How to Stay on Track With Your Goals Over the Holidays

Nikkiey: A weekend isn't going to erase your goals. Let me just say that loud and clear. But you better get back to it on Monday, because that in-between, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is where people start negotiating their goals. No, you get right back to it. You're not here to survive the holidays. You're here to take ownership and lead yourself through them. You're allowed to enjoy the food. You're allowed to enjoy family. You're allowed to enjoy the tradition without abandoning yourself.

What's going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of The WarriorBabe Show with your host, Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On these episodes, my friends, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. Today is episode number 313.

Today, guys, I just want to cut straight to it, because I've got a full-blown, packed episode for you. This time of year is when most people start negotiating their goals. They start saying things like, "I'll just start fresh in January." Or, "It's way too hard for me to stay on track with my plan and eat right during the holidays, so I'll just get back to it in the new year." Or, "It's too chaotic. There's way too much busyness happening, family time, travel, whatever. I'll worry about me and my goals later." Does that sound familiar?

And we all know how that goes, right? A few skipped workouts turn into skipping weeks on end. One day off from the gym or from nutrition turns into, "Okay, I'll just start over next Monday," or in two weeks. Then that turns into weeks, and then it turns into, "I'll start in January." And before you know it, all of this progress that you've built up this year, even in the last couple of months, starts to slip away. Not because you didn't care, but because you stopped showing up for yourself. You stopped taking ownership for yourself.

That's what I want to talk about in this episode today: the ownership that you have as you go through these next few weeks of the holidays and into January. Ownership shows up when it's the most inconvenient, which is what we're walking into with the holidays. It's chaotic. There's a lot going on. It's not easy to lead yourself through it, because you're worried about everything else and all of the other events going on.

But this is the thing: the standards that you have for yourself aren't something you flip on when life feels easy. They're who you are when it's not easy, and how you show up when it's not easy. And it's not about being perfect. You guys know it's not about that. It's about the power that you have, the ownership that you have, the ability to be responsible for yourself and the way you're showing up every single day.

So that's what I want to walk through in this episode. I want to help you feel grounded with your family and your friends. I want to help you stay consistent during the chaos of the holidays. I want you to know how to handle setbacks, because they're going to come, and it's okay, and to give yourself grace in those moments. And I want you to continue to build that identity of playing the long game on a fitness journey, instead of it being six weeks or three months or whatever. If there's anything to say to you, guys, it's this: you didn't come this far in 2025, or even in the last couple of months if you've been showing up for yourself, only to coast through the next however many weeks to get to the new year.

So first and foremost, I just want to be honest. I want to be real and call it out. Holidays can be brutal, right? Can we just be honest about that? They can be brutal in the sense that you walk into a room full of people that you love, and suddenly all of that confidence you've built into your daily routine, into how you wake up and eat the healthy breakfast, the set agenda that you follow for yourself, it all starts to feel a little shaky. The smells from the kitchen and the turkey hit you, or the desserts that come with Christmas, the music's playing, the memories you're making.

You can almost feel the weight of other people's expectations in the air, right? You look around and everyone's eating, everyone's drinking, everyone's talking about food. And before you even take your next bite, your mind starts to race. The food, the drinks, everything feels tempting. It's tempting to want to eat all of the things and just fit in and mix in with the crowd. And you're pulled between two worlds. There's one side of you that's saying, "Oh, just enjoy it. Stop overthinking." And the other part of you is whispering, "You better not mess this up."

And you're living in that in-between. I know you've been there in the past. We're going to talk about that at the end too, because the past you isn't going to ride through this holiday season. I just want to say that first and foremost, and we're going to unpack it in a little bit. But you're in between: "Just enjoy yourself, stop overthinking," and on the other side, "Don't mess this up." It's exhausting being in the middle of that, because it's this constant back-and-forth pull in your mind.

And deep down, the reason that's happening is because you care. You worked so hard to build these habits. You know what you want. You want to feel proud. You want to feel strong. You want to feel in control. But in these moments, it feels like a tug of war between being disciplined and belonging, being part of the family and part of these memories. So you end up stuck in the middle. You end up anxious or guilty, or you're overthinking every single bite, and you either eat nothing and you're miserable, or you eat everything and you feel some type of shame. It's this all-or-nothing mentality. A lot of you know what I'm talking about.

