Thursday, July 3, 2014

Holiday food, fun and forgiveness

One of the biggest challenges we face is holiday food and fun - especially if you are just starting out on a weight loss journey and lifestyle changes have not become a part of your lifestyle just yet. Fortunately for us, the biggest success we find during the holidays is forgiveness. Whether you have recently implemented healthier food and exercise into your life or have been on this path for years. Take a moment to prepare and set yourself up for a great weekend, it can make a huge difference in how you feel come Sunday evening. As the old saying goes - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"! Give yourself permission to enjoy in moderation. Realize that during a holiday weekend, such as the 4th of July, there will be temptation and opportunity to stray from your path. If we allow ourselves to indulge a little in traditional BBQ fare then we will be less likely to deny, deny, deny and finally binge, binge, binge. Ramp up your exercise routine. Make time to go for a run, bike ride, fitness class, whatever it might be and get your metabolism working for you. The great thing about exercise - once you get the fire burning it will keep burning for you even after you have finished working out. Best option: make fitness a family and friend activity such as a playing ball, swimming, walking, etc. We are way more likely to be active when we enjoy it and when we have buddies with us. Stay hydrated! This is so very important - we are out in the sun, drink in the hand, food on the plate, water in the pool/ocean/lake... make sure to drink plenty of water too. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you, so although you may be drinking plenty, your body is not getting as much water as it needs. Heat and sun cause us to perspire, again losing water. So be sure to drink plenty of water to replace what you are losing and keep your body hydrated and healthy. Forgive yourself! The next best step. If you slip up over the weekend, recover quickly. The more time we spend dwelling on what we did wrong is less time we spend focusing on what to do right. So you drank too much, ate too much, didn't work out for 4 days... we can get back on track and the sooner the better. Start by drinking plenty of water and adding back in your healthy food items. Make time to begin working out again, and if you have to - start small and slow. Our minds are powerful, be sure that the power of your mind is positive, encouraging and uplifting. Our bodies are adaptable, a slip up is not the end of the road, simply an opportunity to begin again. Every day we start anew, yesterday is over and done with - move on.

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