The holidays are magical — but they can also be a minefield for your health and wellness routines. There’s travel, hosting, late nights, extra sugar, fewer workouts, and that sad little lie we tell ourselves that we’ll “just start again in January.”

But here’s the truth I remind myself every year: You don’t have to choose between enjoying the holidays and caring for your health. One day of indulgence isn’t going to derail your health. You can do both — with ease, compassion, and a few simple strategies that work with your midlife body, not against it.

Here’s how to not let sabotage win.

🎄 1. Trade All-or-Nothing Thinking for “Minimums”

Our human bodies thrive on consistency, not perfection, and that’s absolutely the case for women 40+. Best-selling author James Clear has a quote I love: “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” I recommend setting your minimums to ensure you don’t compromise on your long-term goals. Determine the absolute minimum you can do, without compromise. It’s important to set your minimum because that’s your promise to yourself that you will manage to get that in, every day, no fail.

Anything above that is amazing — especially during the stressful holiday season. If you’re able to continue to hit the gym, lift weights, do pilates or yoga, lean into protein-forward meals: amazing. You’re building resiliency and discipline. As long as you have a minimum, so that if you aren’t able to deliver on your promise to yourself, you at least hit your minimum, you’re still progressing forward. 

My minimum is 15 minutes of stretching / yoga; walking my dog for 15 minutes, 3x / day; and having a 50g protein-forward breakfast. That’s it. There are days I easily surpass my goals, but there are also days where it’s all I can do to hit my minimums before collapsing into bed. Given all the stressors at this time of year, instead of skipping your wellness routines because you can’t do them fully, choose your minimum daily fitness routine. Some examples can include:

• 20 minutes of movement - weightlifting, stability work, yoga: they all count!
• Prioritize protein with each meal, so you’re controlling blood sugar and fueling smartly;
• A quick walk after meals;
• A hydration goal;
• A 10-minute grounding or meditation practice;

These small, steady anchors keep your metabolism, hormones, and mood stable — even during the busiest weeks.

🍽️ 2. Create a “Holiday Plate Formula” That Supports Your Goals

The holidays can be a time for indulgence. Rather than stressing about what you shouldn’t eat, focus on adding structure. Nothing’s off limits, but I always do two things at every meal: 1) I secure the protein on my plate first; and 2) I eat 1-2 handfuls of veggies or fruit with every meal, to ensure I’m getting my daily fiber in. This looks like:

• 1–2 palm-sized portions of protein
• A big handful of colorful veggies
• A crisp apple or other fruit

Why: when you prioritize protein and fiber, your blood sugar stays steadier, your cravings stay calmer, and your energy stays higher. Plus, you fill up on healthy options and fiber-rich veggies first, which satiate your hunger cravings, so when you do indulge? Your indulgences are smaller.

 A delicious Crudité plate!

(Pro tip: Headed to a Holiday party? Eat a sizable, protein-forward snack right before leaving. You’ll show up present — not ravenous, and won’t be so quick to cave to sweets and foods you don’t really want to eat. Also: I’m very well known for bringing a Crudité plate to parties. The host always appreciates it and it’s there for the guests as much as it is for me!)

🧠 3. Protect Your Nervous System

Here’s a secret no one talks about: Most “holiday” discomfort is actually nervous system overload. We all suffer from FOMO and at this time of year, there's a tendency to schedule too many events, social gatherings, travel and more chaos. All that cues changes in routine, less sleep, more stress and sliding back into old patterns that sabotage new goals.

But you can support your nervous system with simple practices like:

• 10 minutes of intention and mediation. By focusing on the version of you you want to become, you’re more likely to honor that version and help support her goals and dreams.
• Canceling plans. Well into my 6th decade, I relish JOMO (=joy of missing out) and acknowledging that while I certainly love to see friends & family, my physical and mental health always come first. Please note that there’s no fast rule that you must see friends during the holiday season. Those who truly love you can accept that you might need to push plans to January, when the pace is slower and there’s less pressure. They might enjoy the time off, too. And for those who don't? Well, we've learned something important now, haven't we? 

