We're in that "interesting" time of year, and I use that term loosely!
You know what I'm taking about...
It's that gap time between Thanksgiving and the New Year. It's a crazy busy time, stress is high, and our healthy habits can go in two directions.
People after a big Thanksgiving weekend will step on the scale and see that it has gone up 5 lbs!
Now, here are your two choices:
1. Screw it, it's only once a year. I'm taking the brakes off and will figure it out in January. I'll overeat, enjoy every treat & specialty cocktail, not stress about trying to fit in exercise, and start over in the New Year.
2. Realize it's not that big of a deal. Make a commitment to do your best to keep up your good habits of not overeating, making healthy food selections, and doing some form of exercise every day, even if it's just a 15 minute walk.
What choice will you make?
It's not about being 100% great 100% of the time, it's about being consistently good as much of the time as you can.
Don't beat yourself up that you tried every kind of pie on Thanksgiving and had that last glass of wine your cousin poured for you.
Instead, start taking action the very next day.
I'm not saying 0 to 60; I'm taking about small daily easy-to-incorporate steps.
1. Work out 2-3 times per week; and sneak in exercise anywhere you can. Go for a walk, take the stairs, park at the back of the lot at the mall.
2. Plan your meals as much as you can. Nights you're eating in, make a healthy dish; bring your breakfast & lunch to work.
3. Buy mostly healthy foods when you shop. Amp up your intake of lean meats, fish and chicken. Add veggies wherever you can.
4. Manage the number of treats you have each week. If you have to sample the special fudge that only appears once a year, take a bite, toss the rest out, brush your teeth or chew some gum.
You really have two choices...
The chicken little, sky is falling, break out the fat pants, it's all over approach.
Or...
I enjoyed myself with my friends and family, and the scale is up a couple pounds. That's ok, I'm going to take small, repeatable actions to keep moving forward.
Remember, the holidays do only come around once a year! It should be about friends, family, and food.
You should enjoy yourself.
However, realize that you don't need to toss in the towel, you don't have to wait until 2016 to get back on track. If you don't ever get OFF track, you don't need to worry about making a big change to get back ON track. The sky is not falling, things will be ok, and think about how much further ahead you'll be if you start taking small steps each day to get 1% better, instead of waiting until 2016.
Would it be easier to do this if yo had some help? Do you feel like you would benefit from some coaching, accountability, and motivation to stay on track this holiday season? Do you not want to wait until 2016, but you're not sure where to start?
If you answer YES to those questions, fill out the form below, and we'll coach you all the way into 2016 with personal engagement & interaction, exercise routines, nutrition, and stress management. Start looking better, feeling better, and moving better today.