Surviving the Holidays!

Oh my goodness I haven't blogged in a very long time! I have missed y'all and this page. Life has been super hectic but in a good way. The holidays have kinda taken over my life since before Thanksgiving, but I have been really good at keeping up with my exercise and diet routine. I actually lost weight during Thanksgiving week which was a really great thing I was kinda proud of myself. According to the National Institute of Health the average American gains about one pound over the holiday season. This is WAY less than than the 7-10 pounds we all think we might gain. So I don't think eating those extra cookies at the office Christmas party are what is dangerous for those of us trying to maintain a healthy weight or trying to get some weight off, but what is dangerous is falling out of our exercise routine.

Every one's New Year's resolution is to lose weight, be healthy, and I think for some of us it's because we have fallen off the work out wagon so to speak. So how about this, how about we enjoy the holiday cookies, not stress about our food input this Christmas and focus solely on our exercise output. Don't not go to the gym just because you are busy, can't do a complete workout because you have to go Christmas shopping no worries as long as you still do something just don't get out of your routine. If you keep your exercise routine it won't be a big deal to go back to things after the holiday season has settled down. I think this will also include eating better after the cookie temptations have gone away. If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times, the exercise portion of your diet and exercise plan is more important than your diet. So if you're going out of town for Christmas do some research, figure out how to do some exercise in your hotel, or maybe your gym also has a gym in the city you are visiting or just go for a walk or a run, it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you keep your body in the mood for exercise.

Do not stress about your weight during the holidays, have fun, enjoy the season with people that love you, eat some fudge but remember stay active and go strong no matter what!

Holidays and Guilt

Yesterday was Labor Day! Yay! Everyone enjoy the last holiday of summer? I know I did, but for me a holiday meant the gym wasn't open (I utilize my campus gym so it's closed when the university is closed) so this meant light work out day. I work out 6 -7 days a week, missing one day for Labor day is not going to set back my goals at all. It's actually probably good for my body to have a rest day but it doesn't stop me from freaking out.
I have LOTS of personality flaws and probably the main one is I am a neurotic worry-wort. I over analyze, and i am just generally too cerebral for my own good. So for me missing a work out starts this chain reaction of thoughts, "oh my god, what did i eat today? I'm gonna put on a pound I know it and if i put on a pound I'm gonna put on ten." So I have had to learn how to deal with those thoughts.
First, I am not on The Biggest Loser, this is not a competition, i will not die if i only lose 2 pounds one week instead of 3.6 (my average weekly loss during the summer). Second, this is the real world, life gets in the way sometimes and I can't make it to the gym everyday, some days i NEED to sleep past 5:00am and I don't have time for my full four hour work out. Third, some days my body just won't do it, it will not run all the miles i want it too, or lift all the weight i want it too. I have to listen to my body, or i might end up with an injury that will put me out of the gym for a long time.
So this is kind of my guidelines for not freaking out. If I miss a day at the gym it's okay, even two as long as I'm there five days I will lose weight, and if I have a bad week where i feel i didn't work out enough i go hard the next week, but i don't punish myself, i push myself. If I'm missing 3 0r 4 days then I'm making excuses, because unless my appendix ruptures there is no reason in the world to miss four days at the gym, and i need to get back on my routine.
Not everyone can spend 6-7days a week in the gym for four hours a day. I'm lucky, i took the summer off of school and this fall semester also (family reasons, but it does allow me more gym time) so I feel like i don't want to waste this opportunity, and i want to try and get as fit as possible, but even when i go back to my full time schedule and my three jobs (only have two right now) I can still find 2 hours a day to be in the gym. I'm a girl whose body likes to be fat, I have to work harder to maintain a healthy weight, that's life and that's okay. I just need to not worry about it so much! I hope everyone had a great holiday and bring on the fall!!!

Abbreviated work out : So I should have gone to the track and ran with my best friend, she called, but my thighs were so sore (I've started the evil StairMaster at the gym and ugh talk about PAIN) so no running, i jumped rope for 20 min, did my ab workout and did some kettle bell work, kettle bell is amazing it's a mixture of cardio and resistance and i LOVE IT!. In the future I'll post some links to some YouTube videos i watch for kettle bell exercises.