Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all of you!If you are anything like me you enjoy the holidays for many reasons, but mostly for the social aspect of it all. In saying that I refer to the social eating and snacking that goes as well, throughout the holiday season.
There are a host of goodies that we create and consume this time of year. Mostly with refined sugars, flour and all the heavy ingredients that cause us to gain weight. Everything from frosted sugar cookies (one of my favorites) to aunt Helen's baklava and uncle Fritz's egg-nog with rum. Cakes, pies, cookies, candy canes, taffy and "chocolate covered everythings" line our store shelves and find their way into our homes. Those of us who bake for the season add to that, our special family recipes of turkey, candied yams, puddings, pies and yummies for the kids.
I have a confession to make. I still think like a kid when it comes to the yummies and treats. My mind is filled with sugar plums dancing in my head. I love the vast array of colors, fragrances and tastes that tickle my sweet tooth. I tend to lose my mind when it comes to restraint from overeating. I actually found someone standing on my scale after Thanksgiving that was 5 pounds heavier than I would admit to being. That person developed out of a four-day weekend of heavy foods and snacks.
Yes, I am feeling guilty for allowing myself to do that but I am also resolved to shedding those pounds again. I have four weeks to work it off and hopefully not put more on at Christmas. But the odds are pretty good that I will do the same at Christmas time also. Why do we do this to ourselves? Do we need to worry about it or are we just being obsessive about our weight?
There are a couple things I try to think about this time of year. One is that this is only a short time of dieting difference. So why worry? Just work it off afterwards. The other is that there should be a greater importance placed upon the social aspect of the holidays and I don't need to be a scrooge about every food item on the table. Eating a few social cookies isn't going to kill me. Another is that I don't have to eat everything on the table either. I can exercise some restraint from over indulging and be reasonable about my confectionery affections. Just because it is on the candy tray doesn't mean I am not obligated to sample it.
I understand the twists of thinking that go with the holidays. It's a smorgasbord of delights and I am on a diet? What sense does that make? But then I am not just on a diet, I have changed my eating habits. I am no longer the person who is compulsory towards foods that are not healthy for me. I am free to eat the good and healthy things in life. I have made a choice to be healthy and fit in my later years. I want to feel good about my weight and keep my body in good health. It is a life choice and I want to enjoy living this life. My family wants to enjoy living with me too.
So, I need to exercise. Not just exercise my restraint from the heavier foods and over indulgence, but exercise my physical body. When I eat differently during the holidays, I need to mix that temporary change in my eating habits to compensate for those changes. I need to take a walk, run a little more, be more active and fight off the sluggishness that comes with that leftover turkey sandwich or helping of stuffing. I also need to drink enough water to offset the bulging that transpires around my belt. My body needs the extra fluid intake to process those heavier foods and sugars.
I hope you have a great holiday season and enjoy socializing with your friends and family. It's a good time to reconnect with them and catch up on the year. Make it a time to re-evaluate your progress on your eating and exercise changes you have begun this past year.
Maybe you can start a life change this new year if you have been thinking you need to do something different. We are here to help you and have a vast array of tips available on our website. Go ahead. Give it a look and see what we are talking about. Click here for a direct link to our site. You can also type into your browser address bar the following URL: http://www.over-40-fitness-tips.com/.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.
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