Why the Holiday Season is Perfect for Maintenance, Not Progress

 

Does the holiday hustle leave you feeling stretched too thin while trying to stick to your fitness goals? With packed schedules, endless parties, and tempting treats, it can feel impossible to stay on track. But here’s the thing: this is not the season to push harder—it’s the perfect time to embrace maintenance as your secret weapon for long-term success.

In today’s episode, I’m breaking down why choosing to maintain instead of striving for progress can help you avoid burnout, stay consistent, and actually enjoy this special time of year without guilt.

The holiday season isn’t about doing more—it’s about being strategic, prioritizing what matters, and finding a flow that works for you. Maintenance isn’t settling; it’s protecting your progress and preparing for what’s next.

 

I also discuss:

(03:13) Why Growth is not Always Constant

(08:04) Maintenance as Strategic Pause for Success

(11:24) Embrace Authentic Beauty and Confidence

And more...

 

If you want more from me, be sure to check out...

 

Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie

Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/

Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/

Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook

Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page


Transcript:

[00:00:00] Hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with Me. Do I better? I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:22][22.5]

[00:00:30] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the embrace of a podcast. As the holiday season kicks into full swing, I know many of us feel torn between enjoying this time of year and staying on track with our health and fitness goals, right? There's often this pressure to keep pushing forward, even during one of the busiest, most emotionally charged seasons of the year. But here's the thing. The holidays don't have to be a time for progress. They can and in many cases should be a time for maintenance. And so today, I really want to talk about why maintenance isn't just okay. It's actually incredibly healthy. And I kind of also want to share why taking a break from constant this constant goal chasing can actually support your long term progress and also how to approach the holidays with a mindset that allows you to enjoy the season without the guilt. But before we dive in, I want to share this super sweet your. It comes from embracing my real 24. She gave a five star review and said Best podcast. I am not a podcast person. I love listening to music and jamming out. However, when I found Embrace IRL, I haven't stopped. I've been listening for a while, but I haven't left a review yet because there's literally no words to describe this podcast. And Julie, I struggled daily with body image and trying to eat right, but Julie is such an encouraging voice to let us all know that we can we can do anything we put our minds to. I also love how she incorporates her faith and God in these podcasts. She has motivated me to spend time alone with God and listen. I have a long way to go yet, but thanks to Julie, I know that I will reach my goals. I could probably write pages on how amazing this podcast is, but I'll stop here. Thank you, Julie, for your knowledge, your humbleness and faith. Keep doing what God gave you. I love you Sunday. Much, much. I love this so much. There's so many things in here that just like they make me tear up because I to be honest, in this season of life, of motherhood, just having a baby, it has been really hard to show up week in, week out. But just knowing that you guys are tuning in to these podcasts and that you're finding them helpful like that keeps me going and that is something that I just hold so dearly in my heart. And so thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this review. And also, I'm just so grateful that this podcast is helping you. This podcast is completely free. There's no ads. It's literally just a time for me to hopefully provide some value to you, whether that's education, that's encouragement, that's inspiration, whatever it is. And so the one ask I have from you is that you scootch over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify podcasts and just leave either a rating or review. That would mean so, so much to me and our team. Okay, so let's dive into why the holiday season is really a perfect time for maintenance, not progress. So number one, you have to remember that progress requires rest periods. Growth is not always constant, whether we're talking about fitness, nutrition or really any area of life. Progress requires periods of rest and maintenance, just like your muscles need recovery, you know, days to rebuild and grow stronger. Your body and mind need seasons where you're not actively chasing new goals. Maintenance does really allow you to take a step back, let your body recover and give your mind a break from the grind. Without these periods, you risk burnout physically, emotionally or mentally. And I truly believe that the holiday season is the perfect time to pause and let yourself really focus on maintaining what you've already worked so hard to build. It's not about losing progress. It's really about protecting your foundation so that you can continue growing when the time is right. Number two, you have to remember that maintenance actually prevents burnout. So constantly striving for progress, especially during a busy season like the holidays, this can actually lead to burnout faster than you realize when you're really trying to juggle all of the holiday parties, the family gatherings, the end of the year, work deadlines, all of the kids, things that are going on, whether it's, you know, the sports or music or whatever it is, adding these intense fitness or nutrition goals into the mix can really feel overwhelming and feel like too much. But really, by choosing maintenance, you're giving yourself permission to show up in the ways that feel manageable and sustainable. And maybe that means sticking to three workouts a week instead of five, or aiming for balanced meals most days without stressing over perfection. This approach, though, helps you to stay consistent without adding this unnecessary pressure and keeps you feeling good rather than overwhelmed. Number three Maintenance is progress in disguise. So here's the mindset shift that I want you to embrace is that maintenance is actually progress. When you maintain your habits, your fitness level or your nutrition during a busy season, you're actually setting yourself up for long term success. The holiday season is a great time to focus on maintaining your strength, your energy and your overall well-being. Staying consistent even at a lower intensity really does ensure that when. You are