We have 264 More Hours of 2011 – Let’s Make The Most of It

We are in full swing of Holiday-mode. Let’s face it, we can’t get any more in the thick of it than we are now… 4 days til Christmas Eve and 11 days until New Years. Our days are crammed with shopping, partying, travelling, wrapping, cooking, baking… it’s exhausting.

How many of you have made the promise-to-self? You know the one I’m talking about… As soon as the holidays are over, you’ll start your diet and exercise routine. If you have, congratulations for at least thinking about it and I hope you are successful with that. If you haven’t, then (a) you are too busy to think about your health, (b) you don’t care about your health, or (c) you are a member of the very elite club of those of us who follow the 365-days-a-year- diet-and-exercise-program.

If you fit into either the (a) or (b) group, I invite you to think about this… 11 days is a substantial amount of time when you are talking about self care. It’s 264 hours, 33 meals, 11-100+ snacks and 132,000+ TV shows. It can also be translated into 660 minutes of cardiovascular, 968 oz of water, 825mg of calcium, 330g of fiber, 55 servings of fruits and vegetables, and a partridge in a pear tree…

Why put off until January 1st or 2nd what you can do today? Sure, if you have a party to go to, go and enjoy it. But, a party tonight doesn’t have to mean that tomorrow morning is still party time. Instead, make healthy choices for tomorrow morning. For example, get to the gym early or go for a walk or run, eat a healthy breakfast of egg whites, spinach and tomato or oatmeal and berries. In other words, balance the holiday celebrating with self-health celebrations. Start the new year now... not in 11 days when you’ll be 8 pounds heavier that you are now.

Other things you can do for the next 11 days, and I promise it will then be easier to keep the good habits for the New Year:

• Cut down / avoid artificial sweeteners. They link to more than 90 side effects, and their chemical breakdown in the body can be toxic.
• Cut down / avoid additives and preservatives. They can cause food allergies, weight gain, decreased absorption of minerals and vitamins, cancer, and more.
• Reduce junk food intake and increase whole fruits and vegetables.
• Incorporate exercise or healthy movement into each day – even if it’s just for 20-30 minutes.

 So, let’s raise a glass of water and make a toast to the old year. Let’s end it with a healthy bang and continue on into 2012 and beyond.

Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more advice on starting good habits.