Reasons to be Thankful for Holiday Weight Gain

Just the extra 5-10 lbs that creeps up during the winter, not too much obviously, you want to stay healthy. Don’t get me wrong, I like being string bean stage lean. It’s fun to see your bodies potential, and what better project to take on than yourself?! I think everyone should try it at least once, because once you get there you’ll always have the knowledge and motivation to get back.

However, between the holidays and returning from vacation a couple months later- I’ve found myself about 20lbs up. Where you can’t stay stage lean forever, it’s ideal to stay within 12-15lbs of your lowest weight, so I’m a bit over. This is about the time I start to get pretty uncomfortable with my body and have to really fight the craving of that second cookie.

So why is this good you ask?? Well, it’s a process really. Kind of like the stages of grief.

Denial- Yea, you know when you go to pull up those pants and have to try a little harder but you blame it on them just being washed- “they always shrink a little.”

Anger- As you walk around and keep having to adjust the pants you put on that are getting too small for you, then you see that plate of holiday donuts your co worker brought in and you automatically hate them.

Bargaining- “Okay, I’ll start getting up early and go to the gym twice a week then have just one cheat day.”

Depression. Looks in the mirror “Who am I?! What am I doing with my life?!”

Acceptance- I didn’t say it was easy, but to accept our actions as well as their RESULTS can be hard. But to accept it, own it and then FIX it is the good thing.

It can take this acceptance to push you over the edge to finally join that morning kickboxing class or start that healthy eating challenge that ultimately leads to more healthy habits.

When you have a goal to work toward it gives you purpose to grind through those last couple reps or try something new!

You can also give thanks to this holiday chub for making you realize that when you take care of your body, it takes care of you back…and vice versa. When you know how good you can feel, it makes it hard to settle for less, so say goodbye to that sluggish winter feels as you clean up the diet and get moving!

It also means you have abundance; you have more than you need. It means you probably enjoyed the company of some loved ones over delicious food and that is something to be insanely thankful for.

Last but certainly not least, it’s easier to build muscle when you have some extra to work with, so use it to your advantage and start pushing some weight!