Enjoy Christmas AND Feel Great – Your December Game Plan

December is here, and with it comes the festive whirlwind of food, social events, late nights, and endless to-do lists.

For many women I coach, this month tends to swing one of two ways:

➡️ You feel rushed, stressed, exhausted, and start January feeling heavy, bloated, and frustrated.

Or…

➡️ You enjoy Christmas, eat delicious food, make memories, and still feel strong, energised, and proud going into January.

The difference between these two experiences isn’t motivation, willpower, or trying to be perfect.
It’s your strategy, your mindset, and your identity – especially in a month that challenges healthy habits.

This is your simple, realistic, healthy December plan that lets you enjoy Christmas and still feel great.

For a podcast version of this blog, check out episode #267 here:

The Real Problem That Trips People Up in December

When December arrives, many people mentally check out of their healthy habits.

Common thoughts that can occur:

• “I’ll start again in January.”

• “There’s no point trying this month.”

• “I’ve got too much on.”

• “I just want to enjoy myself.”

But enjoyment and looking after yourself are not opposites.
You can absolutely enjoy Christmas and keep on track for your goals in December.

The real problem?
All-or-nothing thinking.

You don’t gain weight in December because of Christmas Day.
And a few festive meals won’t derail your health goals if you stay intentional and consistent around them.

The challenge is everything that happens in between:
the tiredness, stress, rushing around, mindless eating, lack of routine, and missing out on movement.

When you believe you “should” be hitting 10k steps every day, nailing your calorie target without fail, and doing long workouts – and you can’t – you feel guilty.
And guilt easily leads to loss of motivation, self sabotage, and giving up all together.

But when you shift to a plan that doesn’t require perfection, your whole month feels different.
You feel better throughout December and start January in a much stronger, healthier place.

Identity-Based Habits That Keep You Feeling Good in December

Most people aren’t aware of this…

But your identity – how you see yourself – is the most powerful tool for finding balance and feeling great throughout Christmas.

“Trying to be good,” doesn’t tend to lead to success.

But aiming to speak to yourself (and about yourself) as if you are the type of person who naturally makes balanced choices, does.

Here are some examples of identity statements you could say to yourself:

✔️ “I make balanced choices most of the time.”
✔️ “I have one plate and enjoy it fully.”
✔️ “I walk daily because movement feels good.”
✔️ “I do short workouts when busy – something always beats nothing.”
✔️ “I get back on track quickly after social events.”
✔️ “One day never becomes a week.”

Using these statements gets you focused on doable helpful actions you can take.

And this enables you to build evidence that you are the type of person who can find balance, and stay on track to reach her goals.

Questions That Guide Better Choices

So often we ask ourselves unhelpful questions like “Why is this so hard?” or “Why can’t I do this?”

This gets our brain naturally thinking about all the reasons why it feels so hard and we think we can’t do it, which saps our motivation and belief and keeps us stuck.

On the other hand, helpful questions get our brain thinking about beneficial actions we could be taking, and makes us far more likely to take them.

Questions you could ask yourself:

• What would a healthy person do today?
• What would the version of me who feels amazing in January choose right now?
• What would my future self thank me for?
• How do I want to feel this month – and what habits support that feeling?

Often we want to feel “in control” and “motivated”, but our default thoughts make staying on track harder:

• “I shouldn’t have that.”

• “Everyone else is having it – I’m missing out.”

• “I have no willpower.”

Instead, practise thoughts that support your goals:

• “I can get this food any time.”

• “It looks amazing but too much won’t make me feel great.”

• “I want to go to bed feeling proud.”

• “I’m here to enjoy the people – that matters most.”

• “I can have anything, so I’ll eat slowly and leave what isn’t worth it.”

• “I love how I feel when I make choices aligned with my goals.”

These thoughts make healthy habits during December far easier.

Small Actions That Build Your Healthy Identity

These quick wins prove to yourself that you are the type of person who looks after her body:

• A 10-minute home workout

• Preparing tomorrow’s breakfast

• Eating a high-protein breakfast

• Drinking water regularly

• Eating a nutritious meal before parties

• Adding veggies to dinner

• Eating treats slowly and mindfully

• Taking a few deep breaths before eating to make it a slow and mindful experience

• A 15-minute walk

• Writing down daily wins

• Going to bed early

Tiny habits create your identity.
Identity drives your actions.
Actions create your results.

Simple December Rules That Actually Work

Here’s where we get practical. These principles make it easy to eat well, stay healthy, and feel good at Christmas.

