The Holidays: My Plan of Attack

It might seem on the surface that it would be easier for me to ‘survive’ the holidays what with being alone, having no parties to attend, no family around to bake for and whatnot. And yes, I will probably have much less temptation to overindulge around me then most people will. I will, however, be alone.

On Christmas Eve.

And Christmas.

With nothing to occupy my time.

Which for me is far worse than being surrounded by indulgent foods and sweets at a party or gathering. It means I can easily spend two whole days sitting in front of the TV and eating everything in sight. For real. This could totally happen next Monday & Tuesday.

But I don’t want that to happen. And since I know me and how I am capable of behaving I needed to create a plan to help get me through the holidays without becoming an emotional, overeating wreck.

That plan really started this week. I wanted to head into the holidays feeling strong and I always feel that it is much easier to be active if you are already being active. Does that make sense? Like it’s easier to keep going then to start again after a long break.

This week I have continued with my training schedule for 3M (which is now less than four weeks away, yikes!) and tonight I will be attending my third barre class of the week. The rest of 2012 will hopefully go like this:

Friday, 12/21: Rest Day. Fridays are almost always my rest day. 

Saturday, 12/22: 6 mile run and barre class. I am attempting to do both since this will be the last day before my monthly barre membership expires. I have scheduled myself for the 945a class but if I am feeling exhausted after the run I will just cancel. I am ok with that but I would like to do both.

Sunday, 12/23: Gym Day. I plan on heading up to post and using the fitness center. I would love to swim, if the pool is open, maybe use the stair climber, rower and do some weights too. Now that my monthly membership for barre is over and I am out of classes on my account at Synergy I will be taking advantage of my free access to the post fitness center to supplement my running whenever I can.

Monday, 12/24: Santa’s Reindeer Run- an organized, group run around the river walk and up to the Alamo- approx. 5 miles. We will be dressed up in holiday outfits/costumes and hand out candy canes all while running around and being merry. It should be a lot of fun!

Tuesday, 12/25: Rest day. I don’t really have anything planned for Christmas day itself but if the weather is nice I plan on taking the dogs to the park in the morning.

Wednesday, 12/26: Run in the morning (intervals) and then gym after work for swimming

Thursday, 12/27: Run in the morning (hills) and then Thai Yoga therapy after work

Friday, 12/28: Rest Day!

Saturday, 12/29: Long Run - 12 miles

Sunday, 12/30: Hopefully we will have a group bike ride this week but if not I will be hitting up the gym (maybe I’ll even bike there) to use the pool and maybe some additional machines and weights

Monday, 12/31: Gym day to end 2012 unless I can find someone to accompany me on a hike. I would love to spend the last day of 2012 the same way I spent the last day of 2011, hiking Enchanted Rock.

I am also super excited that I will be celebrating the New Year in a healthy way by participating in the Commitment Day 5K on January 1, 2013.  There are Commitment Day runs being held in 30+ cities around the country. It’s all about committing to living a healthy lifestyle and helping others do the same in 2013. I am super excited for this 5K. Check out their website for more info and last I saw on FB they had a $10 off discount going with the promo code: holiday.

Keeping active is only part of the puzzle though, isn’t it? It certainly plays a big role in my health and wellness but there are also factors that play a part as well. Like what I eat.

I haven’t finalized my meal plan for next week yet but I know that I will be keeping my breakfasts, daytime snacks and lunches the same as what I eat any given week. I will plan out some fun and healthy dinners for the weekend and weekdays and for Christmas Eve and Christmas I ordered two different vegan dinners for one from Whole Foods. They are the perfect way for me to indulge in the foods I wouldn’t normally eat and at the same time help with portion control. Of course I will also partake in some special dessert treats from Whole Foods. I am super happy that WF sells vegan desserts in single portions. One slice of cake is ok, having a whole cake just sitting in my fridge- well that’s just Bad News Bears.

And last but certainly not least, for fun this long weekend (in addition to all the activities which I also really enjoy) I plan on going to the movies TWICE! I have a voucher for two movie tickets so I figure why not take advantage of it. I am going to see ‘This is 40’ on Christmas Eve and ‘Les Miserables’ on Christmas day. I so thankful that two different friends asked if they can come with me, one each day, so that way I won’t be spending my holidays in a crowded theater, alone. I am also excited about some of the new books I have and hope to read at least one of them over the next few weeks.

Also, now that Paul has cell phone access I am hoping we can Face Time. This way we can at least ‘see’ each other on Christmas. That would be awesome!

Looking back over all that I have going on I am not only very excited for the holidays I also feeling very fortunate for the life that I have.  Yes, there are days when I feel like being away from my husband, living across the country from my parents and my best friend are all less than ideal circumstances. But I am thankful every day that I have amazing people in my life that I miss and love and that I am missed and loved in return.

And I am thankful every day to be alive.

Happy Holidays!  

My sweaty self after the 10-miler on 12/15/2012. It was HOT for December!