Some of you have maybe taken on the balance of, "Okay, it's just a day." And you're seasoned at that point. If that's you, it's just a day, you're going to eat whatever you want, because you can do that. But you've got to be able to get back to it the next day, and you've got to give yourself grace in that day. I'm saying that to the people who are like, "Yeah, that's me." You're more seasoned.

There are way more of you listening to this episode right now who may be in that in-between, and I'm speaking to you, because for so long, dude, that was me. I used to have to be perfect. I had this mentality of, "In order for me to be perfect, I have to deserve this." It was all or nothing. And looking back, it wasn't that I needed to be more restrictive with myself. One little thing would flip a switch where I'd go haywire and eat until I was super uncomfortable.

First of all, let me be your coach here in the moment and say: enjoy yourself, but don't be an a-hole. Don't eat until you're uncomfortably stuffed, because that's no bueno, especially in the moment. Taste things, try things, enjoy things, and then let it be, and maybe take a break from eating before you go in and get some more. Okay, anyway, I digress.

I don't choose to be perfect anymore. I focus on building a relationship with food that feels peaceful. For me, it's, "Okay, it's a day. I'm going to prioritize," which I'm going to get into in a second, "my protein, or my vegetables, and everything else is just what it is. I'm going to get back to it the next day, because I know I can." Some of you have to develop that type of belief in yourself, that tomorrow's not going to turn into all of the leftovers and X, Y, and Z, and on top of that, not working out anyway. Because this is more about what's real and sustainable and what that looks like for you in terms of your health: the emotional, the mental, the physical, everything being in harmony. That's what I focus on, building that type of relationship with food.

And there's a simple but powerful truth that I want you to hold on to: food isn't the enemy. Fear is. It's not about the calories. It's about the control you fear you'll lose if you stop micromanaging yourself.

And here's the thing. You've already proven you can take ownership. You can lead yourself. You've shown up to the gym. You've shown up by eating healthy. You've shown up by doing X, Y, and Z over the course of this year or over the last couple of months. You've spent months, maybe even years, learning how to do better. That is you, right? If you're somebody who hasn't stuck to anything in 2025, I've got an episode coming up for you soon. But to those of you who've been putting in the work, listening to these episodes, diving in and trying to do better, you've already proven to yourself, "Okay, I can do these things."

And I want you to know one plate isn't going to undo that. I'd even go so far as to say a weekend isn't going to erase that. What does start to unravel it is the story you tell yourself afterward. "I blew it." The narrative in your mind: "I messed up. I ruined everything. I'm just going to start again on Monday." And Monday turns into a week, and a week turns into January 1st, and January 1st turns into March. Or it turns into where you are right now in November, where you didn't do anything in 2025. So the narrative is where it starts. It all starts right here.

The more guilty you are with yourself, the more anxious thoughts you create, and the more of these narratives you have, the less growth is going to happen. It's just going to keep you stuck in this shame game. So moving into 2026, I want you to walk in with a different playbook. I want you to feel grounded. I want you to feel like you can actually live and enjoy, and not be on the spiral of the on-again, off-again hamster wheel where the holidays control you, busyness is everything, and you get left on the sidelines.

So here are a few things I want you to do. When you walk into a room, I don't want you to be skipping meals. I don't want you to try and save calories for later. That is rookie energy. On top of the rookie energy, you think you're being smart with that, but what you're really doing is setting yourself up to lose control. So eat your normal breakfast, hit your protein, drink your water. Then when you walk into a family event, walk in feeling fed, not frantic because you saved all these calories and now you need to eat yourself full. You already know how to plan and execute. If you've been tracking your macros or eating better or working out, you know how to plan and execute. You've been doing that. The holidays don't change that.

