"I'll run it off tomorrow." "I earned this food." "I only do the Turkey trot so I can actually enjoy dinner."
By the time the holidays roll around, most of us have heard some version of this so many times it barely registers. It's just how people talk this time of year.
But if you already have a complicated relationship with exercise, those comments don't just float by. They land. And between Thanksgiving and New Year's, movement can shift from something you do for yourself into something you feel you owe.
As an eating disorder therapist in Fairfield, CT, I see this come up every year around this time. Let's talk about what over-exercise looks like during the holidays, why this season makes it louder, and what you can do if you see yourself in any of this.
Why the Holidays Make It Louder
The holidays pile a lot on. Your routine gets thrown off by travel, parties, and family schedules. Meals happen at different times, with food you didn't choose. For a lot of people, the workout becomes the one thing that still feels predictable,.
Then there's the noise. Diet talk. Someone commenting on what's on your plate, or on their own body. New Year's "reset" ads, and talk about enjoying food now before the new year comes is far too common. Seeing family and old friends you haven't seen in a year, and the comparison that comes with it.
And if you're someone who tends to hold yourself to a high standard, the gym can feel like the one place you're still on top of things when everything else feels a little out of your hands. That makes sense. It's also exactly why it can get out of balance so quickly.
Signs Exercise Has Shifted From Care to Compensation
Over-exercise (sometimes called compulsive exercise) can happen at any body size, and it often goes unnoticed because from the outside it just looks like discipline. Here are a few things to pay attention to.
You plan workouts around meals, not around how you feel. If you're adding time to a run because of a dinner on your calendar, the workout is doing a different job than taking care of you.
Missing a workout brings up guilt, anxiety, or irritability. A skipped day feels less like a schedule change and more like you did something wrong.
You push through when your body is asking you to stop. Working out sick, injured, or running on four hours of sleep because stopping feels harder than continuing.
You skip plans to fit a workout in. Leaving the party early or missing the breakfast and coffee date with a friend because the workout has to happen before the rest of the day unfolds.
Rest days feel like something you have to earn. You only let yourself take a day off if you've "been good" with food.
A number decides whether it was a good day. Steps, calories burned, miles. If the number is off, so is your mood.
What to Try Instead This Season
You don't have to stop moving to have a healthier relationship with exercise. The goal is to get curious about why you're doing it.
Check your why before you start. Before a workout, ask yourself: am I doing this because it feels good, or because I'm trying to make up for something? You don't have to change anything yet. Just notice the answer.
Let holiday food just be food. You don't need to earn a meal beforehand or burn it off after. Your body knows what to do with the food.
Choose movement that connects you to people. A walk after dinner because you like the company. Playing outside with your kids or nieces and nephews. Movement doesn't have to be a workout to matter.
Put rest on the calendar on purpose. If rest only happens when you've "earned" it, try scheduling it ahead of time, the same way you'd schedule a class.
Have a line ready for diet talk. Choose something simple and then change the subject. You don't owe anyone an explanation for what you’re eating, and you don’t need to engage in the conversation.
Getting Support
If exercise feels less like a choice and more like a rule you can't break, it’s important to pay attention to that. The same goes if food and movement are taking up more of your headspace than you'd like this season. You don't need to wait until it gets "bad enough," and you don't need to wait until January.
At Naturally You Counseling & Wellness, I offer eating disorder therapy and body image counseling for those who are tired of the constant thoughts, rigidity and rules. I see clients in person at my Fairfield, CT office, serving Fairfield, Southport, Westport, Trumbull, and the surrounding area, as well as virtually across Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
If any of this sounded familiar, reach out to schedule a consultation. This year, you get to have as much enjoyment during the holidays as possible.
With Love,
Briana