Managing Holiday Season Weight Gain… & all that BS.

It's drilled into us our whole lives- if you eat a lot, or you eat a slice of pie, make sure to go workout. 

In a sense, there's truth to that idea. If we are consistently eating more calories than we are burning, we will gain weight; but I have [at least] two issues with this: 

1. The idea that gaining any weight is something to fear- that any weight gain somehow reduces your value is well... bull****. It's OK to have some fluctuation in your weight or body fat percentage... actually, it's normal. 

2. Being guilted into prescribing some ambiguous set of exercises for some culturally agreed upon amount of time is also bull****. 

Am I saying to go eat pie all day every day and then sit on your couch? No, not at all. 

What I AM saying is to tune in to who you are deep down and really tap into your value as an individual over a number on scale; and, when choosing an exercise to do, do it because YOU feel good about doing it. 

Do it because it makes YOU feel alive, and because it makes your joints feel more fluid and your muscles more capable. 

Don't let guilt or outside pressures decide for you.

Ask yourself these questions: 

1. Why do I care so much about the weight I am? What in my life has told me that this is important?

2. How are my energy levels feeling? Am I exhausted from having too much "on my plate?" Then, maybe rest will serve you more. Or, am I sluggish because I haven't moved much? This might be a time when you need to push yourself a little harder to get moving. 

3. If I've decided to exercise, is what I'm doing going to make my body better for all the things I want to do in my life? Will it make me feel good, or make me not want to get out of bed for the next week?

So, this holiday season, tune in to what your body really needs. Move, move often, and move intuitively, but, also, know that it's ok to rest.