A lot happens around the holidays. Everyone is traveling and celebrating one thing or another, which is great. The holidays can also be a stressful time too, though, because of the gifts and the travel and the possible family drama people have to deal with. All of these things are stressful enough on their own, but then you also hear people stressing out about how much they eat during the holidays.

Let's get one thing straight: holiday food is so good.

Some of the best meals of the year happen during the holidays. No matter what you celebrate, almost every celebration is centered around food. This should be seen as an enjoyable thing and something to look forward to, but so many people turn it into a stress-factor. The holidays only come once a year. You have the rest of the year to stick to a smart and healthy and proportionate eating regiment.

I hear so many radio shows and so many article headlines talking about different workouts to burn off or earn your holiday meals and desserts. As someone who loves food and loves working out and loves the holidays, this mentality frustrates me because--

Meals don't have to be earned, and fitness isn't a punishment for eating.

Your meals aren't something that you need to earn or punish yourself for. Food is necessary for survival, and during the holiday season, the fun and flavorful meals are things that you should be looking forward to and be enjoying. While you're filling your plate up with that dish your grandmother still won't tell people the recipe for, you shouldn't be worrying about how many sit-ups you'll need to do the next day to burn off the unknown amount of calories that you're taking in. Calories don't count during the holidays if you ask me.

Working out should be something that people do to better themselves, not something that they do to punish themselves. How can you hope to truly enjoy eating dinner with your family if you're sat there stressing out about how hard you're going to have to hit the gym the next day?

I will be the first to agree with you that the holiday season is a very stressful season. There are a lot of good things happening this time of year and a lot of good energy, but there is so much that has to be done especially if you're the person hosting the holiday celebration. So trust me, I get the stress. But of all the things that stress you out, don't let eating good food be on that list! If you're the one cooking, you have even more reason to be enjoying every single bite. That's your hard work and time right there, and you shouldn't feel like you have to earn that by doing ridiculous workouts.

You don't have to earn your meal. You don't have to work out in order to enjoy the food your family and friends put on the table. Just sit back, eat, and try not to stress out about eating. The holidays only happen once a year, so what's a few extra calories during a few meals? Besides, your meals aren't something that you need to earn regardless of what time of year it is. You need food. Your body needs you to eat meals throughout the day to function and survive and get stronger. Food is never something you have to punish yourself for, especially delicious holiday food.