2012 Holiday Challenge Time!

With Thanksgiving only a day away, the time has come to set some goals to help you make it through the next 6 weeks in good shape physically and emotionally. Now don't get carried away with this idea. Making a goal to lose 10 lbs. this season might not be a great goal if you have historically gained 10 lbs. over the holidays. But making a goal to maintain your current weight might be a great goal. So choose a goal that is appropriate for wherever you are, physically and emotionally, today.

Next step: Write down HOW you are going to make that goal happen, e.g. limit the number of sweets you eat each day, make exercise a priority despite the chaos that ensues, drink more water, etc.

Third: As I mentioned in a recent blog post, visualizing yourself achieving your goal can be very powerful. So every morning, take a few minutes imagining yourself on January 2nd as having succeeded at your goal. Imagine how happy you are going to feel, how proud of yourself you will be for having achieved this goal! How do you look? How does it feel? How does it sound? Imagine yourself eating that delicious, healthy meal instead of the pumpkin pie leftovers and how good the healthy food tastes to you. Really get into the visualization!

Add to that a little moral support and some tracking of your goal progress, and voila! Successful goal setting at it's finest! Okay, so maybe it's not quite that easy. But this can be a recipe for success if you don't let yourself get psyched out by it. Short-term goals are definitely the way to go when you're just starting out, so take this opportunity to start next year's resolution-setting off on the right foot before next year even starts!

The Holiday Challenge Grand Finale!

Okay, I think we can safely say that the holidays are over. So how did you all do? I have to admit that I ended up gaining a little bit from all of my celebrating over the weekend, but not so much that it has me at all worried. I am so motivated to start out this year right, and by the end of this week, I know I will have lost that weight and then some! And that's my final holiday challenge tip for you: keep up the great work! Just because we are officially done with this challenge doesn't mean you should stop trying to be a healthier, happier person. Let's make 2012 our best year yet in every way! And of course, that starts with treating yourself right on the inside and the outside. Love yourself and your body, and give it the good, healthy things it needs to look and feel great. That includes regular exercise and fresh, whole foods.

I am going to start a challenge group really soon, so watch for more information on that. Just so you know, though, the word "challenge" is a little misleading since people in the group are actually working together to help each other succeed with their own personal goals. The challenge comes in challenging yourself to stick to an exercise routine for a month. I think it's a great way to start off this year!

This has been a lot of fun for me! I hope you received some benefit from it. I of course will still continue to blog, so come back and visit often. I welcome your comments and questions!

Holiday Challenge Tip of the Day: Eat Your Vegetables!

Okay, since nobody shared their weigh-in results, I'm taking that to mean you weren't happy with the numbers. So let's move forward here and not throw in the towel. Remember, every treat you don't eat leaves you better off than if you did eat it. So give yourself a pat on the back every time you pass one up, and resolve to do better every time you don't. Also, think about how many fruits and vegetables you eat on a daily basis. If you are anything like me a few years ago, I could easily get through an entire day without eating even one!

Let me just say, even though you already know this, that fruits and vegetables are sooooooo good for you! What's more, vegetables are typically very low-calorie, high-fiber foods. That means you can eat as many as you want and not worry about getting too many calories. And the bonus is that they will help fill you up so you don't eat as much of the not-so-good stuff. So my challenge for you is to add at least one more vegetable into your day than what you typically get. If you don't usually eat any, try putting at least one in. If you eat one at dinner, try adding one to breakfast (in an omelette, for example) or lunch (slice up a cucumber to eat with your sandwich). Your body will thank you for it.

Remember to love yourself and be kind to yourself! That's the best Christmas gift you can give yourself this year! And you deserve it!

Weigh-in Time!

