HOLIDAY HANGOVER? Don’t let it turn into a NEW YEAR FAIL!
HOLIDAY HANGOVER?
Don’t let it turn into a NEW YEAR FAIL!
Here are 3 tips to kickstart a return to healthy habits and prevent the holiday binge pattern from defining early 2019.
Did the end of 2018 come with a few too many trips to the dessert table? Maybe the holiday party circuit produced a few “uh, maybe I’ll do that exercise thing tomorrow morning” pushes. You loosened that belt back to that worn out groove you so proudly moved past last May. You overindulged. Now what?
- GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE HUMAN. You are only human. The holidays are built on traditions that can tug on even the strongest-willed people you know. So you joined in the fun. Guess what? It’s ok. Even if you tacked on a few extra pounds, it doesn’t have to mean anything more than you let it. So, accept it. Own it. Humanize it. You’re not a superhero, and the good news is that it doesn’t take super powers to turn it around. Remember how well you did from May to November to pick up some healthy habits and lose some pounds? Great, then you already know how to do it! Be okay with the fact that you had a holiday slip, acknowledge it, and jump right back into whatever pattern was working for you before the holidays slowed you down. You can do this. You already have.
- START WITH TODAY! First, don’t get on the scale. The number isn’t going to be important today. Get up. Go get a full glass of water and drink it. Yes, all of it. That’ll start working on the headache so you can move on to the next step…which is EAT SOMETHING (preferably healthy). Lying there on the couch nursing a hangover and getting over-hungry while rolling through the “woulda” and “shoulda” scenarios is far more likely to end in more binging than if you just go ahead and fuel that body so you can work on the next step…which is GET UP!!!! This does not need to be a herculean effort. Just get up and move a little. If it’s 15 minutes, it’s 15 minutes…but make it count. Get outside and breathe some fresh air. Get the heart rate up over 110-120 beats per minute and remember that you’re alive and perfectly capable of bouncing back by starting TODAY.
- TAKE OUT THE TRASH. Ok, now that you’re up and moving, you have one more task to complete. Take out the trash. All of it. The cookies. The candy. The leftovers that are clogging your fridge and your body. Yes, even the tree-shaped peanut butter cups. Yep. Oh, and the special run, limited batch of egg nog ice cream, yes…that too. All of it. If you can see it, chances are far greater that you’re going to eat it. So…get rid of it. Give it to the kid heading back to college. Take it to work and give it away if you have to…just get it out of your house. Trust me, this is going to feel good. You’re taking ownership in getting the health train back on the right track, and the benefits are immediate when you are making tangible, visible actions toward a better you.
Come in to Comprehensive Gastrointestinal Health to meet with me about aligning your actions with your goals and turning them into accomplishments. Let’s get 2019 off to a healthy start. Call 224.407.4400 or visit compgihealth.com to learn more.