Planning for a Strong New Year

Howdy Warriors! The holiday season is in full swing. Depending on your background that may mean Thanksgiving celebrations, Christmas markets, Las Posadas processions, or Diwali community events. Regardless, this time of the year is for celebration. But celebrations usually end and oftentimes that means a reset. Again, for most of us that’s New Years so let’s chat about how to plan for a strong new year.

Often over the years on MMW, I have extolled the virtues of annual celebrations. With my focus on whole person wellness, I think it is important, scratch that, critical, to avoid associating these events with deprivation and lack of will power. We are much better served mentally and emotionally to view these for the social events that they are and the role they play in re-connecting us to family, friends, and communities.

There are challenges with that framing, though. There are the obvious challenges that mental health struggles can bring this time of the year. Or those who battle strained relationships. I’m not going to dive into those because I am not a therapist.

Framing these celebrations away from deprivation and motivation, while helpful, can sometimes allow the pendulum to swing too far the other direction. A hedonistic free for all where every single morsel is consumed and movement takes a complete vacation. We’ve all been there. And we return to normal on January 2^nd feeling sluggish, bloated, weak, and sore.

In all truth, I’ve noticed a direct relationship to how clients feel in early January with how they choose to approach the holiday season. Clients who feel the best (read: mentally and physically strong, emotionally stable, and socially recharged) plan and set boundaries. First and foremost, they already know or have a pretty decent idea about what they want to tackle in the new year. And second, they think about how to set themselves up for success.

Let’s break those down a bit and then we’ll move on to the boundaries. Having a decent idea of where you want to go six weeks from now, means you know where you are now. I’m going to be real with you: Those new years resolutions to lose weight? Most of my clients had that goal at Thanksgiving, too. What they choose to do during the ensuing six weeks determines if they go into their resolution resolutely or if they go in already partially defeated.

Which brings me to the second part about setting yourself up for success. That doesn’t mean not enjoying all the goodies on offer. It also doesn’t mean not skipping a single workout and showing up to your friend’s cookie decorating party in your sweaty gym fit. It means evaluating what is important for your enjoyment and for your goals.

Here is one of my personal examples. If we are at my parents for Thanksgiving, pie is a non-negotiable. My mom is an excellent baker and her apple pie is the stuff of legends. We also have a tradition of having pie for breakfast the Friday after Thanksgiving. I am not missing that; it is essential to my enjoyment of the holiday. But if I completely stuff myself and don’t move I’m going to feel awful, thus decreasing my enjoyment. We’ll take a break between the main meal and dessert to allow time to digest and there’s often a walk in there. I’ll also make time for more movement the day before and the day after. My long ramble is to make the point that I try to find the balance. Enjoy and focus on what I want, cut out what isn’t an absolute loud yes, and adjust when I can.

And that brings up boundaries. Contrary to popular belief, boundaries are not about other people or trying to summon up the motivation you need. Boundaries are about evaluating the situations you find yourself in and understanding what you need to stay focused, calm, and in control.

From a food perspective that can mean understanding that you can have brownies all year but your aunt’s sweet potato pie is a once-a-year event and choosing to focus your attention there. The messaging around holiday food is very all or nothing and we can choose not to buy into that. I don’t love mashed potatoes (don’t come at me), so if my stomach tells me I don’t have room, I’m prioritizing the aforementioned pie.

From a movement perspective we need to understand the unique scheduling demands of the holiday season. Accept that you aren’t going to hit every workout but also understand that doesn’t mean you are going to lose everything you’ve worked for either. Again, the all or none messaging hurts us. Paring back to two decent workouts a week for a few weeks will allow you to maintain both your gains and your sanity.

From a social or events perspective understand that time is one of your most valuable commodities. You owe yourself fun, joy, and recuperation time. Which means it’s okay to say no to things that don’t serve those needs. Or that it is okay to prioritize spending time with friends who may be in town for a short while over going to your second cousin’s daughter’s husband’s family cocoa party.

That’s ultimately my point here. You get to decide. All or nothing only exists so that the marketers can hype up fixes to sell us after the first of the year. You get to choose how you spend the next several weeks. And those choices will determine how you feel when the ball drops on 2025.

To that end, I want to say thank you for spending a bit of your time with me this year. I usually take a blogging break towards the end of December, but I have a few more behind the scenes things happening so this will be my last post for the year. Be safe, be kind, be well, and I will see you in 2026 Warrior!

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