The holiday season is a time for family, friends, and food. Lots and lots of food. It’s easy to let your healthy habits slide during this time of year, but it’s important to try to maintain them as best you can. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

Keep your habit stack small.

(Not sure what a habit stack is? Read here.)

You’re probably already feeling overwhelmed with all that the holidays entail. Adding a bunch of new healthy habits to your plate (pardon the pun) is only going to make you feel more stressed out. So pick one or two things to focus on and don’t try to do too much all at once. Small changes still add up big over time!

Celebrate your successes…no matter how small they may be.

If you manage to stick to your healthy habits most days of the week, give yourself a pat on the back! Remember, we’re aiming for progress, not perfection – roughly 80% consistency will have you making progress. And I know it’s not always easy to pat yourself on the back, so it’s important to take the time to celebrate your accomplishments—no matter how small they may seem. Every little bit counts!

Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day.

Life happens and sometimes our best intentions fall by the wayside. If you have an off day, don’t dwell on it or beat yourself up about it. Just pick up where you left off and keep going. You didn’t fail at life or suck as a person… you just had life happen. And that’s OKAY! We all miss. It’s what we do when we miss that matters most (see next point).

Don’t Miss Twice!

This is probably the most important tip of all. It’s very easy to let your healthy habits lapse during the holiday season, but it’s important to try not to let that happen. If you do miss a day, get back on track as soon as possible and don’t miss again. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get back into the groove of things. Remember, like James Clear keeps telling us – don’t miss twice. We WILL miss. But missing twice puts us on the path of creating a new habit .. of missing.

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, but it can also be a difficult one when it comes to maintaining healthy habits. Between all the parties, events, and tempting holiday treats, it’s easy to let your good intentions go out the window. But it’s important to try to stay on track as best you can. Use these tips to help you maintain your healthy habits this holiday season and ring in the New Year feeling great!