Today I wanted to share an important message with you all. I think that this is something people should hear more often, especially around the holidays. Living a healthy life is not always easy. Luckily for me, I enjoy working out most of the time, so this is not much of a problem for me. What has been difficult however, is healthy eating. I made the decision to start eating healthier in January of 2018, and while I would say that I have done pretty well and stuck to that decision, I have definitely gotten off track this year, and I have mentioned it on my blog before. I have never struggled with any kind of eating disorder and for the most part I would say that my relationship with food is pretty healthy, however it is not perfect.
Even when I first started to change my diet and eat healthier, I always allowed myself to indulge once in a while. I would eat mostly healthy during the week and then on the weekends I would allow myself to go out and enjoy lunch with my family and when I got home I would try to snack on healthier foods for the rest of the day. This is a plan that I decided to stick with and I am still trying to go by it today (I found that this is what works for me, but it may not work for you, so find what works for you and stick to it)! Even though I feel that I got off track with food and even the gym at times this year, I deserve to enjoy the holidays, and so do you.
Whether you have been working extremely hard in the gym and the kitchen this year, or you got off track like me, it is 100% OK to let yourself enjoy those holiday treats. Obviously, you should still try to eat healthy and workout during this time of year, but having some Christmas cookies or missing a few workouts will not derail your progress. For me personally, I don’t workout on holidays and around Christmas time especially, I want to spend time with my family so this means skipping my workouts a few times. Even if you feel like you didn’t make a ton of progress this year, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. This is something that I am still trying to learn, so if you are feeling the same way, you are not alone.
You do not necessarily have to avoid foods that may be described as “unhealthy” or “fattening”. Yes, you should remember to eat these foods in moderation, but avoiding them completely is somewhat unrealistic, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for enjoying them from time to time. If you are trying to eat healthier, remember that changing your diet is a process and it is one that takes time, so allow yourself that time.
This isn’t just a message that I am sharing with athletes, this is for EVERYONE: let yourself indulge every once in a while. If you know that you are going to want to enjoy the sweet and delicious foods around this time of year, leading up to the celebrations, just do your best to eat healthy and when the time comes, enjoy yourself. I personally feel that the food is one of the things that makes the holidays complete. Don’t feel guilty for wanting to eat what you want to eat. Living a healthy life is important and I am working hard to get back on track, but trust me when I say that this holiday season I am going to enjoy all of the hot chocolate and cookies with no shame because I deserve it, and so do you!
I hope that this message sticks with you today and every day, and I hope you are all having a great December! Christmas is coming so quickly and although I am excited, I also don’t want it to end! I have some exciting blog posts coming up before the New Year, so stay tuned for those! Thank you so much for reading… now I am going to go find some chocolate!
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