The December Survival Guide
Your no nonsense guide to staying in the game when the holiday season tries to pull you off track.
When December arrives, life speeds up. Social plans pile up, work deadlines shift, travel gets messy and suddenly your usual structure feels harder to hold. It is the same pattern every year. The season gets louder and your routine gets pulled in every direction.
For athletes this creates a choice. You can slip into the classic holiday shutdown where you decide everything is too hard until January, or you can stay present, stay active and stay in charge even when your schedule looks nothing like normal. This guide is here to give you the second option with actual strategy, not guilt or pressure.
Let’s get into it.
Training still counts even when it is not pretty
December loves to convince athletes that short sessions or messy weeks do not matter. Here is the reality. Your body responds to stimulus, not aesthetics. It cares that you trained, not whether the session looked perfect.
What actually drives progress this month
• Exposure to load
• Repetition of movement patterns
• Maintaining basic training rhythm
• Keeping your mind engaged with the process
Which means
• Thirty minutes still creates meaningful stimulus
• One main lift still maintains strength
• A walk still regulates your stress response
• A half session still builds momentum
The only truly unhelpful option is skipping the entire week because it felt imperfect. A short session always wins over no session.
Minimums will save you from the holiday landslide
Your minimums are the reason December does not become a four week free fall. They give you structure without pressure. They keep your athlete identity intact even when your schedule is chaotic.
Useful minimums look like
• Two training sessions each week
• Protein at each meal
• Daily movement or steps
• A consistent bedtime window
• One small daily ritual to regulate your nervous system
Minimums protect your baseline. They stop you from abandoning the month and waking up in January feeling like you have to rebuild everything from zero.
Expect inconsistency and plan around it
Trying to force a perfect week in December is a guaranteed way to feel overwhelmed. Instead, treat inconsistency as part of the plan.
Ask smarter questions
• What version of training fits the day
• What is my real capacity right now
• Which parts of my program matter most this week
• How can I support my body around social events
Examples that work in real life
• Do your main lift and leave
• Train at 6am if nights are busy
• Make travel days movement days
• Choose loads that match your energy, not your ego
• Swap sessions without making it a whole thing
Athletes who adapt will always feel better in January than athletes who fight the month and lose.
Recovery matters more than your numbers
December hits your system from all angles. Social load, emotional load, alcohol, late nights, travel, inconsistent meals. None of this means you are doing anything wrong. It simply means your recovery needs more intention.
Recovery basics worth protecting
• Drink water, please
• Eat enough protein even on event days
• Rest properly when you can
• Move your body the day after events
• Choose lower intensity sessions when your system is overloaded
• Listen when your body gives feedback
Your performance is not slipping. Your lifestyle load is rising. Adjust accordingly.
Social pressure is real. Here is how to handle it like an athlete.
Most athletes are not thrown off by training. They are thrown off by people. December can feel like a constant negotiation of expectations, invitations and comments that would never happen in July.
Here is how to stay in charge without being dramatic or defensive
• Stop narrating your choices
You do not need to explain what you are eating, drinking or doing.
• Use the anchor choice method
Choose one thing to control at each event.
Protein, water, steps or bedtime. One anchor is enough.
• Do not make future promises
Avoid saying things like “I will train extra tomorrow.” It reinforces guilt.
• Remove moral language around food
There is no “good” or “bad” choice. There are just choices.
• Move your body the next day
Not as punishment. As regulation. It resets your system faster than anything.
• Know your boundaries
If you need to leave earlier or temper the drinking, do it. You are allowed to protect your next day.
This is how you enjoy the season without letting the season run your life.
Your coach cannot support what you hide
This is the month where communication matters. We cannot adjust your plan if we do not know what is going on. You do not get extra points for doing December alone.
Tell us
• When your schedule changes
• When you feel flat
• When your session needs adjusting
• When travel will interrupt training
• When you need a simplified week
• When you are winning at something
MWBC is a coaching community. It only works when you stay connected.
January does not reset your body. December shapes your momentum.
There is this idea that everything magically starts fresh on January 1. That has never been true. The version of you that walks into January is built during December.
If you stay engaged
• Even with shorter sessions
• Even with flexible structure
• Even with imperfect weeks
You enter January with rhythm already in motion. Athletes who maintain minimums through December start the new year steadier, stronger and far more confident than those who opt out and hope motivation arrives later.
The real takeaway
December does not need perfection. It needs presence. It needs small daily choices that match your priorities. It needs you to keep yourself in the picture even when life gets busy.
Choose the things that steady you.
Adjust when the day demands it.
Enjoy the season without handing away your goals.
—MWBC Team