Alright, here goes. I weighed myself this morning and did measurements, and the result is--actually, before I tell you, I just want to remind you that it's okay if you aren't at the point you wanted to be by now. The point is to love yourself! Do you have any idea how amazing and fantastic you are??? And that includes your amazing body that does so much for you! Loving yourself is the first step to better health, so let go of the stress and the frustration and do something nice for yourself, like eat come carrots. :)

Now, back to the weigh-in: I am exactly where I was before Thanksgiving! That's not to say I haven't indulged now and then, but I have really tried hard to eat well this week, and I've been keeping up the exercise almost every day, so the net result is I broke even. And I am so happy with that! I made it through Thanksgiving and my birthday with no weight gain, and now I'm really motivated to keep going strong. I hope you are too! Christmas and New Year's will be a piece of cake--er, celery. (-;

The Holiday Challenge Continues: Every Little Bit Helps

Okay, this is where I apologize for disappearing for 2 entire weeks! It's been a busy couple of weeks. But that doesn't mean I have let myself get lazy with my eating and exercise. I've come to the realization that exercising is a really important part of my day. I feel SO much better if I get up and exercise in the morning, even if I only have time for a really quick run or a little bit of yoga. It does wonders for my mood. So today's tip is do what you can, even if it's just a walk around the block. Eventually your body will thank you for it!

Now, for weigh-ins! I haven't done this before, but if we want to succeed in our goal to keep the weight off during the holidays, it's really helpful for most people to have some accountability. So on Saturday, I highly recommend that you get on here and share how you've been doing: how much weight gained/lost, successes, things you've struggled with, anything you've found that helps, etc. I will do a new post Saturday morning with my own results, and I invite you to share yours in a comment to that post. Or if you don't feel comfortable sharing that with everybody but still want the accountability, you can send me a private message.

Keep up the great work, and don't forget to love yourself!

Happy Birthday to Me (and a holiday challenge tip)

I have had such a fun birthday today and, surprisingly, I have done it without food being a major part of it. That is a really big deal for me, and it has caused me to reflect back on all the years when every celebration has revolved around food, especially junk food. It has been a long journey to get to the point I'm at today, when a friend offered to take me out for ice cream and I actually declined because I don't eat like that anymore. And I said it without the slightest feeling of deprivation! Two things occur to me as I think about this: 1) Everybody's journey to better health is a process that happens one step at a time; so even if you're not where you want to be yet, don't give up. Just pay attention to how far you've come, not how far you have to go. 2) Don't let eating be the center of your life. Of course we all have to eat several times a day to remain healthy (and alive), but we don't have to have our entire lives revolve around it. Try putting your focus on other things, and don't stress about what you can or can't, should or shouldn't eat. Just live life! We're meant to have joy, so let's rejoice in our lives and our health and our bodies. That's my tip today: Relax and enjoy life, putting your focus on your health and your happiness and your blessings rather than on food. You'll feel so much better if you do!

I'm so glad to be alive!

Holiday Challenge Tip 2: Water Is Your Secret Weapon!

How is everybody doing this lovely day? I hope you are all loving your bodies and being kind to yourselves! Here's your tip for the day: Drink water! Your body does best with AT LEAST 64 ounces of water a day (about 8 glasses of water). A lot of times when you are craving something, including sweets, it's just because you are thirsty. So drink lots of water, and when you are craving a treat, try drinking a glass of water first before diving into the ice cream (with the rationalization that your body must need dairy). Often it is just H20 that your body really wants. Also, if you drink a full glass of water 30 minutes before you sit down to a meal, you will be much less likely to overeat. I'm telling you, it works!

Onward, holiday challengees! You're awesome! And remember, water is your secret weapon!

The Holiday Challenge Begins!

Alright, here we are, several days into our Holiday Challenge! I'm going to be posting a "tip of the day" as often as possible to keep us all motivated and focused on our goal, which of course is better health! Don't you always feel so blah by the end of the holiday season when you've gained a ton of weight thanks to all of the holiday goodies that are constantly surrounding you? Yeah, me too! So this year is going to be different! Now I'm not suggesting that you try to cut out the goodies altogether because that's just a recipe for failure (no pun intended). What I am suggesting is MODERATION! Instead of eating that entire plate of peppermint caramel brownies, why not just have one? And don't be afraid to throw things away if there gets to be too much stuff around. Your sweet neighbor who brought it over will never know, so don't feel obligated to eat it all.

Okay, now for today's tip: Be nice to yourself! You do not have to be perfect (in fact we couldn't be even if we tried), so don't be yourself up just because you slipped up. If you ate a little too much pie over Thanksgiving, forgive yourself and let it go. Keep your focus on the now, and just work on doing better today, or even this moment, rather than beating yourself up for yesterday. If there's one thing I want you to learn through this challenge, it's to love yourself. So be nice, and tell your body how much you love it and how grateful you are for it!