Another thing: build your plate with intention, not with guilt. When you sit down, slow down. Look at your plate as a reflection of your goals, not as a punishment. Have that protein, add that color, and then add things that you truly enjoy, not what you're pressured into eating just because someone's telling you to eat it, or to make somebody else feel comfortable. If you don't want to eat something, say you don't want to eat it. And if you already feel like you've eaten too much, keep asking yourself, "If I choose to eat this, am I going to feel more uncomfortable? Am I going to feel bloated?" If the answer is yes, don't eat it. If the answer is no, enjoy it and continue on.

Another thing: when you're in this room with your family and friends, you're going to get people who say, "Oh, come on, it's just the holidays," or, "You don't need to eat that way today, you look fine," or, "Are you seriously taking this 100% on Thanksgiving?" Which none of you should. None of you should take it 100%. But if you're choosing something different from what you would have chosen before, for example, you walk into a room and think, "This is enough of a portion for me," don't let anybody sway your mind on that.

You don't owe anyone a debate. You don't owe anybody an explanation. Just smile, take a breath and respond, "You know what, I feel really good eating this way." Or, "I worked really hard to feel this way and to feel strong, and I'm just honoring that. I don't want to go overboard. I don't want to push it too far. I'm here to enjoy these things, but a few of them instead of a ton of them is better for me right now." And that's it. Your confidence in the situation doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet, it can be grounded, it can be flowy and soft. It doesn't need to be loud.

And know this: sometimes the commitment you're making to yourself by responding that way is going to trigger some people, because watching someone do what they know they should be doing is uncomfortable. That's their work. That's not your work. So just remember that. And very often, on the flip side, that same person who made those comments later becomes the one asking you, "So what are you doing? How do you do this?" Just keep that in mind. Let that little nugget be there.

Another thing: if you overdo it, own it. And this is what I meant earlier. If you're seasoned, own it and let it go, because there's nothing you can do to change the past. You're human. There are going to be days and moments this season where you overdo it. You have an extra dessert. You wake up feeling bloated or off. You ate a little too much and it's a little uncomfortable. Like I said, I'm warning you not to do that, but it may happen even though I'm saying don't. You may feel more full than you planned. That doesn't mean you failed. It means you're human.

The win here isn't that you're perfect. It's how quickly you can come back from that. So you wake up the next day, you hydrate, you move your body, you eat your next solid, balanced meal, and you get back to your normal. That's what I mean by Thanksgiving, and maybe the day after. That's it. That's all the holiday is. Then you're back to reality.

And I know Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, and then we've got Black Friday, and then we've got the weekend. Let me just remind you, if you do go those four days, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a weekend isn't going to erase your goals. Let me say that loud and clear. But you better get back to it on Monday, because in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, like I said at the beginning, this is where people start negotiating their goals. No, you get right back to it.

And you get back to it with no guilt. You get back to it with no punishment. Don't go into the gym on Monday and punish yourself in your workouts. There's no "I've ruined everything." Just respect yourself. You're human. You're not here to survive the holidays. You're here to take ownership and lead yourself through them. You're allowed to enjoy the food. You're allowed to enjoy family. You're allowed to enjoy tradition without abandoning yourself. That's your check.

And you're allowed to experience this even if you mess up, or, I should say, overdo it. That's a better term. You overdo it, and it's okay. Again, this is all going to tie in when we talk about it at the end. You will learn every single holiday how to show up better if you give yourself grace through every holiday. If you keep beating yourself up and creating punishment and all this guilt, it's just going to be the same thing over and over again. So allow yourself grace, allow yourself to own it, and then return to how you show up once the holiday is done.

Nikkiey: Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, WarriorBabe is here for you. At WarriorBabe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle, and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results, and results that last. Don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com/apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com/apply. All right, let's get back to the show.

Nikkiey: The next thing I want to talk about is the busyness aspect. There's a version of you who feels like she's drowning in responsibilities right now, and I empathize with that, because, girls, same. But you're in a season of busy. Yes, you're doing everything for everyone. You're doing things for your partner, for your kids, for your family, for your work. You're traveling, you're running errands, you have holiday plans. And somewhere in the chaos, you end up disappearing. Your needs slide to the bottom of the list.

