having a bottle with you on the go vs leaving that up to chance.
You can be mindful with the foods you bring into your home and what you say yes to vs indulging at every turn.

The biggest thing here is you’ve got to KNOW what matters to you. Understand how you FEEL when you show up vs when you don’t. And then be DISCIPLINED enough to advocate for YOU vs following the crowd. Bc I’ll always remind you in this space that the crowd is overweight, overworked, stressed the freak out…and surviving thru life vs THRIVING. You don’t want to be like the rest of ‘em, right? So it means sometimes choosing different and that’s OKAY.

Alright. Now the second idea is a little mantra I want you to hold tight to this holiday season. Ready for it?

NEVER. MISS. TWICE.

This is a phrase I would ingrain into the women I worked with when I was a health coach “NEVER MISS TWICE” because it WORKS to help snap you out of the day to day and snap you BACK INTO the moment.

The principle of "never miss twice" is a powerful concept in goal setting, habit formation, and routine maintenance because it’s not the FIRST TIME you miss that it becomes a problem. It’s actually in the REPETITION of the MISSING that we build a habit of NOT showing up. Think about that. So I would coach them…”miss once, sure…life happens. But never miss twice.”

Here’s a few reasons why this little mantra will {actually} help you stay on track over the holiday season:

IT HELPS YOU MAINTAIN MOMENTUM. Missing once is NORMAL and it could happen due to unexpected circumstances (aka LIFE)…a lapse in motivation…or shoot you might just need a rest day or a good ol’ fashioned trip to In and Out, right? Life is not RIGID. But…allowing this to turn into a PATTERN can lead to a significant loss of momentum. The "never miss twice" rule ensures that you get back on track quickly, preventing a small setback from becoming a major road block down the road.
IT HELPS YOU TALK YOURSELF OUT OF MISSING AGAIN. When you miss once, let’s be real… it becomes easier to rationalize + talk yourself out of missing the next one. This snowball effect can lead to a complete breakdown of your routine or goal. By committing to "never miss twice," you interrupt this pattern before it can grow bigger.
IT BUILDS YOU UP. Resilience. Character. The kind of woman who does what she says she’s gonna do. THIS IS YOU when you get back up after you fall down. And those are the critical traits that MATTER when pursuing a goal. It’s the GOOD STUFF you BUILD while on journey to the goal. The ability to bounce back from setbacks and continue working toward your objective is everything ya’ll. "Never miss twice" encourages you to develop this resilience + grit by treating the first miss as an exception, not a rule.

Friends. Like I started off saying…the holiday season can be sneaky one. But it’s ONLY sneaking if you’re not paying attention. We KNOW that there are decorations to put up, parties to attend, gifts to buy, memories to make, places to travel. We know this…yet we tend to feel like it’s a surprise each year causing us to be so “busy” that we forget to live a life ON + FOR a purpose.

I hope today’s episode helps put some things into perspective.

First. That you will “fall off” your wagon…your path…from time to time. This is normal and it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you OR that the goal isn’t for you. It just means you gotta remember what’s going on underneath all that and make choices to get back on track. Because second. It matters. You. Getting back on track to those goals on your heart? It freaking matters. The goals. The progress. The consistency. Who you’re becoming along the way. It matters because truly…that’s the sum of your life. Moving from one goal to the next, right? So make it matter to you. But last…don’t forget that the holidays are literally a handful of DAYS out of one full year. Not a few months. Live life intentionally in between those moments. Take ownership of your calendar and what gets your YES. And then make sure that when you fall off…bc you will…that you don’t beat yourself up over it…but you simply remember to NEVER MISS TWICE. Dust yourself off and get back on that freaking wagon.

I’m rooting for you. I believe in you. And I can’t wait to hear how this episode is speaking to you in your life and your journey. Til next week…get out there and take care of YOU so that you can love and serve others this holiday season from that overflow. 🖤

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