For a lot of us the first thing we think of when we hear the
words ‘the holidays’ is
Food! Gaining Weight! Stress!
The holidays can be stressful but there are also so many
wonderful things about them.
Warning! Diet Mentality can make the holidays more
stressful.
Diet
mentality is when we think in extreme black and white scenarios. “I am not going to eat sugar this season”, “I
am going to go to the gym for 2 hours each day”, “I’m only allowed X amount of
calories per day with no budging”. Now,
these are all well-meaning goals. We
absolutely should be health conscious throughout the entire year including
Thanksgiving and Christmas. The good
news is we can do this without setting ourselves up for failure and without
approaching it with a negative “I’m scared of holiday food” attitude. So, first step is to…..relax.
Each week we will be setting goals and applying the
principles of intuitive eating. This
will help us keep perspective throughout the next six weeks of parties, baking,
and stress. We want to start the
holidays off right! So let’s talk about
setting realistic goals or SMART goals.
SMART Goals are:
Specific- Describe
what you want with as much detail as possible. Example: I am going to do 3 acts of service for my spouse this
week.
Measureable- Goal can clearly be evaluated. Example: I either do or don’t complete
the service.
Attainable- Steps to attain the
goal. Example: My three acts of service will be to clean the rain
gutters, make his/her favorite meal, and write a letter of gratitude to them.
Realistic- Yes or No? Example: Looking at my week, am I going
to have enough time/resources/etc. to accomplish these goals? If not, rewind and make sure that your goals
are realistic.
Timely- Specify target completion dates. Example:
I will clean the gutters on Wednesday afternoon. I will make his favorite meal Saturday
evening. I will write the gratitude
letter on Sunday morning. I will
accomplish all my goals by Sunday night.
SMART goals are
Small weekly goals are a great way to break down “I am not going to gain weight
this holiday season” into a more manageable, realistic short term goals.
Each week
we are going to set a goal and call that our action plan.
Action Plans
Make a plan
for yourself this week!
Answer
these questions to make your plan….
1. Something YOU want
or decide to do!
2. 2. Achievable! Something you can expect to be
able to do this week
3. Action-specific! Losing weight isn’t asn action or behavior,
but replacing snacks with fruit between meals is; losing weight is the RESULT
of actions)
4. Answer the
questions:
What? (Specific Question)
How much?
(time, distance, amount)
When? (time of day or which days
of the week)
How often? (number of days in the week…avoid ‘every
day’)
5. Confidence
level of 7 or more (On a scale of 0=not at all sure to 10=totally sure)
And finally
let’s focus on the joy of the holidays!
Write down
your favorite things about the holidays!
