Have you ever traveled to a town you lived in as a child? You’re confident you are turning on the right road, well mostly confident but something doesn’t look right. It’s like looking through foggy sunglasses. You kind of recognise what you are seeing but it isn’t sharply in focus. As many of you know I just returned from a long overdue trip “home” to South Africa. (You can see pictures of my trip here.)
Like Bill Bryson in his book “I’m a stranger here myself”I had to orient myself to things which should have been familiar. It is disconcerting to find yourself so simultaneously in your element and yet out of it. Like driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Easy enough if you just follow the car in front of you but tricky when you keep turning on the windscreen (windshield) wipers every time you mean to hit the indicators (turn signal). Or you try to make a U-turn and end up turning into an almost head-on collision.
I made it back to Atlanta all in one piece but…I imagine like many of you I struggled with not gaining a few pounds while on holiday. It’s hard, I admit it. You aren’t in control of the food on offer. While travelling through Cape Town with your mother, you can’t pass up the fabulous Cape Malay cuisine. Cape Malay is a mix of local, Dutch, and a variety of east Indian and oriental influences, all merged on a palette of colours and flavours that are distinctly African in origin. Probably due to it’s location, Cape Town offers up the freshest seafood around, but South Africans are real carnivores, which means my diet was much heavier than normal. But what the heck I’m on HOLIDAY.
Experiencing the tempting pleasure of junk food, out of my regular routine, limited access to usual gym equipment… Sound familiar?… Well Happy New Year to you too!!
My one saving grace is that it’s now summer in South Africa so the sun rose early. I was easily able to rise early most mornings myself and get a run in, which probably kept the holiday weight gain from being too scary.
My main coping mechanism was portion control. I didn’t pass up local specialties or treats friends and family had prepared for me. I kept my ultimate goal firmly in the forefront of my mind, took small bites and savoured each one.
If you have worked with me in the past, you know that my Metabolic Boost program was born of my own research for my Master’s Degree and sports experiences. I want to be able to practice what I preach, so while I relaxed and enjoyed my holiday, I was able to get right back into my own program, and of course feel terrific about it. I guiltlessly took a break from worrying about weight gain and have been able to get right back into focusing on goals for 2010. Hence my philosophy of living a lifestyle, rather than being on a “diet”, has worked out great for me.
What about you? Where do you stand today relative to where you were the day before Thanksgiving? Leave a comment and let us know. If you are celebrating success, write it down in the comments. Savour your accomplishment. If you are wondering what the heck happened, leave that comment as well. Acknowledge what happened so you can take action.
Enjoy, Have a happy, and healthy, and prosperou New Year! Ilana
Have a healthy month, Ilana
January Newsletter
Remember that jingle “Today is the first day of the rest of your life?” If you are reading this on January 1st, you have 365 days left in the New Year. To help you keep your New Year’s resolutions and reach your goals, get every one of those 365 days off to a great start.
