Upcoming Holidays and staying on track

I've had so much fun being a coach, and being a mom, I have forgotten my blog! I post recipes here and there, but I haven't kept up on it like I was planning on doing. I've really been stressing out for my customers and friends, as well as myself, for the upcoming holidays. I know how easy it is to get into a habit of eating whatever you want because you're trying to enjoy the good seasonal food while you can. There's nothing wrong with indulging here and there. The problem is that it's so easy to let ourselves lose control. When that happens, it's even harder to break those bad habits. How many times have you lost your self respect because of how much you ate during the holidays, set New Years resolutions to do better, and then made it maybe one or two days? Just me?? Surely not!

That's what happens to me nearly every year. I hate the way I feel when I go to a family get together, tell myself I can have one piece of pie, and end up eating three. Or set a limit on how much I can eat at dinner, and double it when the time comes. Food is good. If it wasn't, no one would have a problem with over eating! Well, that's not true because if we got into emotional eating, that's a whole separate issue. 

So do you have a plan in place? Do you set rules for yourself? You can make the holidays even more enjoyable if you can avoid the guilt of over eating, I am certain of that! 

One thing I am personally doing is focusing on how I eat NOW, to prepare for all those get togethers in a few weeks. If I can control how I eat when I'm on my own, I can control how I eat when I'm around others. If you're like me, eating around others isn't as comfortable. I do this by following my meal plan, watching my portion sizes, eat slowly and chew thoroughly. If I'm mindful of HOW I eat, I'm more mindful of WHAT I eat. 

I am also making my workouts a habit NOW. I workout 6 days a week. I firmly believe in a rest day. My workouts, of course, are 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I have enough motivation to add in a little run with my dog, Lily, but I don't make it an rule. Am I going to beat myself up if I don't workout 6 days a week the week of Thanksgiving? Or Christmas? No. Beating yourself up isn't productive, or helpful! I'll probably get a run in early Thanksgiving morning, but I would also like to sleep in and cuddle with my husband on Christmas morning. It's important to get exercise, as I've stated before, I battle depression, and I feel happier when I workout. The holidays are stressful, and working out relieves stress. It's good for you. 

You can make exercising fun for the whole family during the holidays. One thing we are planning on doing is 10 pushups for every time someone rings our door on Halloween night. Obviously my kids won't be able to do 10, but my husband and I can, and my 3 year old can do at least one! Here's a list of different challenges you can do during the holidays with your family to make fitness fun! 

These are just a few ideas I came up with for the holidays, you can create a whole list for each holiday with your family. Include things even the younger kids can do. We mostly create our list for my husband and I, but my daughter does try to do them with us. You'd be surprised what kids can do. When they see you having fun with it, they have fun with it as well. It doesn't have to become a chore, or a fight, make it fun! 

I'd love to hear some of your ideas and plans to stay on track! Message me what your goals are, and how you're going to achieve them!