This blog post was written on my plane ride home after visiting family in Colorado for Christmas. I reflect on living a healthy lifestyle even during the holidays. It's a long one, so you might want to grab a cup of joe, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
About a month ago I wrote about having no more excuses in my healthy journey. I had written that blog post because I had gained three pounds over Thanksgiving week. Since that set back I have worked hard and to date have lost 12 pounds in seven weeks. I have really been living my "NO EXCUSES" mantra.
After the whole Thanksgiving debacle I knew I had to get my head on straight for the Christmas holiday season. There would be lots of tests to my 'NO MORE EXCUSES" lifestyle. I had decided that my goals are bigger than any Christmas goodie I could ever eat.
I have worked out with Justin harder than ever this month. If we couldn't meet on our normal day, we would pick another day and meet at 6am. When we weren't meeting in person, he was giving me workouts. When I was not doing what I needed to do, he was practicing TOUGH love on me and it was all coming together just in time for me to travel out of town for Christmas.
I was really nervous about traveling so early in my healthy journey. I met with Justin twice the week before because of not being able to meet with him Christmas week. I found a gym in Colorado where I could workout, so I had Justin give me two workouts to do. I knew ahead of time that I would workout the day before and the day after Christmas. This was non-negotiable. I had really thought through everything ahead of time and I had a plan.
We arrived in Colorado late Sunday night. Early Monday morning I was at the gym doing the tough workout Justin gave me. After working out I headed to the grocery store to pick up some food to help keep me on my healthy journey. I was off to a great start.
Christmas Eve night we headed to my Dad and Step Mom's house. I called ahead to see what was on the menu. I did this for two reasons, to see if I could eat it because of my Crohn's, but also to see if the choices were good for my healthy eating journey.
I brought some food and also ate some from the HUGE buffet as well. I only ate one plateful and passed on dessert. My big splurge was a few pieces of yummy chocolate. It was a HUGE success. In the past my excuse would have been, "Hey, it's Christmas and I haven't been to this relative's house in a long time. I have to eat what's served." There were NO EXCUSES this time. I was doing it.
Christmas Day we had a HUGE dinner again. Ham, mashed potatoes, the workds. My Dad and step Mom brought all the leftovers from the night before. Again, I had one plateful of food, made modifications where I could, like no butter on my veggies, using my own salad dressing, and having cantaloupe for dessert. I concentrated on the conversation more than the food. It was amazing, because I have not missed the unhealthy foods.
There was one point on the trip where everyone was going to get fast food. I brought my own food instead. I did not miss that either.
The day after Christmas I was back at the gym bright and early to do another killer workout from Justin. There were things in this workout that I just KNEW I could NEVER be able to do, but pushed through and was able to do it all. It was a great feeling to know, without Justin standing over me, I could still complete a hard workout. Most of the time, it's totally mind over matter with me. Once I make up my mind that I can do it, I usually can. It might not be the first time, in fact it might take several tries, but I do it. I was very proud of myself. I accomplished so much in this workout, both physically and mentally. This was a huge turning point for me in my journey.
That night we went out to a restaurant that I went to as a child. It's called Casa Bonita. It's a fun Mexican themed place. They have shows and fun things to do. I ordered from their a la carte menu as opposed to the all you can eat menu. I had a taco salad and really focused on my family and showing my kids the fun memories I had from going there. The food was just a side note for me and that felt great.
I stayed up until almost 1am talking to my step mom and had decided that I would not workout the next morning, after all, I had worked out hard this week and had eaten right all week, so it was ok that I didn't workout, right? I went to bed, very tired, and ready to sleep in.
I woke up around 7:30am, which is sleeping in for me. People were still asleep, so I decided to get a workout in. I opted for a 45 minute walk outside instead of the gym. It was perfect weather and was very beautiful. I am so glad that I decided to do this instead of listening to all the excuses that I was telling myself the night before. It was a great walk. Here is the view I would have missed had I stayed in bed.
As I walked and reflected on my trip I couldn't help but smile. I was able to overcome so many obstacles and honestly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I've said more than once on this blog that most of my issues are in my head. This trip was exactly what I needed mentally. I showed myself I can do this. I can celebrate a major holiday while living a healthy lifestyle. I now know that it's doable and I know this is the way I want to live the rest of my life.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13
Some fun stats from my trip. These stats are from Monday-Thursday.
Fruits and Veggies- 32 Servings
Water- 45 cups
Moral of this blog post: Plan ahead, stick to the plan, and know that YOU CAN DO IT.