Celebrate Now and Celebrate Later

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here

I truly appreciate those 'random acts of God' that help to keep me on track and save me from myself.  You may think I'm terrible when I tell you why I'm so thankful and that's OK, because I know there are some folks out there right now who, like me, are concerned about keeping their health on track during this season where so many have every excuse to overindulge at their fingertips.  It seems that every organization uses the end of the year to celebrate this year's accomplishments as we certainly should.  It's just the way in which we celebrate that leaves me, in some ways, to feel like a scrooge.

"The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is: a miracle and unrepeatable." -- Storm Jameson

Last week, I was ecstatic for my excuse to avoid my office's end of year sugar-fest disguised as a holiday/year end celebration where everyone is encouraged to make their favorite holiday sweets to share.  We then gather right after lunch for two hours of sugar and games during the work day to 'celebrate' our accomplishments for the year.  Although the organizers included the option for 'healthy' treats this year as to not appear to force people to choose unhealthy desserts, it's historically been a dessert-fest and that's what people bring.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -- Mae West

Ecstatic may be the wrong word, because I was definitely not feeling well.  I was feeling a tad under the weather.  I believe I was just feeling run down as I have a difficult time keeping a reasonable sleep schedule.  I noticed my body was feeling much colder than usual and although we were experiencing a change in temperatures, my body was signaling me to take a rest.  So I listened and celebrated all my hard work for the year warmly nestled in my bed, instead of doing double damage with immune-system-weakening-sugar-filled treats I would have succumbed to had I chose to go to work and attend the treat fest.  

"Self sabotage is like a game of mental tug of war.  It is the conscious mind versus the subconscious mind where the subconscious mind always eventually wins." --  Bo Bennet

Believe it or not, many of the events we attend during this holiday season with the purpose of celebrating create a perfect storm for self-sabotaging behavior.  There is always an abundance of high calorie food and drinks, especially those loaded with sugar.  Even if we manage to keep things in check, attending these events may add to our busy schedules causing us additional stress or will cause us to sacrifice other activities we may normally participate in.

"Just imagine how much you'd get done if you stopped actively sabotaging your own work." -- Seth Goden

 

Self-sabotaging behavior is any behavior that gets in the way of long-standing goals. Many times, people engage in this type of behavior simply because they do not believe they are deserving of success. Here are a few ways to avoid turning celebrations into sabotage so you can truly enjoy the Holidays now and still celebrate later:

1. Make a workout schedule and stick to it. If you find you have an especially busy day, plan for a couple short times to get moving. No one needs to workout for hours on end. 30-60 minutes will do, but if you are particularly busy 3-5 10 minute activity sessions beats nothing at all. If you don't have access right now, get 30 days of free streaming workouts through Beachbody On Demand.  Planning and sticking to your workout schedule will not only provide you with the mental and physical energy you need to get through your busy days, but will also give you at least one thing you can have control over.  During this busy time of year, we need to feel in control of something in our day to avoid feeling burned-out or let down.

2. Get good sleep. We all know that it's hard to keep your stress and emotions in check without proper rest, but do you understand how minimal sleep disrupts your hormones? Studies show that even one night of poor sleep raises your insulin levels. If you're over indulging in sugary treats on top of that, you are keeping your body in a high stress state. This encourages your body to protect its vital organs by storing fat.  

3. Celebrate by focusing on the company and not the food. To do this, avoid showing up to events hungry and drink more water while you are there. Plan for any treats you may encounter at the event. It's OK to be a food-snob, or as I call it a "fit foodie." Enjoying great food is great, just make sure it truly IS great.

To celebrate yourself, you have to be your biggest cheerleader and avoid self-sabotaging behaviors. You must believe you are deserving of success. The best time to start getting in the best shape of your life for 2017 is NOW! It's not the time to toss your workouts until the new year or over-indulge in foods that will not benefit you. So many people attempt to hit the ground crawling once the New Year rolls around as they struggle to pull themselves out of bad habits they slid into during the holidays. It is difficult to pull a complete 180 and go from overeating and overindulgence to eating clean and exercising within a matter of a few days, even for the most dedicated individuals. Now is the time to truly celebrate yourself and set yourself up for more celebrating in 2017.