5 Ways To Get Back Into Your Wellness Routine If You Caved Over The Holidays

The holidays are officially over, and now all we can all think about are our upcoming spring break vacations.

And that means we need to think about our spring break vacation bodies.

Like most people over the holidays, I definitely did a whole bunch of slacking off in terms of my wellness routine, and more than likely, you did, too.

Many people think it's super easy to just bounce right back into your old routine, but unfortunately, it's one of those things that's easier said than done.

Follow these five tips, and you'll be back into the swing of things:

1. Stop feeling guilty.

Seriously, stop.

You caved over the holidays because you wanted some extra cuddle time with your SO. You got to see your aunt from New York whom you haven't seen since this time last year.

Your grandma made some ballin' food, and you wanted to enjoy it.

Remember that your life isn't solely about getting fit and staying fit. Which would you prefer more: having that perfect beach body under your ugly Christmas sweater or holding your newborn cousin surrounded by family?

If you're anything like me, you skipped out on your wellness routine because you had better things to do.

Also like me, you should stop beating yourself up over it. You only have one chance to actually *live your life*, and congrats to spending it with people who love you.

2. Start small.

Once you've kicked your existential crisis of missing basically a whole month of your fitness game, focus on what you can do now.

Even if you stopped hitting the gym for a week, your body has already lost some of your endurance.

If you normally take a 5-mile jog in the morning, start with 3 this week.

If you normally have a 45-second recovery time between sets, give yourself a little over a minute this time. Focus on getting back into your work-out flow, whatever that might be.

If you typically walk a warm-up half mile before hitting the weights, try to remember what got you going while on the treadmill.

Don't expect yourself to automatically jump right back into to your old routine because your body won't be able to handle it, and you'll end up getting more frustrated than feeling good.

3. Use the buddy system.

My mindset is typically to suffer alone. If I'm sweating, I like to do it on my own.

But I find that when I've had some time away from my wellness routine, there is nothing like having a friend to hold me accountable until I'm back in full force.

Having someone there will not only keep you to your defined fitness schedule, but it can also help you set up mental competitions.

Push yourself. If they run one mile, push to be a little faster.

As long as it's healthy competition, you're setting yourself up for actually wanting to come back to the gym and beat your old PR. (Also, it's just nice to see someone else have a rough go, too. Misery loves company.)

4. Enough with the booze.

Put the beer back in the fridge. There's a reason they call it it a beer gut, booze belly, what have you.

And unfortunately, it has everything to do with how awful most alcoholic drinks are for you. They're sugary, high in calories and overall pretty detrimental to your fitness goals.

Instead of binge drinking (quick FYI, anything more than five drinks for a man and four drinks for a woman is binge drinking), try drinking a glass of your favorite adult beverage at dinner or during your nighttime TV show.

Limit yourself to one boozy drink a day and keep in mind that one "cheat night" could set you back almost a whole week.

Save your "cheats" for a special night out with friends.

5. Break up with Starbucks.

God, I wish I was joking.

Speaking of drinks that are awful for you, those perfectly Instagrammable lattes have got to go.

Trust me, I know it's easy to pick up the habit over the holidays, but you need to move on. Just a Tall of your friendly neighborhood White Chocolate Mocha is 340 calories per cup with 41 grams of sugar. (PS, according to the American Heart Association, the daily max for added sugars should only be 37.5 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Just some food for thought.)

So basically, your one daily dose of Starbucks latte sets you well over your maximum sugar intake in one sitting.

It's time to break up.

If you need to indulge in caffeine, make it from home and avoid losing all the hard work from the gym.

Look, being fit and having a wellness routine is hard enough as it is.

Accept the fact that no singular human is perfect. You deserved to cave! It was the holidays!

But with these five tips, you'll be back in your A-game in no time.