Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas!
Hello!
Here we are, half of the way through December. I'm busy, you are busy, and it is easy to get swept away by Christmas festivities and holiday parties. Often this means skipped meals, quick grab-and-go dinners, and snacking on a lot of treats. "I'll get my shit together in January" says just about everyone. But here are a few reasons you should be mindful now. I'm not asking you to give up all the sugar cookies. Hear me out!
Mindfulness will prevent:
Your susceptibility to illness
Your missing OUT on fun things because you or your family is sick
Your shame-guilt spiral when over indulging on treats means you don't enjoy the fun food
Harder food restrictions later to lose the holiday pounds
Three SIMPLE things you can do to be mindful:
Eat something with protein and vegetables before you go out. This will prevent over eating later. You can still enjoy smaller portions at whatever party or gathering.
Choose to move more. Set a goal to take three 10-minute walks/movement breaks daily. This could be after each meal, as a work break, or while your kids have sports practice. This could look like a walk around the block or 5-10min of house chores or 5-10 yoga-like stretches. Just move!
Have easy high-protein snacks handy or bulk prep meat 1x per week. This could be a case of Fairlife and Oikos yogurt are always in the fridge. Or you smoke/Intsapot/crockpot several pounds of beef or chicken for the week. Make the decision in advance. Your hungry, tired, stressed self is a terrible decision maker.
How I Define "Enjoying the Holidays"
I define "enjoying the holidays" as being present with the people/activity in the moment. So I should not feel anxious about what I will or won't eat or drink before a gathering and I should not feel guilty about what I did or did not eat after the gathering. If I'm sick and crabby after eating too much fudge, this isn't enjoyment. If I feel like I need to do hours of cardio and starve myself the next day, this also isn't enjoyment. I'm speaking as someone who has binged and purged via extreme exercise numerous times, and it sucks.
It also isn't enjoyable to only eat carrots and celery, have people ask what you can and can't have, or grit your teeth with cognitive restraint. I've had to do this too for contest prep goals, and it also sucks.
So what to do?
You have to CHOOSE how you do the Christmas party and the choices have to be positive, meaning you are choosing what you get to have and do. You might choose to eat vegetables and meat first and wait an hour before a treat because you know your stomach will feel better. You might choose the smaller plate/cup vs. the large plate/cup because you can still sample everything you want to sample without eating/drinking yourself sick. You can also choose to not track anything but listen to hunger cues and just accept that tomorrow you will be heavier and fuller. And as long as you are okay with that feeling and that it will take a few days of intentionality (not punishment) to get back to baseline, that is okay too.
A Few Gym Updates
For those of you have been training with me here at my private gym here in Middleton, Idaho, thank you! As part of my appreciation as a founding member (those of you with current personal training packages), you will always have 15% off of my current package rate with continuous purchases. This means when my in-person training packages go up in January, your rate will remain the same. If and when prices increase in the future, you will get 15% of that price too assuming you have been a continuing client.
5-pack of 60min sessions: $250 (yours), $300 (new clients)
5-pack of two 30min sessions: $250 (yours) $300 (new clients)
Founding members can get $100 off on 90-Day Nutrition Coaching packages for January 2026 as well. (January rate $750 for new clients and for anyone starting after January, yours for January is $650).
I consider you a continuing client if you are someone coming for personal training regularly. The exceptions may be a planned vacation/work trip/necessary hiatus for surgery/illness. If it has been over 8 weeks, the founding member discount will no longer apply.
Cancellation Policy: This is just a friendly reminder of my 24-hour cancellation policy that was signed when you purchased your first training package. The holidays with travel and illness gets a little nuts and I haven't applied it this past month. Most of us are parents, and I get that sometimes you don't know your kid is sick until they are puking on the bus ride to school. Moving forward, I will charge for missed appointments. Advanced notice that you will be on vacation, out for surgery, etc. is always appreciated. I love that because that means I can often book someone who needs accommodations.
Nutrition Plans: What Are They and How Do They Work?
If you are reading this, you likely know me well enough that I will talk your ear off about nutrition optimization anywhere and anytime. I'll chat with you about baseline protein goals, strategies to get enough in each day, meal prep ideas, etc. I'll ask clients how they are doing and what has worked well for them that week too at training sessions and provide tough love when necessary if I know they aren't treating themselves as well as they would treat their best friend.
But that isn't a nutrition plan. That's general guidance, maybe some recipe ideas, and getting some foundational goals outlined.
My nutrition plan is on an app (and stay tuned for my new app to release!) with your meals for the day spelled out with macros and calories. It is built around YOUR lifestyle, YOUR dietary needs, YOUR specific health challenges/goals, and most importantly YOUR personal starting point. We all start somewhere. I'm not going to say you can't have this and you can only have that. But I will teach you that macros are like currency. You want to spend your macros wisely. A nutrition plan is not a diet. Yes, it is typically used to lose fat/weight and build muscle. But it has to be designed in a way that you can use it for the rest of your life, not just your time working with me.
Clients check in once weekly on Saturday. When I respond to check ins (Monday/Tuesday), I am reviewing progress photos, weight, measurements, sleep, stress, NEAT, and more in addition to meal plan adherence.
Clients travel for work and vacation. They run kids to and from sports practice and dance competitions. They go on hunting trips. They attend weddings and parties. Not once have I worked with a client who has had three perfect months of zero stress or obstacles. A nutrition plan is about learning strategies to put your health first despite life's challenges.
Sometimes there are health challenges, such as low T, insulin resistance, or other hormonal imbalances. I help clients advocate for themselves by connecting them with providers who actually listen, run full lab panels, and take symptoms seriously. I've wasted too many office visits for my own autoimmune issues with health professionals who are too proud to admit they don't know things. If a provider has made you feel crazy, I'm the first one to tell you that you are not crazy. And then I'll send you home with a list of both local and out-of-state providers who will take care of you. I'm not saying everyone needs HRT, the next GLP, or some other peptide. In fact, there is so much you can accomplish with a proper nutrition plan, resistance training, and daily movement. But when something is not quite right, labs interpreted by someone who knows what they are doing reveals what is going on under the hood, and sometimes different tools can be instrumental in your longterm health.
If you are reading and I haven't seen you in a while, I hope all is well in your world. It's been a great year in this corner. Maybe I'll see you around at Middleton Fitness, Okeen, or a school sports function :)
