Can’t Weight for Christmas!

The average American gains about 1 pound between Thanksgiving and New Years.  When I first read this statistic, I thought, well 1 pound isn’t very much.  The truth about an “average” is that some people don’t gain any weight (or maybe lose weight?), while others gain more than 1 pound.

 
Let’s play out this scenario.  Someone named Jane (sorry to those named Jane) gains 2 pounds of fat this holiday season.  The thing with the holiday season is it is steeped in tradition (some traditions are good, some not so much).  So Jane has a similar holiday experience every year, and gains 2 pounds each season.  If the rest of the year has no significant change in weight, over the course of let’s say 20 years, Jane will have packed on about 40 pounds!  That is not healthy weight gain for Jane or anyone else!  There are many other factors that influence health, and weight is often not very indicative of someone’s true level of health.  But hopefully, this scenario helps paint a picture of what could easily happen for me or you.
 
Here is the reality regarding this 2012 holiday season.  There will be LOTS of deterrents from gaining and sustaining good health.  Here are a few deterrents off the top of my silly head:
 
1. Stress – related to money, busy schedule, gift buying, Christmas parties, etc.

2. Less Exercise – less time for workouts, and colder outside, less attractive to be out exercising.

3. Increase in Unhealthy Food – this is a biggie for folks, as all the holiday treats are very tempting and appealing.  I am sitting at my favorite coffee shop in Arroyo Grande writing this blog entry and looking at their holiday menu which includes – Peppermint Mocha – Pumpkin Latte – and Eggnog Latte.  Yummy, right?!

4. Traveling – those of us traveling during the holidays get out of our regular routines, and it is easier to make unhealthy choices when out of town.

 
I’m sure you can add to this list for your own situation.  Where does this leave us?  Are we hopelessly going to let our health fall apart this holiday season??
 
I have a simple one word solution!  Are you ready?  This will be a mind blowing concept!!
 
Boundaries…
 

You must instill boundaries in all these areas if you would like to successfully navigate this holiday season and show up in 2013 without too many holiday battle wounds.  You must do this for yourself.  I can’t do it for you and no one else can create the boundaries for you that you need.  It is helpful to have an advocate to help you stick with the boundaries you create.
 
Try This:  Spend 10 minutes writing out a list of areas you know will be difficult for you this season, and create tangible boundaries for how you will manage those areas.  Check in with your list at least once a day.  If you break a boundary, don’t sweat it, but get back on track A.S.A.P.  Make weight a non-issue this Christmas season by creating healthy boundaries for yourself.