In this conversational, instructional YouTube video, the host tackles the common challenge of maintaining health and fitness during the holiday season. He frames the holidays as an opportunity for progress and delivers nine concise, actionable tips divided into three sections: four general behavioral strategies (setting a positive health goal, writing a non‑negotiables list, securing an accountability buddy, and preparing polite refusals), four food‑focused tactics for the day of the feast (loading up on protein, preparing savory low‑carb side dishes, offering low‑carb dessert alternatives, and taking a post‑meal walk), and a final fallback approach that treats any slip‑ups as experimental data to be measured with journaling or a continuous glucose monitor. Throughout, he blends personal anecdotes, humor, and bio‑hacker rationale, while providing specific recipe ideas (cauliflower mash with ghee, manchego‑stuffed mushrooms, duck‑fat keto gravy, Brussels sprouts with Caesar‑style dip, cheese‑and‑berry platters, fat bombs, keto ice cream) and concrete behavioral cues (e.g., “protein‑then‑pause” method, scripted polite declines). The video concludes with an invitation for viewer feedback and emphasizes family enjoyment as the ultimate priority.
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It's no secret the holidays can be a really hard time for people when it comes to health and fitness. Often, in fact, there's just a learned helplessness, an acceptance that this is just how it is, sometimes even bandaged by banter around holiday weight gain. You know the jokes. But it doesn't have to be like this. In fact, I think the holidays can be a great time to make health progress.. And in this video, I'm gonna give you 9 fast tips on how to make this happen. I'm gonna give you 4 general pieces of advice on approaching the holidays, 4 pieces of advice for the actual big day centered around food, and then 1 piece of advice for if all else fails, if you stick around. Now, this won't be a complex or revolutionary video, but it might just be the the thing you need to hear. All right, let's begin. Number 1, identify a positive health goal. Framing your holiday season with something that you want to accomplish physically can bring a positive vibe to the healthy holiday endeavor. Rather than being restrictive, there's something you're trying to gain, achieve. Maybe you want to learn to do 25 pushups or run 10 miles or do a split. I definitely can't do a split. Or get into cold plunging Even though you hate cold plunging so much that you've been on record for saying you'd rather pull your thumbs off with pliers while standing on hot coals than buy a cold plunge. Oh, that's me. Now, just choose one key thing you want to accomplish to guide you in a positive fashion during the holidays. Then, in a complementary fashion, number 2, create a non-negotiables list. List. These are the things that no matter what, you are promising yourself you won't give in to. For example, some people might say, "I'm not gonna give in to pecan pie at Thanksgiving." For others, it's Christmas cookies. For others, it's alcohol. And it doesn't need to be cold turkey, but you can have strict limits. Whatever's on your list, write it down. And I mean really, like write it down right now, because writing it constitutes a contract with yourself, and it can really help And if you want extra accountability, share this list with a friend. And on that note, tip 3: Find an accountability buddy. This is big. One of the hardest elements of staying healthy during the holidays is the social aspect. There's so much pressure to give in and indulge. So find a force, a friend who will pull you in the other direction. This buddy is your buddy in the tug of war of holiday health. Seriously, turning the table to give health progress a positive halo socially rather than making it a stigmatized endeavor can make or break your success. And this can be a real-life buddy or a virtual buddy or virtual community. Actually, I know people who during the holidays text friends observations about just how much junk and sugar their friends and loved ones in real life are consuming. And I know this sounds mean, but for some people, it's the outlet they need to boost them through the holidays. And for some, it's better to get your dopamine hit from gossip than from 2 slices of pecan pie and 1 of apple and then some ice cream afterwards. All right, moving on. 4, and our last general comment, prepare your polite nose because you will be faced with moments when you are pressured to indulge. And it's usually from a place of love, But that makes it all the harder to say no, so it's worth preparing your go-to no thank yous. What are you gonna actually say? Here are some ideas. You could say, "Thanks, but I'm starting my New Year's resolution early this year." Or, "I'm doing a holiday fitness challenge with my friends." Or, "My holiday treat to myself this year is not gaining the Christmas 15." Insert chuckle here. Or a simple, "No thanks, I'm all set." If you approach it nonchalantly, the person offering should accept it as such. There are many appropriate answers, but prepare something you will be comfortable saying and be ready with it. It's a more potent defense than you realize. Now, moving on to advice for the