⭐ 1. One Plate at the Buffet

• Choose whatever you want, but aim for one plate

• Take small portions of the best-looking foods

• Eat slowly, savour each bite

• Stand away from the food table

• Give yourself permission to go back – but drink water and wait 15 minutes first

• Eating with your non-dominant hand helps slow things down

This is one of the best strategies for mindful eating at Christmas.

⭐ 2. Prioritise Protein + Colours

For regular meals, aim for protein plus fruit or veg.

Benefits:

• Keeps you full longer

• Reduces cravings

• Supports muscle and metabolism

• Provides anti-inflammatory nutrients

• Helps balance blood sugar

• Prevents mindless snacking

This is one of the simplest healthy eating strategies for December.

⭐ 3. Walk Daily – However Much You Can

Movement is your festive superpower.

• Walk on lunch breaks

• Take stairs

• Dance in the kitchen

• Walk on Christmas Day / Boxing Day

• Do short strength sessions

• Try “exercise snacks” (e.g. 10 reps of squats or worktop push ups anytime you boil the kettle or have 1 minute spare)

Why it matters:
Working muscles use blood sugar, which helps reduce fat storage and boosts energy.

Remember:
Consistency beats perfection.

And frequency beats intensity.

It’s much better to do regular short bouts of walking or strength training than it is to do just one big session of either, then struggle to fit anything else in.

And it’s much better to know this, and choose to do short regular sessions that positively impact your mood, joints, muscles, calorie burn and metabolic health, than it is to spend the week feeling stressed you can’t do a big workout, missing lots of opportunities for little ones, and therefore not really doing anything at all.

⭐ 4. Drink Water Before Alcohol

This supports:

• Better sleep

• Fewer cravings

• Easier appetite control

• Lower calorie intake

• A much better next day

⭐ 5. Plan for the Day After Social Events

This is a game changer.

On the day itself, before the event, focus on getting:

• protein

• fruit

• vegetables

Then plan something easy and nutritious for the next morning, that you know you can do even if not feeling great. Examples could be:

• Overnight oats

• Yogurt, berries and granola

• Eggs and avocado on toast

• Protein smoothie

Pre-deciding prevents the common “fry-up → snacks → sugar → tired → repeat” spiral.

Enjoy the event fully.
Have easy healthy meals around it.
Keep it to one chunk of one day, not a domino effect.

⭐ 6. Something Always Beats Nothing

If you’re too busy to get all your healthy habits done, just do something:

• 10-minute workout

• Quick walk

• Strength snacks

• Stretching

• A nourishing meal

These micro-wins still count. They keep the momentum going and add up over time.

Don’t dismiss them – do what you can, feel proud of that, and you’ll find it far easier to keep going.

⭐ 7. Enjoy This Month – Without Guilt

Your 85-year-old self wants you to:

• make memories

• be in the photos

• enjoy food without obsession

• choose what’s worth it

• be kind to yourself

Guilt doesn’t help you stay healthy. It shuts down the part of your brain that could learn something useful for next time.

Remember:

You either win or you learn.
But if you feel guilty and beat yourself up, you do neither.

Look for:

• what went well

• what you can do differently next time

• the next great choice

The moment you make a supportive choice, you’re back on track.

Why December Is One of the BEST Times to Start Coaching

Most women wait for January – and repeat the same cycle:

Motivated → too strict → burnout → give up → frustration.

But December is actually the most powerful time to start.

Because:

✔️ You learn to stay consistent when life is busy
✔️ You get a personalised plan that works with real life
✔️ You enter January already ahead
✔️ You build confidence and momentum

Starting now means:

• You stop the December spiral

• You feel supported instead of overwhelmed

• You have structure and accountability

• You build the identity you want for 2026

My clients consistently find that having coaching in December makes a huge difference, because they finally experience enjoying Christmas and taking care of their health at the same time.

Final Thoughts – Your December Game Plan

To stay healthy this December, you don’t need perfection.

You need:

• a doable plan

• simple habits

• small choices that add up

• a clear identity to step into

If this feels overwhelming, or you know you’d thrive with support, structure, accountability, and someone in your corner, this is exactly what coaching can help with.

And if you want to feel strong, confident, and proud going into the New Year…

My 1:1 Online Coaching will help you build a happier relationship with food while losing weight in a way that empowers you to keep it off for good.

You can find more about having me on your team here:

Online Weight Loss Coaching with Hayley