Jan 23, 20223 min read

Stay Festive, Merry, and Well - Holiday Season Wellness Tips!

Updated: Apr 11, 2023

Nyla Fuller is an internationally published Canadian model, national fitness competitor and business professional based in Calgary, Alberta.

With festivities, holidays and new year’s resolutions nearing, we find ourselves looking forward to hosting, socializing and enjoying seasonal foods and drinks! If the idea of your fitness routine wanes at the first thought of pound cake and turkey dinner, keep reading. The following tips will help you navigate the hustle while remaining mindful of personal wellness and fitness goals.

Make time for yourself – end of year festivities demand energy and time and can result in us feeling pulled in many directions. Make a point to schedule self-care activities for yourself and avoid overcommitting. Identify activities that calm and ground you and do something for yourself each day. Perhaps reading each morning, walking the dog, journaling, having a midday nap or clearing emails for half an hour will help you feel more organized. For me, I feel best when I exercise before my day begins - an outdoor jog and fresh air works great when a gym is not available.

All things in moderation - rather than strive for perfect compliance on a diet or exercise routine, try the “80/20 rule”. For example, when travelling or on vacation, I eat healthy as per my usual routine 80% of the time and enjoy the other 20% guilt free. It can be more effective to achieve 80% of your goals each day versus than 0% some days and 100% others. Building consistency in actions is easier for the body to respond to and avoids yo-yo dieting. Long-term, a fitness routine that will last needs to be slightly flexible to accommodate circumstances.

Know your stressors – with things to remember, shopping to do, line ups at the grocery store, travel delays, family visits or any other assortment of circumstances, a person can easily feel drained or anxious. By identifying your stress points, are you able to share tasks with others, or ask for help with responsibilities to give yourself a break? Is there anything you can prepare ahead of time so that timelines are less tight?

Add activities that get moving – to counterbalance holiday dinners and treats, I try spending time with friends and family actively. Coffee walks, hiking, jogging, cooking, shopping, going to the spa or visiting tourist attractions help us keep calories burning while catching up and making memories.

Enlist an accountability partner – holding fitness goals is great… until life happens. Your flight runs late, or your morning alarm feels earlier than expected and you would rather stay in bed. Buddying up with a friend or relative who also has similar goals through the holidays is a great checkpoint – I feel less likely to cancel my gym session if I know someone is counting on me to show up.

Set bite-sized goals – are you considering new year’s fitness or health resolutions? A key part of achieving large goals is breaking them down into smaller checkpoints. As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a lifestyle. Fitness is a practice of choosing healthy habits, options and mentalities consistently over a longer time frame – and building habits takes time. Focus on gradual progress. For example, if you wish to eat healthier, try reducing eating out from three times per week to one, or try planning healthy home cooked dinners more often than you do now. Perhaps grocery planning or carving out time to be able to cook is the first step. Wherever you are at, taking one step forward is still progress!

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Celebrate small wins – all big accomplishments are the sum of many small pieces. Regardless of where you are in your health or fitness journey, achieving any milestone is still progress and deserves to be celebrated! Sometimes rewarding myself with a new gym outfit or relaxing massage for an accomplishment does wonders for motivation and a mental boost.

Be patient with and kind to yourself – everyone experiences setbacks and stumbles, including the most seasoned and dedicated fitness gurus. The key to handling a setback is to recognize it as such and recover immediately. Beating yourself up for something that has already happened will not change anything. Simply shift energy back towards your goals!