An indulgent self-care session with magnesium bath salts

• A hot bath with magnesium salts. Self care moments like this are so grounding and healing for our nervous systems. Doing this right before bed ensures your body will cool down, allowing you to drift off to sleep blissfully.
• A 5-minute stretching ritual. I’m such a fan of stretching! I have a morning stretch routine and an evening one that ensures I move my body and move out stagnant lymph fluid. The end result: less puffiness, less stiffness and more mobility and joint ease, and I drift off to sleep - and wake up with zero aches and pains.

A regulated nervous system makes better choices naturally. You don’t have to “force discipline” — you just feel more grounded.

💪 4. Maintain Your Muscle Through the Chaos

If you’re over 40, you know by now that muscle is your metabolic superpower, and it’s how you’re going to maintain staying strong and lean. This season, prioritize maintenance and keeping the muscle you’ve built, not trying to hit PRs or getting in the perfect workout. That way, if you slip and miss a day (and you might!), you’re still making progress, not falling behind.

Here’s what I’m doing to hold onto my gains this holiday season:

• Two strength sessions per week (20–30 minutes counts!)
• Creatine and collagen daily — both of these matter deeply in midlife!
• Prioritizing protein at every meal
• Gentle movement on days you don’t train (think: walks!)

Back squatting to preserve what I have 💪

Muscle preservation = better blood sugar, better energy, better sleep and less weight gain through the season.

⏱️ 5. Keep a Simple Ritual That Reminds You Who You Are

The holidays can pull you into everyone else’s needs and schedules. Choose a ritual that reconnects you to yourself, feels amazing and reminds you who you want to be. For me, this is doing my sauna / cold plunge morning routine, which is always extreme (ha!) but it reminds of my future self: determined, unfazed and goal oriented.

Of course, your ritual doesn’t have to be that severe! It can be something like doing facial exercises (!!!), or journaling / meditating, or intentionally putting away your devices at 8pm and getting into bed early to score a good night’s sleep.

Think about the Future You you want to be, and what she does consistently. What are her actions and behaviors? Does she go to bed on time or stay up late? Drink alcohol or favor zero-proof elixirs? Move daily so she’s strong and vibrant or spend the whole day sitting on the couch?

When you study what the Future You does consistently, you start to see where your habits today need to change, in order to be like her. When you start incorporating her habits and actions into your lifestyle, you’re shortening the distance between her and you. If your Future You wants to age well naturally, here are some ideas to consider:

• Have a protein-rich breakfast (~40g of protein) within 1 hour of waking;
• Do a 10-minute journal / meditation session to set the intention for your day: how you’ll behave, act and respect yourself; and, what toxic behaviors you will not engage in;
• Daily movement commitments that you keep to yourself (for me, it’s dog-walking) and my daily stretching routine.
• Biting off a daily small-sized chunk of that Big Aspirational Goal you’ve set for yourself — it can be researching a new job, starting a podcast, writing several paragraphs in the book you're working on, creating a new video, and so on;

The Health Benefits of Reading before Bed... <Chef's Kiss!>

• Read for 30 minutes before bed. Sometimes, it’s so healing to disconnect from our stressful world with a great, compelling novel that captures your imagination and whisks you away from your troubles. Reading before bed also helps reduce stress levels, switches on your parasympathetic nervous system, and strengthens your sleep routine.

This ritual becomes the “strong thread” that keeps you grounded in your Future You identity and the goals you hope to achieve.

🎁 Final Thought: You Deserve a Holiday Season That Supports You, Too

If you want to age well, you need to reframe how you approach the holidays. They come every year, so it makes sense to have a strategy to handle this hectic season. And shrinking yourself or punishing yourself through the holidays doesn’t feel really good, in my opinion.

I’m advocating for a better approach to the holidays, where you go into the season with a plan to stick to your goals, so there’s no resentment — just you feeling strong, steady, and in control of your potential.

You can enjoy the season and care for yourself.
You can celebrate and stay grounded.
You can indulge and stay connected to your goals.

This is your invitation to glow through the holidays — naturally, joyfully, and with your whole self intact.

Let's do this, lovelies; let's age well naturally.  💪🌿

x
Juliana

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