03 January 2008

Post holiday rehabilitation commences…

I’ve never been one to do anything in half measures; when I cheat, I go hardcore!

While I’d like to stay that I stuck to my ‘healthy eating’ plan over the holidays, doing so would be a complete and utter lie. I was terrible, disgustingly so, and it was fabulous! Chocolates, cookies, and countless glasses of wine…surprisingly, I only managed to gain 2 lbs. back over my twelve days of unadulterated gluttony.

What is it about the holidays that makes even the most health-conscious person turn into an absolute maniac? Common sense flies straight out the window, as though the magical spirit of the season will shield my thighs from the hundreds of shortbread cookies that I happily shove down my gullet. It never fails, I always say I will resist temptation yet I find myself reaching for the nearest sugar-laden goodie anytime I even think of let alone hear Burl Ives..."Holly Jolly" indeed…

Thankfully, my long-overdue return to ‘healthy’ was not as difficult as I had anticipated. I packed up all the leftover holiday junk (if you dare to call chocolate junk) and gave it to hubby to bring to work. In most cases, “out of sight, out of mind,” works really well for me. Being back at work also eliminates munching on empty calories because I only bring healthy items with me. I swear to God, I could almost hear my body sighing in relief when I came into the office yesterday morning.

With entertaining out of the way, I can now return to my exercise regime and hopefully tone up on some of those ‘not so pretty’ areas where I lost weight before the holidays. Thankfully, Santa was very good to me this year and heard my pleas; I received a whole slue of different exercise paraphernalia: rubber-coated metal hex weights, an interval trainer / pedometer, an aerobics stepper and a butt-kicking exercise DVD. If you’re looking for a day off from work or an excuse not to walk anywhere for a few days, may I suggest trying Jari Love’s Get Ripped, Slim and Lean? It’s an amazing workout but quite painful for those not accustomed to high reps with free weights..not for the faint of heart or muscle for that matter!

Here’s hoping that 2008 is a good and healthy year! Wish me luck. With a little more willpower and some good muscle liniment, I’ll be proudly pointing my way to the “gun show” in the near future – hahaha!

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