Battle of the Bulge - Fear of the Festive Season

Just as I'm starting to settle into my new lifestyle adjustments and make some progress, I spot a potential setback! FESTIVE SEASON!! SCHOOL HOLIDAY!!! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid...but I am. I'm petrified! It's been easy staying committed to a fixed schedule during the school period, but without the safety net of routine, I fear that I will fall off the wagon and boomerang back into old habits, only to struggle to regain momentum and rhythm once the school starts.

If failure has taught me anything, then it's given me an idea of what I've been doing wrong! I have started and failed at this journey so many times before and that failure has led me here...to this point; and if anything, it has given me a strong platform to learn and grow from. We are creatures of habit, and  now that I have a clearer understanding of what my weaknesses are, I have a better chance of combatting it!

I know that in order to succeed, I will need to have some sort of plan. I will need to be mentally prepared! So my approach to this two week hiatus  is to :

Stay Active :  School holiday usually marks a more sedentary lifestyle for me. Sleeping late, no pick ups and drop offs, no rush to go anywhere and a generally more relaxed vibe; means that I'm a lot less active than I am during school times. My aim is to try and maintain some sort of discipline with my gym routine and get the kids to join in and be my gym buddies. Incorporating activities such as hiking and cycling will also help in keeping us active and moving!

Eating Clean... Or as clean as possible! This is a huge battle during the holidays!! There's just no eating plan at all during the holiday period. Meals are either spur of the moment or on the go! Nothing is prepared or planned and holiday treats are frequent and calorie dense! And before you know it, you have sabotaged your own progress and back at the starting block! So I want to be more conscious of what I put into my mouth this time round (no burgers, fries and sugary drinks). I want to be kinder to my body and make better choices (more water, fruit and healthy snacks). I want to put thought behind my excursions (pack a healthy option if possible to avoid impulse junk food shopping), plan ahead (always leave home with water and an apple as a filler between meals), and avoid the pitfalls and indulgences that's part and parcel of the festive season (For me, this means knowing where I'm heading and planning what to order from the menu before coming face to face with temptation).

Planning Ahead : With failure, comes lessons... and one of the most valuable lessons on this journey is that the mind is the key to success. I know that if I want to come out of this holiday period unscathed, I have to put my mind into gear! In many ways, this feels like a new start. A shift in mind set and a shift in routine! Just because there's a change in my routine, doesn't mean there's a change in my goal...I just have to find a way to shift gears and mind to accommodate this brief change in my daily routine!

 

 

 

With these tools, I'm marching full throttle into the Easter break. Wish me luck!!!



 

If you've missed my previous Battle of the Bulge posts, you can catch up by reading here and here

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Peace,

 

NAMU :)