Help During The Holidays

Am I offering to clean your house or do your baking while you shop for presents or attend social gatherings? Of course not, silly! But I am accepting offers...childcare...I digress. My apologies.

This season finds me baking my share of seasonal favorites. Cookies, pies, breads, you name it. It's probably already come out of my oven and served on my table. It's just that good! Too good. You know where this is headed...a near train wreck like those impossible scenes from Polar Express. Scary!

So, I wish I had the time to come up with my own oh so clever and original strategy for avoiding the naughty diet list. Yeah, those people get Slim Fast in their stockings and a Richard Simmons Sweating To The Oldies DVD. *shudder*

Instead I am shamlessly linking my favorite website, which hasn't yet remunerated me yet for all my posts about them. Someday. Anyway, here's what Livestrong says about the most wonderful time of the year:

Perspective and Planning

We call it the holiday season, but in reality, there are only a few actual holidays during the season. This time is about giving, sharing, gathering and enjoying the company of family and friends. If you think of it as a time to eat, your actions will follow your thought patterns. Plan well and pace yourself. Keep your schedule flexible and do not overextend yourself. If you do, you will not have time to plan healthy meals, exercise and get enough sleep, which are all essential for weight control.

Work Pitfalls

During the holidays, the workplace is full of fatty goodies, such as candy and bakery items. Become a grazer and keep healthy noshes close-by. Say "no thank you" to office sweets. Occasional splurges are for special days, not for everyday. If the goodies are in sight of your desk, politely ask if they can be moved, or move them yourself. Bring your own sweet treats such as a sugar-free chocolate pudding snack pack, or a Nabisco 100-calorie snack pack to keep you satisfied.

Diet Tips for Parties

Focus on family and the reason for the season and be a good host or guest. Do not linger in the kitchen or near the buffet table. Never sit down to a holiday meal ravenous. You will set yourself up for a disaster. Have a small well-balanced snack in advance, such as reduced-fat cheese, whole-grain crackers and an apple. Eat only what you really want to eat. Pass up the rest. Bring your own healthful dish to pass, such as assorted raw veggies with low-calorie dip or a homemade low-calorie dessert. If you are a guest at a holiday party, let your host know ahead of time that you are on a special diet. If you are familiar with the menu, it will be easier to maneuver around obstacles.

Trade-offs for Holiday Meals

When it comes to holiday meals, there are usually plenty of options. Attempt to make better choices without denying yourself. Your waistline, will thank you. Munch on raw vegetables with low-calorie dip, grilled veggies and other low-calorie hors d'oeuvres. Trade in candied yams for a baked one, and skip the sauces. Fill your plate with lean meats, lots of veggies, and whole grains (if available) or a small amount of starch. Enjoy one glass of wine with your meal and keep your dessert small and consider sharing it. Remember to control those portions.

Move More

It's all about taking in less (or at least the same) calories as you expend. Move more to avoid gaining weight. Add an extra 15 to 20 minutes onto your workout routine to burn more calories during the holidays or add a workout to your weekly routine. Ditch the car at the furthest parking spot at the mall and hoof it all over the store during your holiday shopping. Wear a pedometer and see how many steps you can clock. Keep a food journal. It keeps you honest and discourages impulse eating behaviors. Seeing what you've eaten, in black and white, is a deterrent.

Click for the full article and links to other holiday tips.

Glory

"Well Done"

This week marks the completion of the 60 day challenge that started with me announcing my wholehearted intent to lose 40 lbs and get healthy and fit. While I still have almost 30 lbs yet to lose, I know that what I have gained in knowledge of my body and maintaining an active lifestyle is more rewarding than winning any material prize. I have done my best, I faced greater challenges than I ever expected, and I experienced disappointing setbacks that might have discouraged me to the point of quitting altogether. And, yes, my heart has truly been broken by things that were very much out of my control. But I knew this wouldn't be easy, I've been well aware that life doesn't play fair, and I am sure that these are not the last obstacles I will come up against in my continuing efforts to change my lifestyle. "Success is not a destination, it's a journey." (Zig Ziglar) holds more truth to me now than ever before. Do I feel successful, perhaps not, but I know that I have not failed nor have I given up. And the words that will mean the most to me, at the very end of it all, when nothing else will matter nearly as much as crossing the last finish line, are those that I have been promised to hear from the only One who can bestow anything of eternal worth and value. It is those words that compell me to strive harder and reach forward. Yes, when all is said and done, long after the sweat and tears have dried, I have an assurance that I will stand in the company of all like-hearted people and hear the Lord of all that I am say, "Well done." ~ Glory

The Home Stretch

I've lost a total of 11 pounds since the challenge started! I'm actually very happy with that and would be content to lose the same number, or even just a little more, in this next half.

I might have gotten discouraged about this if only because my goal has not been reached, yet. But I'm not, because I won't give up! This means too much to me, now, and I am accomplishing so much more than changing numbers on the scale. Everything in my life is better, now, than it has ever been! My outlook on life is more hopeful, I feel stronger than ever, and I know that God has given me abilities beyond anything I've already experienced.

That alone is worth more to me than any material prize!