big day around food and when it comes to eating. Alright, tip 5 is load up on your protein. Now, this shouldn't be a problem at most holiday gatherings, and you can toss out the quarter of your plate rule on MyPlate. I mean, load up on your protein, baby. Like, on a typical Thanksgiving, I probably down at least 150 grams of protein from turkey on my first plate, and then take a hot second to let it settle. This is the protein then pause approach, and it can really satiate you and defuse the temptation to stuff yourself with stuffing and other indulgent treats. And if you're hitting that turkey, don't be afraid of the skin. The fatty bits will also help fill you up, even more so than the lean bits. Also, poultry skin is high in glycine, which has various anti-inflammatory and metabolic health benefits.. You want to learn more about those, check out Consensus, and you can get all the references. Super cool. I'll link to it below. But anyway, moving on. 6. Savory sides. Honestly, this is easier when you're the cook in the family, and if you aren't, I suggest you learn. We in my household have several go-to sides that are holiday crowd pleasers that I want to share. First and foremost, to substitute the mashed potatoes, we make an amazing cauliflower mash with roasted garlic and ghee. Generally, I first boil the cauliflower until semi-soft, and then I roast it until golden brown. And along with that, I roast whole heads of garlic in the clove, which you can then squeeze out beautifully caramelized and blend with the cauliflower and ghee, or butter, possibly with some fresh thyme too. It is so good. Dare I say it's even better than mashed potatoes, and I've gotten those reviews, provided you add enough ghee or butter. And for those who want creaminess but prefer lower calories, a 5% Greek yogurt can be substitute it as well. I don't think it's the same, but you can use it. Oh, and make sure to salt it well. Another delicious, healthy crowd pleaser is manchego stuffed mushrooms. I take baby bella mushrooms, pop out the stems, and stuff them with a mix of manchego, thyme or rosemary, salt, and bacon, and then brush all of it with avocado oil, then salt it and roast them up. They come out looking amazing, kind of fancy, and they're just a great crowd pleaser. Another option, or other options to include that are freaking amazing, are keto gravy made with duck fat and porcini mushrooms, garlic, onions, and bone broth, and I'll drop the recipe to that below, and crispy Brussels sprouts. I know Brussels sprouts are controversial. I really like them, and I make them with a homemade Caesar dressing or dipping sauce that I make by dissolving anchovies in olive oil at low heat than blending in sheep's feta, garlic, macadamia oil for creaminess, and egg yolks. Again, I'll drop the recipes in the video notes below, but those are our go-tos. Now, moving on to 7, the desserts, and I'll be relatively fast. Cheese and berry platters are always a winner. There are a ton you can also do with fat bombs, truffles, like brownie hazelnut fat bombs. Or, you know, berry fat bombs. Really anything you want, there's probably a fat bomb to it. They're elegant and delicious. And keto ice creams are an essential in my house. They're astonishingly filling, especially when made with allulose, and my friends and family absolutely love them. They're also easy to portion. Our favorite is Cherry Garcia. I'll drop some recipes below, and you can prep them well in advance, which is convenient if you have a lot of cooking to do. All right, moving on. 8. The post-meal walk. The biohacker explanation here is that activating your muscles increases the levels of glucose GLUT4 transporters on your muscles to help your muscles better sink glucose and stabilize your blood sugar. And there's truth to this, but honestly, I think planning the walk is as important. Make it a premeditated family and friends activity. I don't know about you, but I find when I know I need to be active later, it decreases my chances that I'll overdo it to a point of discomfort. And finally, if all else fails, make it an experiment. Because here's the thing, you may fall off the wagon. I hope you don't, and I hope these suggestions that I made here are of some value to you, but not 100% of us are going to be 100% successful 100% of the time, and that's okay. It's reality. But if, quote, failure does happen, don't look at it like that, with judgment. Be curious, not critical, and approach your holidays like an experiment. You can even wear a continuous glucose monitor, or keep a journal, or otherwise monitor and measure your health. And I'll repeat myself, be curious, not critical, because at the end of the holidays, if you can walk away with valuable lessons about yourself that you can implement in the new year, that might even be more beneficial than the gains or losses you incurred during the holiday season. Now let me know if this video was helpful. It's not my usual flavor of video. I didn't even say mitochondria or look at these data or ketogenesis or LPL-mediated VLDL turnover once. Well, until now. Let me know if you liked it which, if any, of these thoughts you found helpful and what you'd add to my list. And of course, happy holidays and enjoy family, because that's the most important thing after all.
