I am sure we can all find a million reasons why we shouldn't work out or why it is okay to reward ourselves with treats we don't really need. It probably sounds something like, "It's the holidays--I will be good once Thanksgiving is over," or "I deserve this treat or to sleep in and not work out because I have been working so hard." The problem is that the holidays run from Halloween through the New Year when many of us are then forced to make a resolution to lose those extra pounds.
I have not been as careful as I could be with my eating, but I have been consistent with my workout routine. Luckily, as I have shared in previous blogs, as long as I am exercising I can keep my weight under control--I won't lose pounds, but I also don't gain weight either. I did have to take an extra day off this week because we were traveling up to Northern California, but I made up for it by doing extra bike miles than I had planned for.
I have not been as careful as I could be with my eating, but I have been consistent with my workout routine. Luckily, as I have shared in previous blogs, as long as I am exercising I can keep my weight under control--I won't lose pounds, but I also don't gain weight either. I did have to take an extra day off this week because we were traveling up to Northern California, but I made up for it by doing extra bike miles than I had planned for.
On Tuesday, Sean and I rode bikes up the Coast of Monterey Bay. This is honestly my favorite place in the world to get outside and play. The time flies by as I watch the beautiful white-capped waves roll in, see the sea lions littered all over the sand and rocks, and observe the sea otters floating over the seaweed. I had decided to do a short BRICK workout, so I biked 9.75 miles, locked my bike up near a coffee shop, and ran 4.35 miles. After having a much deserved non-fat latte, we rode another 3.5 miles back to the hotel. All this was done before breakfast, so we could spend the rest of the day hanging with the kids.
The next day, we decided that we just couldn't resist one more glorious ride near the surf. Unfortunately mother nature had other plans for us. We were about 20 minutes into our ride when it began to sprinkle. I was very happy I had decided to bring my mountain bike for this trip, because the wider tires made it much safer on the wet road. However, the farther we rode, the harder it began to rain. At one point it was raining so hard that I literally had to close one eye and squint the other, because the head wind was pushing the drops right into my eyeballs. I know it sounds crazy that we continued, but we had already gone so far and I know that I can't control the weather for Ironman and need to prepare for any situation. By the time we arrived back at the hotel we were soaked to the bone, and I could pour water right out of my shoes (see wet dog photo to the left). I had planned to swim in the hotel pool, but I decided that I had technically had a simultaneous swim/ride and that I was done for the day. A 17 mile hill ride was good enough, and I would just need to fit in an extra swim over the weekend.
I ended the holiday by running my annual Oceanside Turkey Trot 5 miler. Team "Huffing for Stuffing" (Mark, Steph, Emily, and I) headed out before the sun was up and arrived at the race with plenty of time to grab our race packets, stretch, and take our pre-race photos (as my husband pointed out today, I spend as much time documenting my exercise as I actually spend exercising). I love this race because not only does most of the course have an ocean view, but it starts at 7 am. This means that even after running and driving home, we were back before 10 to help prepare the Thanksgiving meal. No excuses for this girl. I wanted to enjoy my one serving of our Thanksgiving celebration meal, so I made sure I got my body moving early and I didn't even miss a minute of family time in the process.
So stop making the holidays an excuse for making bad choices. If you want to celebrate, work on making some healthy holiday traditions. Try taking a vacation to a place where you can play outdoors, or even find a local race to celebrate. You will feel better about your choices and avoid waking up on January 1st realizing that you have to get out there a work extra hard to reverse what the holidays did to you.
“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no 'I'll start tomorrow.' Tomorrow is disease.”
― Terri Guillemets
So stop making the holidays an excuse for making bad choices. If you want to celebrate, work on making some healthy holiday traditions. Try taking a vacation to a place where you can play outdoors, or even find a local race to celebrate. You will feel better about your choices and avoid waking up on January 1st realizing that you have to get out there a work extra hard to reverse what the holidays did to you.
“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no 'I'll start tomorrow.' Tomorrow is disease.”
― Terri Guillemets
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