Holiday Is Over...

In the past I used to see the Christmas and end of year festive season as an opportunity to break from any diet I was on at the time and any semblance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’d loosen my belt and just let myself go! I’d stuff my face, drink, sleep and eat many of those things I’d denied myself of over my last diet cycle…

Suffice it to say that come the first week of January when sanity returned, I more often than not would find myself tipping the scales heavier than ever. Then the resolution to diet more, try harder, be good(er) would be top of my list of new year resolutions. More often than not, I’d get so depressed by the amount of weight I had put on over the holidays, and end up jettisoning my seemingly insurmountable weight loss goals before February was over. Only to pick it up again later in the year when I became even more desperate… probably!

Does this sound familiar?

Anyway, this was my life…until recently. I’ve been learning how to step up and take responsibility for what shows up on the scale when I step on it!

In taking more responsibility for my health, my self-image for my mental wellbeing I decided to not take a break from my healthy lifestyle over the holidays in 2013. I’m not saying that I did not indulge myself a few times, because that would just be a bald faced lie. I did indulge myself…but within reason. I refused to go back to eating till I was bursting (I took my mom’s advice and “put a knife to my throat” which helped me know when to stop eating, and when not to go for that 2^nd or 3^rd helping! – and it kindda worked….most times), I refused to stay in bed when it was time to go for my morning workout, I made the decision to keep my hands on my health plough (figuratively speaking).

I don’t know about you: did you give your healthy lifestyle a break or did you watch yourself over the holidays? The fact is it’s a new year! A new season! A new dawn! A new opportunity. Forget what you did right, or did wrong, or failed to do altogether in 2013! I know it’s difficult to forget the weight you put on over the year – coz it’s looking at you in the face each time you try on new clothes or look in the mirror. But you know what? IT’S OKAY! No need to get depressed! No need to get desperate and go on those unhealthy fad diets that will take from you more than it gives to you. Truth be told, I always came out worse from the fad diets than I was going in. You made it through to 2014, so you have a God given opportunity to DROP IT…or start dropping it – just as soon as you RRA! (You’ll see what RRA means as you read on)

Have you noticed the sudden increase in the number of print and media adverts out there for ‘miracle’ weight loss pills, shakes, teas and such over the festive period? Do you know why? January is when they make a huge chunk of their sales – because of people like you and me who resolve to loose those 40kg, 20kg, 12kg, 5kg in the New Year! We are their target, we are their prey! Prey because those ‘miracle’ pills don’t work long term. Sure you may loose a few in the first couple of months, but they NEVER tell you what to expect when you get off their ‘miracle’ pills. From personal experience (I used to be a regular customer) you can expect muscle/stomach cramps, loose bowels (sorry to be so graphic), unclear skin (I actually had a bus load of acne), then massive weight gain when you discontinue the program. That’s not counting possible malnutrition, vitamin deficiency etc. I know I am painting a dire picture, but I feel I must because we have healthier options than miracle pills available.

Okay! So the holiday is over and we all (including yours truly) still need to shift a few kg’s! For once in my life I am optimistic that ‘YES I CAN’. I know that ‘Yes, YOU Can!’ too. As I always say, it works if you work it! It’s a matter of reason, resolve and action! That’s RRA!

Do you have RRA?

• Why do you need/want to DROP IT in 2014?
• How resolved are you to DROP IT in 2014?
• What actions will you take to DROP IT in 2014?

I believe that if you can articulate this clearly NOW – you can DROP IT in 2014.

Personally my RRA in 2014 is:

REASON: I want to DROP IT because I want to be healthy, because being overweight affects fertility and I cannot afford that. I need to DROP IT because both my parents suffer from Hypertension and Diabetes, I need to avoid these by keeping my blood pressure and sugar levels in check. I cannot go back to where I am coming from. I have to DROP IT and KEEP dropping it till I get to a healthy weight for my frame.

RESOLVE: I am 100% resolved to keeping the weight off, and my resolve shows itself in my actions – my waking up early to go for brisk walks, to working consistently with my kettle bells and ensuring that no excuse is good enough to keep me from working out. My resolve shows itself in my eating habits, hinged on the fact that I don’t live to eat, but eat to live. Food is NO LONGER the center of my existence. There are other things to do when I am bored than eat. AND I am empowered to make the right choices when it comes to what and how much I eat.

ACTION: I am committed to working out 3 times a week, waking up early for 30 minutes of brisk walking, working consistently with my kettle bells no less than twice a week. I am committed to improving my eating habits – going for healthier options rather than my usual fast food, biscuits and pastries. I will keep myself accountable to my goals by keeping up with my blogging and helping other people like myself to DROP IT 4 LIFE!

HOLIDAY IS OVER FOLKS, SO LET’S GET TO IT!

Our JUMPSTART 2014 DETOX starts on Monday 6^th January 2014 - I’ll be posting the meal plan in a couple of hours – so if you plan to join me keep this date!

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