Ep 137: 5 Ways to Stay Healthy During the Holidays Even When You’re Busy

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The holidays are full — full schedules, full plates, full emotions… and often, a very empty tank. If you want to enjoy the season without sacrificing your health, your energy, or your sanity, this short episode is for you.

Today I’m sharing 5 simple, doable tips to help you stay grounded and healthy during the holiday season, even if life is hectic, routines are out the window, and you feel like you barely have time to breathe.

These aren’t tips about perfection, strict rules, or adding more to your plate. They’re about staying connected to yourself, feeling strong, and taking care of your body, mind, and spirit in small ways that truly make a difference.

📝 The 5 Tips We Cover

1. Move your body in ways that fit your season
   (Think: 10-minute walks, strength circuits, quick mobility — no all-or-nothing allowed.)
2. Prioritize presence over perfection
   (Check in with yourself instead of chasing unrealistic expectations.)
3. Keep nourishment simple
   (Anchor meals in protein, plants, and hydration without going into restriction mode.)
4. Build micro-moments of grounding
   (Breathwork, a pause before meals, stepping outside for one minute of fresh air.)
5. Choose one thing to stay consistent with
   (A simple, steady anchor creates huge ripple effects during chaotic seasons.)

💬 This episode is especially helpful if…

• You always lose momentum on your health and wellness during the holidays
• You want to feel strong and grounded without rigid rules
• You’re tired, overwhelmed, or feeling pulled in too many directions
• You want a plan that supports your future self in January
• You want your holidays to feel intentional, nourishing, and balanced

🔗 Links Mentioned

• Wellness Wakeup Session (Black Friday sale is on NOW!)
• Holiday Grounding Checklist (free!)

⭐️ Takeaway

You don’t need a perfect routine this holiday season — you just need a realistic one that supports your energy and makes you feel like you. Small things count, especially right now.

Support the show

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For more information about the podcast, visit www.realbraveunstoppable.com. To learn more about your host, Kortney Rivard, visit www.kortneyrivard.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:51):
Hello friends, and welcome backto Real, Brave, Unstoppable for
episode number 137.
This is a short little episodeI'm bringing you today.
If you are part of my onlinecommunity and get my periodic
email sharing valuable content,you might've seen an email with

(01:12):
five tips for holiday sanity.
And I'm just gonna go over thosefive tips here in advance of the
big weekend so you can havesomething really helpful that
will support you.
So just a little permission slipto take care of yourselves this
weekend, in the middle ofeverything, and sort of help you

(01:32):
get intentional about how youwanna show up in December for
yourself.
Thanksgiving weekend, blackFriday, all of the things, can
be a really beautiful time.
That that holiday spirit startsto really come out and it can
also get really busy and noisyand just full of a lot of
expectations.

(01:54):
So I'm gonna talk about fivethings that you can really work
on implementing to help yourselfstay grounded and present
through this time of the year.
So the first thing is, tipnumber one is to choose a daily
non-negotiable.

(02:14):
So just pick one thing thathelps you feel good every day.
And it doesn't mean that youcan't do other things, but this
is just one thing.
It can be the same thing everyday, or it can be different day
to day, depending on what youneed.
So it can be a walk, it can beextra water, it can be
stretching, it can be five deepbreaths.

(02:36):
It can be connecting with afriend.
One simple and doable groundinghabit.
Is way better than 10unrealistic ones that will never
happen.
So keep it simple.
Tip number two is eat withintention, not rules.

(02:58):
So when you're having yourThanksgiving dinner or there's a
lot of food around, snacksaround with your meal, build
your plate with some protein, avegetable, some fiber, and
something you love.
It's not about restricting.
It's about feeling your bestwhile enjoying your holiday, and

(03:18):
you can certainly indulge inwhatever you want.
It's just, if you've ever eatenThanksgiving dinner and felt
like somebody needs to roll youhome, that's not a good feeling.
Nobody wants to feel that way,so slow down, eat mindfully.
Enjoy what you're eating.
Chew your food, set down yourfork between bites.

(03:41):
Connect with people over thisbeautiful day.
We don't need to eat things justbecause they're there.
If you really tune in to see if,do I really want this?
Am I really gonna enjoy this?
That's a game changer.
Okay, so tip number three ismove your body in a way that
feels good.
This is not punishment forindulging.

(04:02):
It is not a way to erasecalories.
It's not a chore.
It's something that supportsyour energy.
Maybe it's a cozy walk, doingsome yoga or dancing in the
kitchen, or maybe it is yourfavorite workout, but do
something that feels really goodto you and it all counts, even
walks.

