By: Paige Valentik MPS, RD, LDN

“I’ll recommit in the New Year.” A common phrase and mindset used this time of year. The holidays are busy. There’s travel, family obligations, social events, desserts, drinks, and a calendar that feels completely out of your control. Letting go now and promising yourself a reset later feels easier than trying to hold the line.

But here’s the hard truth: this mindset usually does more harm than good.

When you decide to fully abandon your routines during the holidays—eating poorly, overeating, skipping workouts, drinking more—you’re not simply pressing pause. You’re often creating a setback that you’ll have to undo later.

Think about what actually happens. You gain weight, then spend January trying to lose weight you didn’t need to gain in the first place. You lose fitness, and suddenly workouts that once felt manageable feel exhausting. You fall out of your routines, and restarting feels heavier and harder than just maintaining would have.

That raises an important question: is it really worth moving backward just to spend weeks—or months—trying to get back to where you were?

One of the biggest traps is the idea of a “clean slate.” January 1 feels symbolic, almost magical, like everything resets overnight. But your body doesn’t know the date. Your habits don’t automatically change because the calendar flips. What does happen is that repeated unhealthy choices become more ingrained, making January feel like an uphill battle instead of a fresh start.

Yes, the holidays are busy. That part is real. But being busy doesn’t require an all-or-nothing approach. The problem isn’t that life gets full—it’s that people completely abandon their standards.

You don’t need perfect nutrition. You don’t need long, intense workouts. And you certainly don’t need rigid rules that steal the joy from the season. What you do need is continuity. That might look like going for a short walk instead of skipping movement altogether. Eating mindfully most of the day even if dinner is more indulgent. Stopping when you’re satisfied rather than stuffed. These choices don’t feel dramatic, but they keep you connected to your habits.

A better goal during the holidays isn’t progress—it’s maintenance. Maintenance means you’re not trying to improve everything right now. You’re simply protecting what you’ve already built. You keep your weight within a reasonable range. You move your body consistently, even if the intensity is lower. You eat well most of the time, without expecting perfection. This approach lets you enjoy the holidays without paying for them later.

You don’t need to be perfect this holiday season. You just need to maintain momentum.