When Consistency Pays Off

Happy Holidays or better known as, seriously you expect me to: clean the house, shop for your mother's boss's daughter's third cousin, bake a Yule Log from scratch, make the cookies for the entire family, make authentic Latkes for your Jewish half-brother, find the perfect gift for my brother-in-law, and get my run and workouts in?  Sound familiar?  Can you hear the sounds of "I Wish you a Merry Christmas" Hyphen Satisfying Solstice, Rockin' Ramadan, Quirky Kwanzaa, and a Happy Hanukkah.  All of this is to say December is the ultimate fitness roadblock.  Not only do you have all of this going on around you to fill all that free time you normally sit around wondering how to fill; every single person you know, and even some random strangers who don't know what else to do, are trying to feed you cookies, cupcakes, cider, hot chocolate, and candy.  Really at this point I would give my Kingdom, not much per say, to anyone who said "I made a salad for us all to celebrate the holidays."

All of that reminds me to be grateful to the trait I must often have a love hate relationship with my regimented nature.  This is where all that lack of spontaneity really starts to pay out like Vegas.  I love routine.  In fact were I not happily married I might consider having a pretty steamy affair with it.  I am not what you might call whimsical.  I am sure people wake up ad think, "today is a blank slate.  I have no idea what I plan to do.  Wonder where the wind will take me."  I am breaking out in a cold sweat just typing that.  I always know what I will be doing.  I don't leave things up to happenstance.  In fact me and happenstance are complete strangers.

With all of that said what does that have to do with fitness, running and the holidays.  I have a sound routine of running and strength training.  It is after 3 years an ingrained part of my day and my life.  When all the craziness that is December rolls around; I am able to fit the crazy into a schedule that already tees off with my exercise routine.  Because I know I have to run, I am less likely to end up so wasted at the office Christmas Party so I have to avoid direct eye contact until the desperate single girl begins weeping over the Valentine's cupcakes and my drunken Karaoke version of" Blue Christmas" is long forgotten.  See during this season of limited time and excess everything else it is "All about that Base."  You are welcome that that has now replaced "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" as the annoying soundtrack in your head! This is where the base of your decisions if they start with fitness will lead to your next good decision, no diving head first into a cheese ball.  As I said this where my fixation with the routine of running and working out really pays off.  That good decision leads to self-control and other good decisions.

Hey if you already jumped off the fitness bandwagon in pursuit of holiday happiness there is always New Years.  Hope you are having a healthy holiday season!

Today I am grateful to have found a great surprise gift for my hubby!!