The curse of December is upon us. Well it always used to be a curse for me. For years I basically washed my hands of any attempt at weight loss during the holidays. You know the old “I might as well just start fresh on January 1st.” Last year was a turning point for me. It was the first year that I did not gain weight over the holidays. If I remember correctly I may have even entered the new year a pound or two less.

Last year I went into the holidays with a slightly different mentality. I enjoyed holiday treats here and there, but I didn’t go totally crazy. I was also marathon training which doesn’t typically mean weight loss, but I was very active throughout the month of December and into January. 

This year I’m taking an even more proactive approach. Christmas came early for me. My husband and I never exchange gifts for birthdays or holidays. Instead we feel free to gift ourselves certain agreed upon luxuries at any given time of the year finances permitting. Today I signed on with a personal trainer for 12 sessions. Along with our sessions she is helping me to design a fitness plan for the rest of the week including strength training activities I can do on my own at the gym.

I love running, but it’s time for a bit of a change. I will continue to run for fun, relaxation (yes I run to relax!!) and stress relief, however, I’m not currently training for anything specific. I also recently bought a Groupon for a local yoga studio so I will throw that into my fitness regimen for the next 10 weeks or so. My fitness goals are to improve my flexibility, increase my strength and continue to improve my speed. 

I have also decided to meet the holiday food frenzy head on. Seriously this time of year really stresses me out. God help me I love treats and working in a hospital can be a nightmare. The doctors buy gourmet gift baskets, patients’ families bring in food for the nursing staff, the nursing staff brings in sinfully delicious treats for each other. I’ve got my boxing gloves on this year and I’m going to punch most of it away. I control what goes into my mouth not the other way around. I will allow myself to enjoy only the treats that really really interest me. No wasting my time on those Russell Stover chocolates when there are Lindts Dark Chocolate truffles awaiting.

Having a plan doesn’t mean I won’t indulge here and there, but my goal is to keep chipping away at the last 13 pounds I have to lose before finally reaching my Weight Watchers goal weight. I’m not going backwards this holiday season. It’s forward motion from here into the new year.