Glory

Rest

This picture says it all. The blood, the downward gaze, the scars. She's been through more than you or I could ever know. She has struggled, she's fallen down, and she's picked herself up again. And, right now, she is resting. Why do we think resting is not important or productive? Are we so addicted to busy that we forget that even warriors have to regain strength? I'm learning that, in this journey, resting is very much part of transformation and a healthy lifestyle.

So I rest...

Glory

Blame it on Bagger Vance

For many reasons, I am sure, today finds me very emotional. Partly because I just savored my last bowl of rice, stir fried veggies, and egg roll for the next 8 weeks. Partly because this house really needs attention. And partly because I stayed up past midnight last night watching a movie with Hubby. It was "The Legend of Bagger Vance." It was different. It was good. And it got me to thinking, and talking, and evaluating. My life.

Now, I'm not a golfer, nor do I have any intentions of picking up the game. But I found much about the movie that applies to my life. Some things are true for certain people, and some things are just plain true. After all, at some point in everyone's life, we come face to ugly face with adversity. It's hard and it hurts. But we can't hide from it for the rest of our lives or blame it on anyone or anything. Sometimes things happen for a reason and sometimes things just happen for no reason at all. But the real question is the same as always: What are you going to do?

Bagger Vance: "I don't need to understand... Ain't a soul on this entire earth ain't got a burden to carry he don't understand, you ain't alone in that... But you been carryin' this one long enough... Time to go on... lay it down..."

What did I do? I survived it. I got over it. I got on with life. At least on the outside it looked that way. But did I win? Not always. Sometimes I failed. Sometimes I ran from it. And sometimes I fought back with all I had to fight with. Now, let me tell you, this is the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm running to it.

Hardy Greaves: "There ain't nobody to beat up on but yourself."

I have been and still am my own worst enemy. I am harder on myself than anyone else has been on me. And it's time to make friends with that enemy. To remind myself that I am not alone in my fight. That there are people surrounding me who want me to win. Just like God created me to win.

Bagger Vance: "Yes you can... but you ain't alone... I"m right here with ya... I've been here all along... Now play the game... Your game... The one that only you was meant to play... Then one that was given to you when you come into this world... You ready?"

Yes, Bagger Vance, I'm ready.

Glory

The Ultimate Prize

Let’s put it this way: I am just 40 pounds away from my ultimate is-that-really-MY-body weight. To some it’s small potatoes (which I can’t eat for awhile, by the way), and to others it seems like an impossibility. For me, it’s just 10 pounds more than I’ve lost already. Granted, these are going to be tough old fat pounds to lose, because these are the stubborn ones. You know the ones I’m talking about, right girls?

These are the pounds that thrived on the pumpkin spice lattes every Fall, that convinced you that one more slice of caramel apple pie on Thanksgiving was expected, that assured you that Mom’s green bean casserole was healthy because it had veggies, that scolded you if you didn’t eat everything on your plate because that would be rude to your dinner host. Yes, and these are the pounds that chortled when you couldn’t zip up the fly on your favorite pair of jeans anymore, that glared at you in the department store change-room when you were looking for something nice to wear for Christmas, that seemed to plot against you when you made your New Year’s resolutions and drank meal replacement shakes and crunched your abs until it hurt to laugh at the funny little things your kids said, that bullied their way into every family picture and photograph so all you saw were those horrible unforgiving hateful pounds. Of course, by “you” I mean me. Yes. I. Did. That.

No. Not anymore. Not ever again. I will not deal with those pounds for the rest of my life. I won’t listen to them when they try to tell me my body wasn’t made to be lean. I don’t care if they burn and rage within my arms and belly and thighs. Let them holler and curse my efforts. If sweat is fat crying then I’m gonna make it bawl its eyes out. I’m going straight to the source of their power-grip on me and I am cutting it off completely. All those stupid pointless calories I used to crave and love and worship are O.U.T. How can I say all of this so resolutely? Well, I’ve made new friends with different body parts, called muscles. And let me tell you, they know their way around too. Oh and the better I feed them and the more I work them, the more they love me and literally beg me for more. I’m actually enjoying their company because they don’t lie to me and say things that make me just feel better. They actually make me better and let me take all the credit. They are my team and I know I can count on them to help me win. And the prize? You’re gonna totally love this: a lifetime of ultimate health and fitness. That alone is worth the fight!

It’s on!

Glory

"Have you been to the gym?" and other awkward questions...

So, this hasn't been the awesome-est week for working out. First of all, I have some good reasons and great excuses for being out of sync. Secondly, I'm plumb tuckered (it's fun to say this, by the way). And thirdly, I don't owe anyone an explanation. Actually, that third one isn't true at all. I'm just a tad snarky...sorry.

Keeping Hubby's back on ice and his veins flowing with vicodin hasn't been my favorite thrill ride, this week. Oh sure, I can talk about how we rocked the mountain hike a week ago when we rescued our little girl's hoodie from the wild elements, or even perhaps a shivering bear cub in serarch of warmth. Cute picture, huh? But helping him recover was a labor of love, no doubt of that, in sickness and in lost spinal alignment.

BUT those days are over! Not only is he getting better but I am learning that health and fitness waits for no one. We either show up or we stand down. Is that clear, soldier?

Count me in!

Glory