ready to turn up the dial again. You are not starting completely from scratch. It's progress in the form of sustainability. And that in and of itself is incredibly powerful. Number four, flexibility over perfection. So one of the biggest benefits of shifting to a maintenance mindset during the holidays is the freedom that it gives you to enjoy this season fully. So instead of stressing over every workout or every calorie or every macro, you can really focus on being present for the moments that matter most. Flexibility really does become your best friend during the holiday season, so maybe you swap out a long workout for a quick 20 minute workout or you enjoy a holiday dessert without guilt because you focused on hitting your macros the rest of the day. This flexibility does not mean that you're slacking. It just means that you're prioritizing what's most important to you right now, which is exactly what this season is about. And last but not least, number five maintenance is healthy for your mindset. So this constant goal chasing can sometimes make you feel like you're never doing enough, which isn't a healthy mindset to live in. But choosing maintenance during the holidays really does allow you to pause and appreciate just how far you've come. It's a chance to celebrate the progress that you've made throughout the year without the pressure to keep pushing. This mindset shift is not only good for your mental health, but it also sets the tone for a more sustainable approach to your goals in the future. And when you learn to embrace maintenance, you'll find it easier to stay consistent over the long term because you're not constantly burning yourself out. Okay. I actually have one more bonus for you, and that is one of the biggest benefits of embracing a maintenance phase during the holidays is that it actually frees you from this exhausting all or nothing mentality, which I talked about on Monday's episode. But you know, the one where you're literally either going all out, crashing your workouts, hitting every go perfectly, or you've thrown yourself into like the depths of the toilet. Right? You are like, you've thrown in the towel completely because you've missed a workout. You've indulged in holiday treats. But when you approach the season with the goal of maintenance, you're actually giving yourself permission to stay consistent in a way that feels realistic and sustainable. And this means that when the holidays are over, you're not starting from scratch, like I mentioned earlier. Instead, you're simply ramping things back up. Your habits are still in place, your foundation is strong, and you've built this momentum that will carry you forward into the new year. Plus giving your body a break from this constant progress focused effort, whether it's, you know, a reduction in workout intensity or allowing yourself to enjoy more flexibility in your nutrition. This can be exactly what it needs to reset sometimes. In many cases, this period of maintenance is actually what helps your body overcome plateaus and sets you up for better results. On the other side, the time spent focusing on recovery and balance actually allows your muscles, your metabolism and your mindset to recharge, which means when you are ready to push again, your body is actually primed for progress mentally, emotionally and physically. So I don't want you to see maintenance as a step back. Instead, I want you to see it as a strategic pause that supports your long term success. Let me say that again. Don't see maintenance as a step back. Instead, see it as a strategic pause that supports your long term success. And honestly, who doesn't want to come out of the holidays feeling refreshed, feeling strong and ready to crush it again? That's truly the real win. This season doesn't have to be about crushing new goals or punishing yourself to the limit. Instead, it can be a time to focus on maintaining what you've already built, staying consistent in ways that make you feel good and fully enjoying everything that the holidays have to offer. If you actually need help staying consistent with your workouts. I do have a program. It's called The Movement with Julie Weekly Workout App, and this is the perfect solution for this season. It is filled with quick, effective resistance training demo workouts that you can do at the home you can do at your gym, you can do while traveling. Maybe you're at your parents in-laws house, wherever it is. But these workouts are designed to help you feel strong and stay on track without adding stress. You can go and check them out by going to sale That's elite at moment, which Slate.com again that sale as elite app movement to Slate.com. And if you really want to maintain balance and nutrition while still enjoying all of your favorite holiday treats, I do have a program for you. It's called the Macro Accounting Made Simple Online Academy. This truly can help you. I will teach you how to nourish your body in a way that works for your goals and your lifestyle. Plus, I will also help you get your macros calculated specifically for being in the maintenance phase if that is something that you want right now so you can learn more and head to macro counting. Made simple.com again macro candy made simple.com. I will link both of those links in the show notes that you can easily go check them out. But remember that maintenance isn't just okay, it's actually healthy. You are doing amazing. I am so proud of you for continuous. Choosing to show up for yourself to grow mentally, emotionally, physically. Let's make this holiday season about joy and not about stress and restriction. That is all that I have for today's bonus episode. I hope that this encouraged you in some way, shape or form. If you have a friend, a coworker, or someone in your life that you feel like would benefit from this episode in particular or this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link and send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story or your Facebook story. I love connecting with you. I would love to hear any of your moments or I would just love to hear anything that maybe you got from this episode or this podcast in general. So you can also direct message me as well. On Instagram. I love, love, love talking with you girls on a daily basis. Okay, That is all that I have. I love you so much and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:11:15]

[00:11:24] All right, sister, That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram. [00:11:33]

[00:11:33] Be sure to do so, Julie. A lot better. [00:11:35][2.0]

[00:11:35] Yes. It's women in the middle for that Daily Post workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with. [00:11:55]

[00:11:55] One last thought. [00:11:56]

[00:11:57] The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:11:57]