TAKING ACTION: ✅ Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! Share any fun plans below, and also let me know if you need guidance on navigating a potentially late night, alcohol, etc. It’s New Year’s Eve, and we’re in the home stretch, friends! As we approach a brand new year, it’s critical that you get your mind in the right spot. Growth isn’t linear. You’re not always going to win, and when you don’t, your mindset must be strong enough to get back up. This will be important as you navigate your journey in 2026. This reminds me of another important lesson I learned long ago – 👉 There’s rock bottom, surviving, and thriving. When people hit rock bottom, they do whatever it takes to survive. They change their eating habits. They commit to working out. They balance their checkbooks. They work on their marriages. Once they feel “safe” or feel like they’re surviving, they do one detrimental thing ⬇️ They stop. They stop doing the things that take them from rock bottom to surviving; therefore, they never thrive. Friends, if you stop because you feel “good” or “safe”, you won’t ever reach your goals. You won’t ever feel like you’re thriving. In fact, you’ll fall right back down to your personal rock bottom. 💯 I encourage you today to keep going. Finish strong so that you can get one step closer to THRIVING in your health & wellness journey. This is the week to lean into this lesson. We’re gearing up for a fabulous start to the New Year—but there’s no reason you should have to start back over from rock bottom. 💯 You’ve GOT THIS! Prove to yourself that you are stronger than you think! 🔥 Need tips for navigating your nutrition tonight? ⬇️ Healthy Eating Habits for the Holidays | Northwestern Medicine

So, how many people have already taken their Christmas decorations down? If not, when do you usually take them down?

TAKING ACTION: ✅ Does your family celebrate the New Year in a big way? Or are you in bed at your regular time? Let’s wrap up the week by participating in the comments below today! Coming up next: the New Year. 🎉 We’ve almost made it through the holiday season, friends; however, the New Year is a holiday that many of you celebrate—and celebrate big! Some of us our in our pajamas by 9:00 PM on NYE, but some of us like to ring in the New Year! Even if food choices aren’t as big a struggle on this particular holiday, there is another topic we need to discuss because it’s often consumed on New Year’s Eve— And that’s alcohol. 🥂 If you plan to have a few cocktails over the next few days, it’s best to plan for them ahead of time. Tracking alcohol is a little different than tracking your macros, and it’s important to know that you can’t simply rely on the label. If you need more information about how to track alcohol, check out this in-depth article below. The article also contains a few alcohol cheat sheets for your benefit! 🥂 How To Track Alcohol Macros | Lauren Fit Foodie

TAKING ACTION: ✅ What’s your favorite treat to enjoy during the holiday season? Let’s have a little fun in the comments below! You know I love giving you healthy, delicious recipe ideas every Tuesday—but let’s be real—all we’re thinking about today is what we’re going to eat over the next several days. Am I right or am I right? 😉 With that in mind, I want to give you some healthy Christmas treat ideas today. While we all have different tastes and preferences when it comes to our cravings, the truth is that sugary sweets have a stronghold on many people. That's because processed sugar is highly addictive. It's why some (okay, most) people can't just have one cookie, one bite, etc. Processed sugar creates a massive dopamine dump, and therefore, your brain wants to find (and consume) more sugar! If you know sugar is a struggle for you, but still want to enjoy a sweet treat, try creating a recipe that uses alternative sweeteners like fruit, maple syrup, honey, or dark chocolate. Check out the recipes below and find one that will satisfy your holiday cravings! 🍪 https://thehealthyfoodie.com/25-healthy-christmas-treats-recipe-roundup/

“Have yourself a healthy little Christmas…” TAKING ACTION: ✅ We are starting our second and final week of our FITMAS Challenge today, friends! Comment FITMAS below if you’re in it to win it! 👊 Good morning and Merry Christmas week, friends! 🎄 For some, this week will be filled with back-to-back holiday celebrations. If you fall into that category, hear me when I say this—there’s no need to stress over it. Seriously. It’s critical to keep your mindset in the right place. This includes leaving shame and defeat at the door. This conversation is always a tricky one for me. It’s tricky because I strongly believe you need to give yourself both truth and grace if you want to create healthy coping mechanisms. For example, if you fall off track, it’s important that you admit that and allow yourself to feel what it feels like to disappoint yourself. Neuroscience tells us this is actually a very critical step in overcoming “feelings” about ourselves. We must face the actual truth of what is; however, it’s just as critical to give yourself grace afterwards and create rational thoughts about those feelings. Rational thoughts may look like ⬇️ 🧠 I haven’t ruined everything. 🧠 I’m not ultimately defeated because of this. There’s always “my next best decision”. 🧠 Everyone (and I do mean everyone) has hiccups. That’s life. That’s reality. As you navigate the upcoming week, remember this quote and repeat it to yourself as often as needed: “Truth without grace is mean, but grace without truth is meaningless.” With that in mind, let’s enter into this week with both at the forefront of our minds—if you do, you’re going to have yourself a merry (and mentally healthy) little Christmas! 🥰 FITMAS CHALLENGE: WEEK 2!! Seated Knee Lifts • Sit tall in a chair • Lift one knee at a time • 10–20 total reps Great for hips + gentle core activation