So you ate ALLLLL of thanksgiving dinner… turkey, stuffing, mashed taters with all the fixin’s, and threw in a couple buttered rolls to boot.

Oh, and don’t forget the slice of pumpkin pie annnnd (admits sheepishly) how you didn’t want to offend anyone, so you went ahead and tried the other two desserts, too.

Sound familiar?

Well, if your posture deflated like an old party balloon as you remembered everything you ate today, perk on up because I’m writing specifically for you, to ask you, “SO WHAT?!”

Ask Yourself One Question

I’ll say it again – so freaking what??

Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around gluttony, and you’re only human, so what if you indulged and *gasp* enjoyed yourself?

Then you’re human.

And the one question I want you to ask yourself is, “is this my norm?”

I mean seriously, pause reading this for a second and think about if eating all the things like you did today is a normal, everyday occurrence for you?

(… I’ll wait while you pause to think it over…

Okay, now that you’ve given it some thought, I bet you came to the realization that you DON’T eat like this everyday, right?

Maybe every once in a while for another holiday or a birthday or some other celebration, maybe even when you’re on vacation you splurge on a few of the days.

So let’s say 21 days out of the year you go all out like you did today, eating all the eats and drinking all the drinks, without regard for calories or macros or even how it’s going to make you feel tomorrow (sugar hangovers are a real thing!).

Even if that’s the case, you’re still eating your normal way 94% of the time.

NINETY-FOUR PERCENT!

Consistency Matters

I don’t care where you went to school, 94% means you passed with flying colors.

Your health is no different – if you’re eating fairly healthfully 94% of the time and indulging the other 6%, you’re absolutely on track to see the results you want.

In fact, I coach my clients to aim for 80% consistency (it’s also what I aim for myself). Because any lifestyle where I don’t get to enjoy the foods and delicious things I love isn’t a lifestyle I’m going to stick to for very long.

Anyone who tells you (even if it’s that bitchy little voice in your head) that you have to be 100% on point to get results is DEAD WRONG.

Could you get there faster if you did everything 100%? Sure.

But will you enjoy it? No.

Will the lifestyle changes last? Odds aren’t in your favor.

Will it suck? Probably.

Will you miss out on some of life? Yep.

So it’s up to you to weigh how fast you want results versus how effective and lasting you want your lifestyle changes to be.

I, myself, am in the camp, and I also coach my clients to be in the camp where getting healthy and enjoying life aren’t mutually exclusive. You can do both!

As long as you’re consistent (again, ~80% of the time) you’ll get the results you want.

So Now What?

So now that you’re sitting there NOT panicking about eating all the eats and drinking all the drinks, here’s what you do:

Be present in the rest of the evening, remember how delicious it all was and how much you enjoyed it, all the people it brought together, the laughs you had, and the good feelings that came from a good Thanksgiving dinner.Then tomorrow you wake up and get back to your norm. 

That’s it… it’s that simple.

You don’t need to do any extra cardio or go on an extra long run. Just get back to normal.