Monday, December 15, 2008

The 12 Pounds of Christmas

There are so many people writing about how not to gain weight over the holidays that I thought I wouldn't even mention the subject, but it is a very real issue, so I can't ignore it. I'd like to say that I'm not impacted by this phenomenon until December each year but it's not true. The first cold, dreary, rainy day we have in fall is when it hits me. All of a sudden I want to go home, put on my PJs and curl up in front of the fire with a big Jethro bowl of macaroni and cheese and watch a marathon of HGTV. Keep in mind this is sometime in October usually, so without a strategic plan it could be downhill for an entire quarter of the year. Compound that with all that comes with the holidays: a packed schedule, hosting events, multiple parties, bountiful snacks and sweets at every turn, no healthy food to be found while out shopping, less sleep, fewer hours in the day. Next thing we know the gym seems too far away, we can't go one day without making a bad food choice and we throw our hands up in the air and say "Next year! It will be here soon enough".

You'll find all kinds of advice out there.

  • Try to keep your weight gain to a minimum and start again with your new years resolutions.
  • Don't try to lose weight during the holidays, just try to maintain your weight.
  • Don't try a new program right now and set yourself up for failure.
  • Try this new gadget/quick fix/diet plan/weight loss book/ab machine...
No wonder it's all confusing. Here are some questions I ponder.
  • Why don't we implement a plan for the last quarter of the year, knowing this will happen?
  • What is more important than our health?
  • Why undo such hard work with the very habits we've tried to combat all year?
  • Why don't we get a jump start on the new year instead of back-tracking and making the new year harder?
  • If we want to honor God this season, why not show it by taking care of our body/soul/mind/spirit?
  • Why don't we use this time to be an example to the next generation?
Whatever you do, do it with deliberation and don't just let things happen to you!

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