Post by Pearl on Dec 15, 2012 14:58:11 GMT -5
Serene Chats:
Does this season keep bucking you off the horse? The horse in this metaphor is healthy living, both food and exercise. I’m going to tell you how to get back on and ride like a like a rodeo champ.
Don’t think just because Pearl and I wrote the book, we don’t struggle with less than perfect circumstances that make it a challenge to stay on the ride. I will admit that I’m not tempted with junk foods anymore as we have too many yummy healthy options on our plan. But it’s been challenging lately to keep up regular exercise and keep making my family healthy meals.
Like many of you, I have life situations that could make it easy for me (even justifiable) to let myself get bucked off and stay down in the dirt. My husband has not been able to find work locally so in the last few years we have always been traveling to join him as often as we can. That means packing up the whole house and dragging my nine children still living at home to other states, towns, and environments. I’ve had to live in small apartments, where I could only exercise in the tiniest of kitchens, other people’s homes, and even cramped Motel rooms.
In the last year, my husband has been mostly working the night shift. That means when we are altogether, I have to keep the noise level to hush, hush during the day. All I’m saying here is where there is a will, there is a way. People say, “Well, I’ll get back to it next month because this season is crazy.” Let me tell you, my life is crazy at times, a good wonderful crazy, but not one that is conducive to keeping a regular workout and healthy eating schedule. I make it happen because I know that if I don’t… I’ll never. Don’t wait for perfect timing. There is no such thing.
This season, there will be Christmas parties with all sorts of junk food, late nights, cold cozy weather that begs for sedentary days and busy shopping trips that leave you exhausted and tempted to opt for less healthy grab and go dinners.
We can do this together! We can march through the challenges as a solid group of THM’s. The S and E eating plan is doable. No, it doesn’t include junk food, but it doesn’t involve misery either. It’s freeing with so many delectable foods to keep you happy and the exercises we recommend are short. Nothing beyond what you are capable of. I’m not saying you can’t cheat at all during this season. I know Pearl will be eating our sister in Law’s famous cheesecake on Christmas day (not the low carb kind). But please don’t take this whole season and write it off saying, “I’ll start again in the new year.” If you do start again, which is doubtful with that mindset, you may have to begin heavier and outofshapier (my own word) and that’s depressing and not very motivational.
Thanksgiving was a travel holiday for me. I had to move us back to Tennessee in our big van, jam packed with all our belongings. Our older (grown) children joined us for the whole weekend and I got sick to top it all off (the throw up bug). I planned on taking Thanksgiving weekend off for exercise but I ended up having to give up the entire week and lay on the couch a lot. When it came time to get back to exercise, I couldn’t bear the thought of it. I was out of the groove and exercising seemed like some rare torture. I am usually extremely motivated but over a week off, was enough to rearrange my brain.
So how did I get back? How will you get back? I stopped thinking and started doing. I put in my most favorite, easy to do exercise DVD, laced up my shoes and told myself to behave and the only medicine was just to ‘do it.’ I no longer let that negative part of my brain have a voice. The voice was muted by action.
That one 12 minute routine was enough to make me feel on top of the world again. My energy surged back, my endorphins pulsed once more. I was alive! I had conquered! My brain had been rewired.
So my advice to you – mute the excuses and take action. Your very next meal can be on plan even if you got side tracked for a while. Even if you are traveling you can do our “Spew” routine in any Motel room, ha ha. Maybe you’ll even start your New Year several pounds lighter rather than heavier – now that’s motivating!