Monday
Back to reality.
You survived—round one of the holiday season.
How was it?
I am assuming you’re back to the ‘daily grind’—and perhaps, somewhat relieved to be back to routine.
I know I am!
However, in the same light, there is something profound to be said about reconnecting with friends and family during this time of year, and I am equally just as happy I did go home to visit my fam-regardless of the ‘check out’ from my usual daily life and routine here in Austin.
Over the past couple days, as I have reconnected with people after being out of town, it seems like I’ve heard a lot of talk about food and exercise.
“I ate way too much.”
“Time to get back on the bandwagon.”
“Gotta burn off those calories.”
“I had a sugar hangover.”
“I always have a hard time during the holidays.”
Our culture is pretty food and body obsessed when it comes to the holidays—it’s as if we potentially set ourselves up for failure, or success, solely based on our mindsets around it—on both ends of the spectrum.
Some talk about the struggle with over-indulging, ‘letting themselves go,’ or losing sight of their goals;
Others battle with the discomforts of eating around family, losing control of their usual food or exercise routine.
While this is not the case for everyone, there’s no doubt that the holidays can throw ya for a loop when it comes to your nutrition and fitness.
So what are you to do?
In my last blog I wrote about “Dealing with Friends and Family Who May Not Understand Your Healthy Lifestyle During the Holidays”, but today, we are talking about “Dealing with YOUR Own Relationship with Food & Fitness During the Holidays.”
How do you keep from resorting to your old ways or habits? From ‘falling off the bandwagon’? Or refrain from letting anxiety or’ lack of control’ (over food/fitness) get the best of your own self-care?
How do you maintain, and continue to build, into a healthy relationship with food and fitness during this time of year—and what the heck does that exactly mean?
The answer?: Lifestyle.
Remember, food and fitness is a part of a healthy lifestyle.
It is not a game of Perfection.
It is not an all-or-nothing thing (ie. “If I eat 2 slices of pumpkin pie, then I might as well screw it and just not care the rest of the week,’ or ‘I can’t workout when I am home with my family so I am going to work out EXTRA hard the days before and days after’, or ‘I really blew it and sat on my butt all weekend, so I am going to hit it super hard in the gym this week,’ etc.)
Your response?
‘Ya, ya, ya. Easier said than done Lauryn. A healthy relationship with food and fitness is a lifestyle—but there is something about this time of year that just throws a wrench into that equation’:
Sugary sweets. Holiday shin-dings with lots of booze to be had. Colder weather (ie. Snuggling in the sheets sounds way better than a gym session). Pressure to eat this, or not eat that. No time for fitness. More time spent in the kitchen preparing holiday dishes.
You name it—you probably know what is your ‘downfall’ or the things that put you into the extreme mode thinking.
Nevertheless, with a few preventative mindset shifts and a game plan, you can arm yourself from falling ‘so far off’ the bandwagon, or letting the holiday shift in routine get the best of you throughout the course of this month—while at the same time, not being at war with food, fitness or your body.
Mantra. Come up with your mantra that reminds you of how good it feels to take care of yourself and practice the art of healthy eating and fitness as a lifestyle. Remember it’s like a marathon, not a sprint (a lifetime and many days of healthy habits add up over time, as opposed to quick fixes and short bursts of self-care). “I don’t have to be perfect—I lead a healthy lifestyle for life and will be able to get back to it if things feel out of control in the moment.”
Here Tomorrow. Can’t make it to the gym at the times that you want or get the usual tough workout you want in? Remind yourself, the gym, or that workout routine you wanted to do, is here tomorrow (because it is). Same thing can be said of your usual foods you may eat. Stick to a self-care perspective, and your body is going to figure it out (and it won’t ‘gain 10 lbs.’ in one weekend).
Don’t dwell on the past. So you ate a bit more than you intended or took more days off from the gym than usual. The past is not here any more, so why think about it? Let it be gone. Forget the past and focus on the present moment. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘make up for it’ or kill yourself on the StairMaster. There is no need to evoke unpleasant memories and immerse yourself in them. Move forward—all eyes ahead.
Have your cake and eat it too. Holidays come but once per year, so if there is any time to have something you don’t typically do, by all means go for it. Enjoy it, then let it be. Food is fuel and nourishment, and it is also meant to be enjoyed. On a side note: There are also thousands of substitutions and recipes for stand-by old staples you love, with real-food ingredients. Google is your best friend for these! Check out this Pumpkin Pie recipe from one of my favorite bloggers Danielle Walker: Pumpkin Pie
Mix it up. View the holidays as a time to ‘mix up your routine’ if you’re not used to it. Usually an evening worker-outer? Maybe you have to move your workout to the mornings several days in order to free up time to be with family. Or maybe you just can’t make it out to the gym and you re-create a kick-butt routine at home (burpees, sprints and pushups between sets, or a nice little jaunt around the neighborhood anyone?). Traveling? Drop in to a yoga, CrossFit or spin class in the community to see how another part of the country does things. Again, same things can be said when the food piece is not what your usual is–consider what fun new recipes you can try out, or what you can offer to cook up for some of the gang as well. Variety is the spice of life, so consider the holidays a fun time to experiment with doing things a bit differently and enjoy new adventures away from the ho-hum.