Have Yourself a HEALTHY Happy Holiday Season Starting NOW!

A couple of weeks ago I attended a small intimate gathering with some amazing women. There were women there that I had not seen in years and it was wonderful catching up with them. There were a few ladies that I had never met and so new friendships were forged. The invite said arrival after 5:30, and I was the first to arrive around 5:45 with a large bag of cheddar/caramel popcorn and two bottles of Pellegrino in hand. Others would arrive shortly after, all carrying with them bottles of wine and tasty treats. I watched as our gracious hostess put out plates of cheese and chocolate covered strawberries, bowls of crackers, homemade white chocolate popcorn, and nuts. Later into the evening a veggie platter arrived ready for dipping.

I had decided to not have any wine, hence the Pellegrino. A 30 minute drive home plus even one glass of wine would have me asleep on the way home and a danger to myself and others. I do not drink even a little and drive. I commented that I felt like a lush because I polished off an entire bottle of the sparkling mineral water early in the evening.

I have been hypoglycemic (self diagnosed) my entire life. If I do not eat at regular intervals my blood sugar plummets. I feel like I am in a daze. I wander around trying to remember what I was doing until my brain finally gets me to the food where I can feed it and rejoin the living.

By the time others began arriving and it became socially acceptable to eat the food laid out before me, I was at that point that I just NEEDED to eat. Anyone that knows me well will know exactly what I am talking about! I began with the popcorn that I brought and tasted the too-good-to-be-legal homemade popcorn and quickly moved to the cheeses when I realized that some protein was in order. I was feeling better and was still hungry, so I had some chocolate covered strawberries and more cheese, more popcorn, more, more, more…

Meanwhile, I was having extremely personal conversations and was so glad to have been included within this circle of beautiful, successful, strong women. By around 10:00 I realized that I should start my long drive home. Extremely grateful to get home without falling asleep behind the wheel (despite no wine, I was exhausted), I climbed the stairs and collapsed into my comfortable bed and passed out for the night.

The next morning I awoke with a dehydration headache, an upset stomach and I was so tired that I could barely get out of bed. Had someone sneaked wine into my pristine Pellegrino? Or laced the popcorn with narcotics? There was no doubt about it. I was hungover! The hangover would last more than two days and during that time I had a chance to think about how it had happened, what that meant, and how I could choose differently next time to prevent such misery.

As we were planning our next gathering of women at the end of the night, I realized that this party was just the start of many parties this holiday season. Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookies. New Year’s Champagne. They are coming! And they are never going to stop. Should I lock myself away and not come out until it’s safe? And just when would that be? After New Year’s comes Valentine’s Day, then St. Patrick’s Day, then Easter, then everyone’s birthdays, and on and on and on and on… It basically NEVER stops.

Parties are fun! I go to one Christmas party every year where I get to see people that I have not seen all year. There are literally people I have never seen outside of that Christmas party and consider them friends all the same. Should I give all this up?

The simple answer, the answer I did not want to hear, came to me: this was going to take some effort. The first week of any year you can peek into the window of a gym and see hundreds of determined people lifting weights, spinning on cycles that never go anywhere, running on treadmills and crunching the pounds away. One month later, you can look in the the window of that same gym and there might be five people working out. Where did all the others go?

If I were to eat my way through every party this holiday season I would be, easily, 15-20 pounds heavier. I would be feeling horrible and wishing I could go back in time and leave that toffee cheese on the plate (yes, candy cheese!). The thing is, that none of us has the ability yet to go back in time and make healthier choices. We can stare down the future and see the arthritis pain, GERD, diabetes, and high blood pressure waiting for us and we can decide that is not what we want. That is what I did. I decided that I want the parties. I want the fellowship of friends and family. What I do not want are the consequences of continuing to make unhealthy choices at said gatherings.

So, this holiday season having a happy holiday season is not enough. I want a HEALTHY happy holiday season! I want to get to January with a head start. Imagine if the one New Year’s resolution that I have made so many times (lose weight) was no longer an issue because I had started down that path long ago. What new goals could I accomplish once this one important one was achieved?

Watch the video where I go on TV and commit to having a HEALTHY happy holiday season this year:

About 10 months ago I started meditating daily. Over the summer I bought a bike that I actually ride whenever I get the chance (10+ mile rides). I have a friend that I can call and she will walk down the streets of Montreal as I walk down the streets in my neighborhood. I can do yoga in my living room. And ten days ago, I started a Whole30^® challenge to cleanse my body and get a fresh start. I did a Whole30^® over a year ago which turned into a Whole180 because I did it for six months. The great thing about Whole30^® is you can redo it anytime that you need a reboot. I need a reboot!

There are thousands of diets out there and I have tried more than a few. Low fat, low carb, I even invented one once called, “What would you feed your baby?” The one you choose is not nearly important as the fact that you do choose. Choose to be healthy this holiday season. Starting NOW. Join me and pledge to have a HEALTHY happy holiday season.

The thing is that I know that YOU might also be at a breaking point with your health. Can you relate to anything I have just shared? Do you want to get healthy with me? I want to hear from you. I want to know what your goals are and I want to help you achieve them.

Fill out the form, make the Healthy Happy Holiday Pledge!

Once you make the pledge, I will send you a Daily Success Planner that you can print out and use to track your progress. Eating and exercise is just one thing. I will include reminders to meditate and create a daily gratitude list. I will be checking in periodically to see how things are going. 

Are you with me? Will you make this holiday season different with me? Because after this holiday season is the rest of your life. The time is now to make a choice to live longer, live healthier, and live happier. It all starts with a pledge. Thank you for joining me!