(04:22):
This is also a good time toconsider what's my energy level
today?
And I think keeping movement inour routine during the holidays,
it's about sustaining the habit.
It's about protecting the habit,not just letting it all go.
So if you normally exercise, forexample, or do your movement at,

(04:44):
you know, seven or eight in themorning, keep doing that, but
you don't have to do it as longor as intensely.
If you just protect the habit,you won't lose that momentum.
So even if you fall off track alittle bit, you won't get to
January and be like, oh my God,I haven't worked out in six
weeks.
That's not a good feelingeither.

(05:05):
So if you can, like I said, justprotect the habit.
Tip number four is to protect apocket of alone time.
This time of the year can be sobusy, especially if we have
younger kids that just require alot of, maybe it's
transportation to events or, youknow, it's, uh, if you have
really little kids and it'sjust, you know, they're excited

(05:27):
too.
Take some time for yourself,even if you don't have kids,
protect that pocket of time.
Even if it's five minutesoutside, I think fresh air is so
good for this.
It just really kind of has atendency to like kind of
reset...
at least for me.
Or a quick bathroom reset cankeep you from slipping into

(05:51):
overwhelm.
Even if you have to go in yourcloset.
Space is a gift that you cangive yourself this time of year.
Or anytime really.
And tip number five is centeredaround food.
But choose your"hell yes" foods.
Indulge on purpose.
Stay mindful.

(06:11):
Skip the stuff that's justthere.
If it's not a hell yeah, justtry passing it by and savor what
you really love.
And one little trick that Ithink can work here too, is if
you're noticing you're reallycraving something that's out on
the table, like go for it.
But one thing that you can tryis to drink some water.

(06:35):
If you drink a little water,sometimes you forget about the
craving or you, you don't reallyneed it'cause you're just
thirsty.
And also if we stay mindful of,you know, choosing our"Hell yes"
foods, we don't just keepmindlessly eating.
I think that stuff tends toreally snowball.

(06:56):
At least I know for myself if Iam being mindless about what I'm
eating, it just kind of tends toperpetuate itself.
Whereas if I can slow down andreally be present and like kind
of savor what I'm eating and,and make good choices or choices
that I do want, it just feels alot better.

(07:20):
And it does really taste a lotbetter when it's intentional.
When you're like, yeah, I'mgonna have this and I'm gonna
enjoy it.
There's no guilt around this.
I'm choosing it, making achoice.
It's a little more empoweringfeeling.
Rather than letting everythingpull you along like you're
deciding.
It feels good.
So those are my five tips.

As a recap (07:41):
number one was choose a daily non-negotiable,
stick with it.
Second, eat with intention, notrules.
The third was move your body ina way that feels good.
Number four, protect a pocket ofalone time.
And five, choose your"hell yeahfoods".

(08:01):
So for the rest of this week, ifthings are feeling a little

chaotic or full, remember (08:05):
your January self starts with the
choices you make right now-tiny, intentional, doable
choices.
And your January self will thankyou, your November self and
December self for making thesechoices now.
Because you won't have as muchgetting back on track to do so.

(08:29):
I hope these tips help youbreathe a little deeper and
easier this weekend.
I am rooting for you as always.
And I'm so grateful to have youin my community.
Before I go, I wanna sharesomething pretty awesome i'm
offering you from now untilDecember 1st.
If the holidays tend to knockyou off your routines or you

(08:51):
feel like you go into Decemberwith the best intentions and
come out the other side,exhausted, disconnected, and
promising yourself that Januarywill be different.
I created something that canactually help with that.
And it's called the WellnessWake Up session.
It's a single powerful sessionwhere we get clear on what's
really keeping you stuck,whether that's your habits, your

(09:12):
mindset, your energy, or justthe busyness of life.
And we create a simplepersonalized plan or roadmap
that actually fits your realworld.
So you can book it now and startin January if you want a clean
slate and a strong reset for thenew year, or, if you want
support, now so you can staygrounded and connected through

(09:34):
the holidays instead of slidinginto survival mode, we can start
sooner.
Either way you'll walk away withclarity direction and the exact
steps to get your spark back.
And like I said, I'm running ablack friday sale on the
wellness wake up this year.
So if you've been thinking aboutworking with me or you want a

(09:54):
supportive plan for the holidaysor a strong start to January,
this is literally the best timeto grab it.
You can grab your wellness wakeup session at the link in the
show notes.
Alright, my friends, thank youagain for being here today.
I wish you a wonderfulthanksgiving weekend.

(10:16):
Happy shopping if you're intothat kind of thing.
Happy Christmas tree putting upif you do that this weekend as
well.
And i'm so grateful for you andI will be back soon with another
episode of Real, brave andUnstoppable.
See you soon.