Christmas is in just a few days!! Eeeee. I absolutely love this time of year. I love the Christmas season and everything that goes along with it. It really is magical. <3
However, it is dang freaking busy as well. I’m not a huge fan of that. 🙁 It also doesn’t mesh well with the whole “trying to live a healthy lifestyle” thing.
Case in point, I went to a High School Drill Team party with my daughter last night and there were SO MANY treats!!! Ahhhh.
I seriously don’t think I’ve ever been to a party with that many treats before….and that’s sayin’ something! Thankfully, I’m starting to feel a little bit “treated out,” so it wasn’t too hard to resist most of this. I did try a few tastes of things, but that was it.
Ya know, it’s interesting….if you read my last post, you know that my family and I were very sick for a few weeks recently. Yes, it sucked. I’m happy to say we are all doing well now (I really hope I didn’t just jinx us!) However, the combination of going out of town for Thanksgiving and then being so sick for a couple of weeks really got me off track health-wise.
Then, when I DID start to feel better, we were smack dab in the middle of the holiday season which made it very hard for me to feel motivated or want to be uber strict. Ugggh.
I’m happy to say that I’m back to a regular exercise schedule once again and it feels soooooo good, but my healthy eating has just been kind of “meh.” It seems like most of my meals have looked something like this;
- A protein shake full of tons of greens and good stuff……with a cookie on the side!
- Some scrambled egg whites with a small handful of candy!
- Some Christmas treats with a side of chicken.
- A salad full of tons of veggies and a slice of pizza.
Yes, the struggle is real. I certainly haven’t thrown all caution to the wind, but I just haven’t been as mindful as I usually am. I’ve kind of been okay with it though because I think the Christmas treats help to make the season fun! I’ve also been crazy busy (aren’t we all) and really feel like I’ve been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off…..so I’ve just been living on survival mode.
Excuses, excuses, I know. It’s also reality. Sigh.
I certainly feel quite a bit poofier too! It’s so not fun, but I’m owning it.
Ya know, there have been some years when I’ve done GREAT during the holidays. I’ve stuck to a regular work out schedule, steered clear of all the treats and have stuck to my guns.
There have also been some years when I just haven’t done so hot during the holiday season. My workouts were hit and miss and I didn’t exercise much self control in the healthy eating department.
AND ya know what, I actually think both scenarios are A-OK. When I set and stick to goals, I always learn so much, feel great and am really proud of myself. However, when I slack a little bit it’s usually because I’m livin’ up life, making memories and am enjoying myself….obviously within reason.
Life really is all about the balance and each of us has to decide what that balance will be!
With that being said, I really much prefer to live a health and fitness focused life. It really is so rewarding and it blesses my life and makes me a better person!
However, it’s also so healthy and therapeutic for me to relax and take a break from health and fitness sometimes too! I really try to limit those “breaks” to a few days at a time, but hey, the Christmas season is sure fun and I’m happy to soak it up!
Interestingly enough, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas being OVER, my life slowing down a bit, my productivity ramping up and health a fitness becoming a big focus in my life again. I’m more than ready to be mindful and disciplined again!
In fact, I’m setting some goals for myself that I’m starting on December 26th. I’m not waiting for the New Year. I’m actually going to NYC the middle of January with my mom and sister! YAY, YAY, YAY! New York City is my favorite place on the planet and could not be happier about going there again!
However, I know I will want to enjoy myself and eat some yummy food while I’m there too. Soooo, I’m setting some goals from December 26 until we leave on January 11th. THEN, I’ll set some new goals when I get back.
I thought about stickin’ to my goals while I’m in NYC too, but then I thought, “Nah, how often will I be in NYC with my mom and sister!??!” I just want to enjoy myself. I’ll still try to make healthy decisions and I know we’ll be walking a ton, but if we want to get a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity…I’m game. 🙂
I really believe that 99% of success with health and fitness is mental. It’s fine to stray from the plan sometimes, but then you have to get your mental state back to committed once again. The “free for all” mentality is dangerous. I really try to always stay somewhat committed and keep the indulgences within reason.
There is always going to be some party, holiday, vacation, celebration, etc. when you can justify eating some crap. I’ve learned to say “NO” and stick to my guns most of the time and then I like to enjoy myself when it’s really worth it.
For example, my daughter asked me to pick her up from school and take her out to lunch the other day. I love to do that sometimes because I’m all about the memory making and I realize my kiddos are growing up way too fast. I want to soak them up while they are still MINE and living under my roof. I also like to look for one-on-one opportunities with my kids when I can. Soooo, we went out to lunch and she chose to go to Chick Fil-A.
As we were walking in I thought to myself, “Hmmmm, should I order a chicken sandwich and fries or should I order a salad???” Sometimes it’s so easy to just say, “To heck with it” and just order whatever you want! I ended up ordering their yummy Southwest salad and I’m so glad I did!
It still tasted so good to me, I still got to enjoy a fun experience with my daughter and I left there happy that I made a good choice.
It really was all about my mental state. I just decided I was going to make a better choice….so I did.
Another scenario…this morning when I woke up, I really didn’t feel like going to the gym. I usually go to the gym in the early evening, but we were busy tonight so I knew if I was going to make it to the gym, it had to be in the morning.
Thankfully, my big kids were all home so I could leave my 3 year old with them. Anyway, I felt the thoughts start to creep in….“Man, I’m so tired and have been so busy…it would sure be nice to just stay home from the gym and relax.” OR “I have so many things I need to get done before Christmas….I should just stay home and get some things done.”
THEN, I quickly realized that I would be disappointed if I stayed home. I knew my workout would only take 45 minutes of my time (YAY for my gym, F45!) I also knew all of my to-do’s would still be waiting for me when I got home. Sooooo, I mentally told myself I was going to “git r done,” got dressed in my workout clothes and headed out the door.
I’m so glad I did too! It was a great workout and I was so happy I went. Yay.
I really do try to make good choices MOST of the time.
Well, I need to head to bed. Tomorrow is the last day to get all the Christmas stuff done and sadly, I still have stuff to do! I will share some pictures of the Christmas stuff we’ve been doing lately…
We went to a fabulous Christmas Concert that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir puts on every year. It is top notch and I loved every minute.
I don’t know why we didn’t get a picture of all of us together, but here are a few we did get!
We also enjoyed making candy houses at my mom’s house last weekend. This is a tradition we’ve had for as long as I can remember. It was always one of my favorite things when I was a kid!
We also enjoyed reenacting the Nativity story with all the kids! Sadly, most of them are getting too old to do it, but I’m glad they were good sports and still wanted to do it!
It’s a fun Christmas tradition that they love…
We also had a FUN visit from Santa at our house last week!!!! One of our friends in the neighborhood is so nice and dresses up like Santa each year and visits kids.
He is awesome and I was so glad he stopped by!
My three little boys were so happy to see him and it was especially cute to watch my darling 3 year old with him. It really was magical.
I love good people who do good things! <3
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!! I love this time of year and I especially love that it gives us an opportunity to reflect on our Savior, Jesus Christ, His life and His love for all of us.
I love you all! xoxo
Oof, I hear you about access to goodies this time of year. It’s hard to stay away from the treats. We currently have a Belgian exchange student living with us, and she has an amazing sweet tooth and loves to make us Belgian goodies like crepes and waffles. My waist is expanding by the minute.
Ha ha, ooooo that would be hard to have a Belgian student who cooks living in your home! I have really, really struggled this Christmas season!!! <3