While the holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration with family, many people get depressed during the holidays. I’m sure part of it has to do with the season.
As we move into winter, with all that cold and gray outside, it’s easy to forget the smiles we have in spring and summer. Even fall with all its colors, seems far away.
Many people have also lost loved ones around the holiday time, and that’s got to be terribly hard to deal with. How they get through tough days like that is beyond me. Perhaps that’s one of those things that only God can help with.
And then there are just the blues that come from feeling fat and overstuffed from all the holiday fare—and it’s easy to do. I saw a study once that told how most Americans gain 5-7 lbs between Thanksgiving and the New Year. I believe it, because it happened to me, too.
I was cruising along at a nice lean 168 back in November, and this morning, I weighed in at 173.2 lbs. Not obese by any standard, but it still shows. At least my jeans still fit.
The reason why is pretty simple, I think. With all the stuff we have to do around the holidays, it’s hard to get all your workouts in. And with all that food staring you in the face, it’s almost impossible not to surrender to some of it.
A pound a week multiplied by five weeks equals five to seven pounds, just like the experts say. But that’s not the end of the world. If you catch it, that is. Keep up the same pattern, and it will be 10 pounds by February and 25 pounds by summer!
So it starts today. We can’t worry about the things we can’t control—like the past. All we can do is focus on those things that we can control—like what we do today.
I’ve heard that one thing that helps people through tough times and tough memories is going out and doing something for someone else. It takes their attention off themselves and how they feel.
I think a similar approach can work for those 5-7 lbs, or even more, if you have them. We need to just get out and do something, and maybe renew our commitment to eating right too. This isn’t rocket science; it’s calories in versus calories out.
Who knows? That little action today could help change things tomorrow. It might just help you beat those Holiday Blues! Well, I’ve got to go now—I’ve got to get on the exercise bike and start the ball rolling. See you next year!
Feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness if you have any questions or comments.
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