You keep telling yourself, "I'll get back on track when things calm down," but things don't calm down. Things don't calm down in this season. There's always another thing. And every time you say, "Oh, after the holidays," you're reinforcing a pattern: my goals are optional, my health can wait, my well-being is negotiable. And over time, that inner voice that once said, "I'm so proud of myself," starts whispering, "Maybe I'll never get there." It changes. If you started a program and then allow a busy season to get in the way of it, the voice that once said, "I'm really proud and I feel really confident doing this," changes when you don't follow through with yourself in a busy season. And my perspective, my point of view, in my opinion, is that a busy season is the best time to get a routine down for yourself with eating better and working out.

Here's what I want you to hear. If that narrative is changing, you have more control than you think. You have more control over something as simple as how you handle holidays and traditions. You can be disciplined without living in all-or-nothing, in those perfect conditions. Real discipline can live in chaotic days where you still show up anyway, even if no one sees it. If you're still choosing, "I'm going to eat protein every meal," or, "I'm going to have a hundred ounces of water daily," that is your baseline. And if you can at least show up with your baseline, that's okay. That's your floor. But don't fall beneath it.

Have your protein every meal, drink your water, move your body, keep your sleep boundaries. And if you're working with a coach, say at WarriorBabe, right now I'm calling you out: don't go quiet on your coach. Don't ghost them. We can't coach silence. Don't pretend everything is fine while you're spiraling. If you are, stay honest with them. Those are your floor. Those are your non-negotiables. Those are your standards for yourself.

If you hit those minimums, you're winning. The ones who don't win wait for perfect conditions, or they put too much stress on themselves during this time. That's where they allow the busyness to override simply showing up for themselves in some way on a daily basis. Because life's going to throw you off. Your brain is wired for safety, not growth. So when you're stressed out, your brain will drag you into the most comfortable, familiar pattern: skipping workouts, grabbing whatever food is easiest, numbing out.

But when you push through that resistance and do your minimums anyway, you drink your water, you move your body, you get 10K steps in, or 8K steps in a day, you're rewiring an identity. If you just show up with your minimums, you're teaching your brain, "This is who I am now. These are my habits. This is just what we do." And that's how your fit life stops being a phase and becomes your new normal.

So all of this to say, this is about having a different mindset, which leads me into what I want to talk about next, putting it all together: food, family, showing up, consistency, and setbacks, which are going to happen. The way to really follow through on this 110%, or even at least 90%, and let me just say this: none of it will stick unless your identity changes.

What I mean by that is you can have the plan, you can have the workout routine, you can have the most dialed-in approach, but if deep down you still see yourself as a woman who quits when she's stressed out, or the woman who hides when she's disappointed in herself, or the woman who's always starting over on Monday or starting over when the holidays are done, you're going to end up in the same place. Like I said earlier, if you're showing up in the same mental pattern as you did last year, or in the previous holidays this year, maybe the 4th of July tripped you up and you haven't been back in a routine since. Some of you are experiencing that, because the old you showed up in that holiday. And you have to let go of that old you. You're trying to create new results with the same old identity.

That old identity was built in survival mode. She did what she needed to do. She focused on other people. She cared about what other people thought. She chased perfection because she thought perfection equaled being successful and worthy. But the person you're working to become, with this new fit lifestyle that's a long-term game, part of the healthy choices you make for the longevity of your life, dude, that person's done performing. She's done negotiating with herself. She's done being half in, half out. She's done being on the hamster wheel of the next fad diet. She's not the woman who, quote unquote, tries. She's a woman who shows up, especially when it's inconvenient, especially when she's busy, especially when it's easy to slip back into comfortable habits.

Because this is the thing: goals and motivation, you all know they waver. They fade, they ebb and flow. That's what I'm trying to get at. Dyslexic moment. But your identity sticks. If you have a goal that says, "I just want to lose weight," your identity is saying, "I'm the kind of woman who takes care of her body." If you have a goal that says, "I'll try to stay consistent during this holiday season," that's a motivation mentality: "I'm going to try my best." Your identity, though, is saying, "I'm the kind of person who takes care of herself. I'm the kind of person who gets back on track fast." Or if you have a goal that says, "I need motivation during this holiday season," no, no, no. Your identity is saying, "I'm going to do it anyway, because that's who I am. I'm going to keep the promises I made to myself."

