RESOURCES ARTICLES

The Power of an "X" on Your Calendar

It's that time of year again! Shortbread cookies, decadent chocolates, eggnog and holiday cocktails...yum! The holiday season inevitably brings about holiday partying and festive eating for families and coworkers but it need not add to your waistline.

The first thing to consider is how big of a challenge the holiday season will be for you. Over the years I've met clients who are stressed about blowing their diet over the holidays when it really wasn't that big of a deal. Try to keep it in perspective. It's not what you do between Christmas and New Years, but what you do between New Years and Christmas that really counts.

Here is a good way to visualize the challenges of the upcoming month of December. Take a calendar and place an "X" beside the days you know you will enjoy the soulful foods (such as holiday parties and family gatherings). Just how many of them are there? If you're like many of my clients, chances are you won't have more than half a dozen.

I'll reflect back to one of my past articles What's Your Score Out of 21? Remind yourself that there are many meals in a week and if a few were nutritional nightmares, don't worry about it.

Even if you had 10 meals out of the 31 days of December that were total nutritional disasters, you would score close to 90% on your diet. Realize that in order to be healthy; you never need to achieve 100% and striving for this will only lead to frustration.