The Holidays Are Over

Well the holidays are over folks, so what does this mean? It should mean no more excuses but usually what happens is that afterward we've created such bad habits from eating whatever comes our way, that although we have good intentions to start off the new year right, we follow in the same pattern for at least a few more weeks. (If you don't do this I commend you and you don't need to read this post :)

Here are a few things that can help you get back on track and eating healthy and normal again:

1. Write down what you eat, when you ate it, and how much you ate - This might sound too strict for you, but what it does is allows you to be completely aware of how much you're eating. That's part of the problem with vacations is that you stop becoming aware of everything you put into your mouth.

2. Get a workout schedule - if you fail to plan, plan to fail. Most people say, "Oh I should start working out." But when it's too vague it never happens. So set out 4 days that you can start working out. Plan the times, cardio or strength, and how long. This will help you be more accountable if you don't work out, instead of a vague obligation.

3. Start the day off right - There's nothing like starting off the day with some eggs and oatmeal, or whole wheat toast with peanut butter that helps you turn down "offenders" (from French Women Don't Get Fat, which means foods that are bad for us) much easier than if you started it off with some sugary cereal or Bisquick pancakes, or heaven forbid no breakfast at all. If you don't like breakfast, sometimes a healthy Kashi Bar, or even some kind of shake will do the trick. Just get something in your body to keep your metabolism going.

4. Plan your meals as much as you can - This isn't always fun and maybe you don't want to be this regimented. But at least know what you're going to eat, and when, before it actually happens. I'll tell you why. Because let's say you eat breakfast at 8:00 a.m., and you're not going to lunch until 1:00 p.m. Around 11:30 a.m. you should expect that you'll be hungry and have something in mind that you are going to eat. What happens is that people don't realize they'll be hungry UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY FEEL HUNGRY, and then you just grab whatever is in front of you. So if you expect it, and plan for it by saying, "I'll be hungry around 11:30 (since it's about 3 hours after my meal) and I'm going to have some cottage cheese and an apple, or a yogurt and some almonds, or some carrots and hummus, or some healthy choice instead of some popcorn, crackers, or unhealthy snack readily at your fingertips.

So those are a few things to help you get back on track and start forming good habits. That's really the point of all this. You don't want to be this strict all the time. The hope is that it will turn into a habit and you won't really have to think about being healthy anymore it will just be automatic. Good luck :)