Ey up,
Every single year, like clockwork, this happens:
You have an unreal summer. You’re outside, BBQs every weekend, a few holidays, maybe a festival or two. You’ve actually lived a bit. Especially if you’re in the UK
And you should. Because if you didn’t gain at least a bit of bodyfat this summer… I’m sorry but you didn’t have enough fun.
But then…
Autumn hits.
The sun disappears, the days get shorter, and suddenly you’re “struggling for motivation” and “too busy to train.”
You’ve gone from frozen margaritas and beach runs to hibernating like a bear and calling your local takeaway more often than you do your Nan.
Let’s not pretend this is a new problem
You’ve probably said one of these before:
“I’ll just maintain until Christmas.”
“I’ll get back on track in the New Year.”
“I’ll start when gyms quiet down.”
But the truth is we both know that things never calm down. Especially not in the New Year. If anything, that’s when gyms are busiest.
You’re not maintaining if you do this, you’re quietly reversing all your progress while telling yourself it’s ‘balance’.
Winter Isn’t the Off-Season (Unless You Want It to Be)
The problem with most people is that they treat winter like a break.
I’ve had clients pause coaching for Nov & Dec and return in Jan/Feb 10-15kg heavier because they’ve lost momentum and things got out of control.
That is not an easy fix.
You can’t go back into a diet again because you won’t have metabolically adapted. To get that 15kg back off would mean you going down to nightmaringly low calories, and no one wants to do that in January, it’s dark and depressing enough.
If you sack everything off now, you will be fuming with yourself in January.
And it’s so easily avoidable too.
The gyms are emptier this time of year, especially in December.
No one’s hogging the machines.
No one’s filming TikToks in the squat rack.
It’s the perfect time to actually get ahead.
You could either:
Spend winter “taking it easy” and start over (again) in January
Or stay dialled in and be ahead of everyone else when it matters
Your call.
Here’s what to actually do right now:
✅ Train less, not none. Drop to 3–4 days if you have to, but don’t disappear.
✅ Keep calories consistent. Stop doing the weekday angel/weekend goblin routine.
✅ Prioritise protein and sleep. You’ll thank yourself for both when energy dips.
✅ Get outside. Light exposure and steps still matter, even when it’s cold.
✅ Enjoy the events, don’t live at them. Christmas parties aren’t a weekly thing (or at least they shouldn’t be).
The aim this time of year isn’t perfection. It’s maintenance with intent.
Because when January rolls around, you’ll either be annoyed that you have to start again…
Or grateful you didn’t.
Your choice.
I know which one I’d choose though…
Cheers,
Sheep 🐏
P.S. If you’re done falling into the same winter trap every year, my coaching keeps you accountable when motivation inevitably dips. We’ll build a routine that actually fits around the cold, dark nights, so you don’t undo all your hard work from summer.