Lifestyle After the Holidays: Recuperate and Build Lasting Habits

The holidays are a time for celebration, connection, and indulgence. However, with the New Year, many of us start to think about resetting and creating positive habits for the months ahead. Instead of aiming for perfection, what if we focused on building sustainable routines that last beyond January?

Inspired by the wisdom of Liam Holmes, Head of Nutrition at Marchon, let’s explore a different mindset for change. A mindset that isn’t about chasing our best days, but about improving our worst.

Why Raising Your Baseline Matters

Your brain isn’t designed for transformation. It’s designed for survival. It conserves energy by automating decisions and relying on familiar patterns. This is why ambitious resolutions often crumble under the weight of life’s challenges.

Consider the difference between these two approaches:

Scenario A: Raising the Ceiling

• Start the week strong with perfect meals and intense workouts.
• By midweek, stress derails progress, leading to skipped workouts and poor food choices.
• By the weekend, the cycle ends in burnout and old habits.

Scenario B: Raising the Floor

• Start small. Add a vegetable to dinner or take the stairs.
• Even on stressful days, maintain manageable habits. Habits like eating a prepped lunch.
• By the weekend, you are not perfect, but you’ve sustained your baseline behaviors.

The second approach works because it aligns with how your brain functions. It builds consistency and momentum. It creates neural pathways that make healthier choices automatic. This is how true, lasting change happens.

Steps to Raise Your Baseline

Here are three steps to apply this mindset. They can help you recover from the holidays and look ahead:

1. Identify Your Current Baseline
   • What do your habits look like on your toughest days?
   • Which choices feel effortless, even when stressed?
   • Understand your default behaviors as the starting point.
2. Design Minimal Viable Improvements
   • What’s one small step up from your current baseline?
   • Choose actions that are so easy they're almost impossible to skip.
   • Examples: Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning or stretching for five minutes.
3. Focus on Consistency Over Intensity
   • Can you commit to these actions for a month?
   • Would you do them even when motivation is low?
   • Sustainable habits grow through repetition, not extremes.

The Power of Environment

Your environment shapes your habits more than willpower ever could. Set yourself up for success by designing spaces that support your baseline behaviors:

• Keep healthy snacks visible and accessible.
• Limit opportunities for poor choices. Organize your pantry or pre-prep your meals.
• Create systems that make good decisions effortless. Schedule workouts or keep gym clothes ready to go.

The Long-Term Impact

A 1% improvement in your baseline might seem insignificant. However, these small changes compound. Your worst days gradually surpass what used to be your average. This creates a solid foundation for growth. It’s better to be consistently good than occasionally great.

When life’s challenges arise—and they will—you won’t rise to your aspirations. You’ll fall to the level of your baseline. Make that baseline worthwhile.

Key Takeaways for the New Year

• Start small and focus on actions that feel manageable.
• Build habits that can withstand stress and fatigue.
• Design environments that make healthy choices easy.
• Trust the process. Small steps lead to lasting change.

As we turn the page to 2025, let’s shift our focus from perfection to progress. This year, instead of asking how good your best days can be, ask yourself: How good are my worst days? Raise your baseline. You’ll find that consistency and resilience lead to a thriving lifestyle that lasts.

Here’s to a strong, sustainable, and healthy start to the New Year!