Managing holiday stress with movement, sleep and routine

The holidays are supposed to be joyful, and a lot of the time they are. They can also be a lot: extra events, travel, money worries, family dynamics, end-of-year deadlines and a to-do list that never seems to shrink.

You can't control every part of the season. But there are three things that are mostly in your hands, and they make a real difference in how the weeks feel: how you move, how you sleep and how you structure your days.

Movement: your reset button

Many people find that moving their body is one of the most reliable ways to clear their head. You don't need a long or intense workout to feel the difference. Often the most helpful movement during a stressful week is the kind you'll actually do.

Keep it short and frequent

A 10-minute walk after lunch, a few minutes of stretching before bed, or a quick bodyweight circuit in the morning all count. Short sessions are easier to fit in, and they're easier to say yes to on a hard day.

Get outside when you can

Even a cold December walk around the block gets you some daylight and fresh air. In Utah County, a clear winter morning with the mountains in view is hard to beat.

Train with people

Working out alongside others gives you something to look forward to and someone who notices when you don't show up. For a lot of our members, the "gym family" at Boom is as much a part of why they come as the workout itself.

Match the workout to the day

If you're exhausted, a gentle walk might serve you better than a hard session. If you're wound up and restless, a strength workout can feel great. Listen to what your body is telling you.

Sleep: protect it like an appointment

Late parties, travel and long to-do lists all chip away at sleep. And when sleep slips, everything else tends to feel harder: patience runs short, cravings get louder and workouts feel heavier.

A few habits that help:

• Keep a consistent wake-up time. Even after a late night, getting up around your normal time helps keep your schedule steady.
• Build a short wind-down. Ten to fifteen minutes of something calm, like reading, stretching or a shower, tells your body the day is ending.
• Dim the screens. Try putting your phone away a little earlier than usual, or at least out of reach of your bed.
• Watch late caffeine. That afternoon peppermint latte might be the reason you're staring at the ceiling at midnight.
• Leave parties a little earlier. You won't miss much in the last hour, and you'll feel better tomorrow.

Routine: a few anchors in a busy season

When your schedule changes every day, a small set of habits you keep no matter what can make the whole week feel more manageable. Think of them as anchors, not rules.

Pick two or three from this list:

• Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.
• Eat a breakfast with some protein.
• Move for at least 10 minutes.
• Step outside for a few minutes of daylight.
• Write tomorrow's top three tasks before bed.
• Go to bed at roughly the same time on most nights.

Keep them small enough that you could do them even on your busiest day. The point is to have a few things that stay the same when everything else is changing.

A simple stress-friendly week

Here's what this might look like in practice:

• Two or three workouts on the days you're least likely to be pulled away. Group sessions are great here because they're already scheduled.
• Daily walks of 10 minutes or more, ideally outdoors.
• One evening a week with nothing planned. Protect it.
• A consistent bedtime on at least five nights.

If you're traveling, our holiday travel workouts make it easy to keep the movement part going.

Give yourself some grace

Some weeks, you'll do all of this. Some weeks, you'll barely manage one thing. Both are normal. The goal isn't to have a perfect December. It's to keep a few good habits close enough that you feel like yourself, and to come out of the season ready for what's next.

If you've been feeling persistently down, anxious or overwhelmed, please reach out to your doctor or a mental health professional. You don't have to handle it alone.

And if you're already thinking about the new year, read why starting your goals in December can make January a lot easier.