So we have all been here before. Myself included...
The holidays are upon us. With that, the excitement of sharing a special time with loved ones, indulging, laughing, loving, the festive music, the cold weather, the snow (not in Florida) - it's the most wonderful time of the year!
I LOVE the holidays. There is just something about this time of year that puts a smile on my face and a pep in my step.
However, despite all of the festivities and excitiement, there is always this underlying dread or apprehension of dealing with that insidious holiday weight gain.
We have submitted to the idea that the holidays come all-inclusive of a 10lbs jump on the scales. So much so, that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, in many cases!
BUT, it's ok, right!?! Because everyone goes through this? and that is what January is for? . .Setting a new years resolution! kick starting your health, getting rid of that 10lbs of christmas chocolate weight - it wasn't your fault, you were faced with delicacies at every turn!
Problem is, we rarely follow through, with what we promise ourselves. It is estimated that just 8% of people succeed with their new years resolutions!
Sure, January can be a powerful time in your life to make a change. Wipe the slate clean and set new goals. However, what makes january so special? What are you waiting for? If you get rid of a laundry list of excuses, you aren't left with much else.
When january 1st rolls around, it looks a whole lot like any other day of the week, at any other time of year. You still have to live life, you still have the same stressors, you still have bills to pay, you still have to go to work.
All of this soon takes its toll. You start to slip back into your old ways and before February rolls in, with all the best intentions, we find ourselves back to where we started this thing, and inevitably feeling the guilt and failure associated with that.
That feeling SUCKS! I know because I have been there, as I am sure many of your have.
Truth of the matter is, it isn't your fault. We are living in a world that is the antithesis of human health. Fake food, stressors everywhere, toxic load with everything we do, eat and drink. Age old advice of "Eat Less, Move More" doesn't work. If you need some clarification on that - take a look around you!
Why does it not work? Because we are hard wired to Eat MORE and move LESS.
When you adopt these calorie restrictive models, this idea that you can move (exercise) your way to health, as long as you just eat less, you are destined to fail. You may last a week, a month, or a year. However, failure is right around the corner.
Why? Because fighting your physiology and hormones is a fight that you cannot win. No matter how head strong you are!
You have to level the playing field. You have to get your physiology and hormones on YOUR side. Why keep grinding, going up hill, head strong into the wind and relying on grit to get you through? When you can turn around, roll down hill, and feel the breeze at your back?
This is what I teach my clients. This flawed, age-old wisdom is nonsense! Any past 'failures' are purely down to design flaws, not determination, or a lack thereof. If you are miserable, tired, hungry and cold, you are going to fail. It does not need to be this way!
I have witnessed this time and time again with my clients - Freedom from food fixation! It is beautiful and it is so POWERFUL!
We can reshape the negative thinking around the holidays and weight gain from "Oh shit!" to a place of calm, cool and collected decision making, even when the pigs in blankets start flying and your grandmothers famous choc chip cookies make an appearance!
So why wait for January 1st to try all of this stuff out?
Why not start right now. Why not start building this metabolically flexible machine,that knows how to handle and metabolize different fuels efficiently and readily, and will do so without making you feel crappy, and spending the whole time inside your own head - fighting off the desire to have "just one more" (DAMN you grandmas cookies!!).
When you have put in the work to build this metabolic machine, the landscape changes. You have leveled the playing field. And the hunger, cravings and guilt changes too! Your life, and the holiday season just got a whole lot easier!
Your enjoyment this way can become more authentic and real! You will truly learn to enjoy the feast, and the treats that come with it. Your indulgement, throughout this period, of which there are sure to be many, will be what they are meant to be! A treat for all of the senses to be enjoyed and savored, until the last moment. Not just a mindless binge, because, well. . .Tis the season to be jolly!
What I am talking about is not avoiding all of your favorite holiday treats and delights - rather, changing your expression towards them. A little less hunger or desire, a more sensitized palate and a truer indulgence, when you choose to do so. But the CHOICE, is the big key here. You choose, you don't have your body, emotions and hormones choose for you. When you take charge of that ship, when you truly take the reigns as captain, you'll be very surprised at how easy choosing the right path becomes.
You have 8 weeks until 2018.
This time around, January could look a lot different for you.
The new year is usually packaged with some sense of regret and urgency. Imagine reframing that to a place of positivity, feeling healthier and better about your body than ever before!?
Sure, you can sign up for the gym and go sweat it out with all of the other "new year new me" zealots, but will doing this get you were you want? Maybe. . .but probably not.
Start building NOW and forget about gaining those holiday lbs! Come into the new year after an amazing holiday period, down a few notches on your belt buckle, with a true understanding of food, hunger, physiology, your hormones, and having built the metabolic machine, to be a fat burning beast for the rest of your life!
This is all within your reach. Get a leg up on 2018, and get yourself on the path to a happy, healthy and long life!
If you want to schedule a free 30 minute discovery call with me, to see how we can get you to your best self before the year is out, then just get in touch. Or use this link to schedule a time. What do you have to lose? It's free :)
Your in health,
Ste.