This isn't just about chasing results or the number on the scale. It's about becoming the person who keeps her word to herself, no matter what's on the calendar, no matter what chaotic, busy season she's in. And here's the hard part. I'm going to be honest: becoming that type of person is going to cost you the old version of you.

It's going to cost you the version who ghosts her coach, or ghosts herself, when she's too ashamed or too embarrassed. Or the version who hides emotionally, or hides from doing what she knows she needs to do after a bad weekend. Or the version who blames everything except her own choices and actions, or blames the holiday season. You are in control of that. You have the ability to be in control of that. Or the version who's still waiting for the perfect time, January 1st. It's going to cost you that. She doesn't get to come with you into the 2026 version of your life.

She had her role. She served her purpose. She was there for you in the moments when you needed that type of person. But that chapter is over, girl. That chapter is over. The woman you're stepping into is building real freedom, real strength, peace. She's ready to take ownership. She takes control of her health and her fitness. She takes the actions that align with her word. She shows up.

And this is the thing: these next few weeks, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, they're not a test. It's going to feel like a test, but it's not a test of whether you pass or fail. Look at it like this instead: look at it as a mirror. They're going to reflect back who you are when life gets loud, chaotic and uncomfortable, when comfort wants to call you back into the same patterns that got you through previous holiday seasons or busy seasons, and when people around you are saying, "Oh, whatever, relax, start later, January 1st." You're going to see whether your commitment is built on convenience or conviction.

And again, let me say this is not about being perfect. It's about being proud of yourself. It's about being confident, about learning discipline. The kind of proud where after the holidays, on January 2nd and the first week of January, you can look in the mirror and say, "Yo, I kept my word. I didn't disappear on myself. I didn't let the holidays erase all of my progress. I may have enjoyed some things or gone off a little here and there, but I got back on track. I used them to prove my growth."

And you know what, guys, I also want to say this, and it may ruffle a few feathers, but I say it because I love you so much, and I feel like women need to hear this. The people around you, your kids, your coworkers, your family, your friends, they don't need another woman who folds when it's hard. They don't need a mom who folds when it's hard. They need to see what leadership looks like in real life. They need to see that it's possible to celebrate and still stay committed.

You being disciplined doesn't make you rigid. It makes you reliable. You being consistent doesn't make you selfish. It makes you steady. You being proud of your effort doesn't make you cocky or arrogant. It makes you credible. You are leading people by example, whether you mean to or not. Some of you already see it: your husband taking action, eating better and working out, your kids doing the same thing, saying, "I want to work out with Mom." They're all around you. Your actions are leading these people.

So take ownership during this season and create this new identity, and allow yourself, girl, to have some setbacks, because it's okay. Again, this isn't about perfect. But how are you going to respond? And know that the way you stay committed, disciplined and consistent, those actions are going to make a huge difference to the people around you, more than what you say you do or will do. You following through is going to be so much louder than your words.

So I hope this landed for you. I hope this resonated with you. I know Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I want you to feel confident going into this season. I hope this episode helps you feel more confident. If you need to listen to it on repeat as you get closer to Thanksgiving, do it.

But I want you to ask yourself right now: who am I choosing to be this holiday season? Who am I choosing to be this holiday season? Not what plan am I following, or what program am I on. It's more about the identity that you're creating for yourself. Who am I choosing to be? That's the woman who doesn't abandon herself when life gets busy. The woman who keeps her power no matter what the calendar looks like, no matter how busy or chaotic, or how much travel or cooking or other things you need to do for other people. While you're doing that, you can do this for yourself too.

I love you guys so much. Stay strong through the holidays. Keep showing up for yourself. All right, I love y'all, and I'll see you in the next episode.

Hey, really quick before you go, I have one small favor to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you, take a moment to hit that review button. Your rating and review make all the difference, helping more women discover the tools they need to transform their fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much. Thank you.