The Winter Blahs: Fighting Back

It's very easy to get down in the dumps in the winter time. In addition to whatever life problems may be weighing you down, add to that the bitter cold and dreary weather and God forbid - SNOW and in no time at all, all meaning and purpose in life seems gone.

Ok, that may be a bit extreme, but I definitely get more easily bummed out when the weather is dismal than  I do in the bright and shiny summery sunshine rays. Or the bright and shiny rays of the West Coast. *sigh, someday* All I want to do is stay and my nice, warm, comfy, cozy bed and press the "off" button on real life and responsibilities. Unfortunately, that's just not an option.

So what's a girl to do, eh? Here are just a few of the ways I shake off the winter (or any kind of) blahs.

1) Put Some Pep In Your Step

Not everyone is a caffeine addict, but everyone likes some kind of warm beverage. One of the best things to do when you're cold - ingest some delicious warmth! Weather it be coffee, tea, hot chocolate or you favorite latte, sipping on something delicious and warm can definitely be a great tool to help you face the day ahead. 

2) Get Glammed Up

Even if you don't make a big fuss of what you look like on a day to day basis, I'm sure you still have some go-to pieces that make you feel like a rock star. When I'm at home, I like to just be comfortable. But when I go out, I like to look good! When I take the time to do my hair and makeup and put on a cute outfit, inevitably I feel better about myself and life in general throughout the day. For you, this could mean wearing your comfiest pants, showing off your snazzy new spectacles or throwing on some lip gloss just for the hell of it. Whatever - if it makes you feel good, do it! 

3) Don't Focus on Your Problems, Focus on Solutions

If you have something specific that's causing your mood to be gloomy, it's natural to put a lot of brainpower to it. Instead of feeling bummed about whatever the issue is, try to brainstorm ways to fix or at least work on the issue. Focusing on the problem itself isn't going to help anything and will only make you feel bummed out longer. Working towards a solution, even if it's only in your head for now will bring about a better mindset, a better mood and will help you take action towards solving your problem. 

4) If All Else Fails, Pretend

You've heard the term "fake it til you make it." Well, that holds true here as well. You don't have to pretend you're the happiest person on the planet. And you don't have to lie and tell people you're doing great when you're not. But even if you don't feel like getting glammed up or being super positive, just don't wallow constantly in gloom. This doesn't mean you can't take some time for yourself to just feel what you feel - but don't stay there. Don't live in the dreary parts of your feelings. 

These are my go-to tips for fighting the winter blahs. What are your suggestions?

xoxo, 

Sweet C

I'm Only Human

I can be a bit of an emotional eater at times. For me, controlling my eating is similar to how I control my emotions. I try not to get bent out of shape over small things. I allow myself to be upset for a little bit - and then I move past it. I also try not to react with a bad attitude to most things and try to calmly think things through and look at the positive side. But after a while of doing this, I always have a breaking point. There's always a moment where I get tired of being rational and just need to let it out in the form of crying or yelling. But usually crying.

I'm in the same boat with cheating on my diet. For the most part, I can talk myself out of straying from eating the right things. But after a certain amount of times talking myself out of it and a certain number of issues arising in my life - I lose it and eat something that is not-so-diet friendly. This week, I was beyond frustrated with my computer. Technology and I already are not the best of friends. If you glance at the previous post, I have a 30 day video series to send to my subscribers. Well, both my webcam and editing software decided that they no longer wanted to be civil to me at all and stopped being cooperative. After the first 24 hours of trying to edit a video to no avail - I hit my first breaking point with the crying. After the following 24 hours (we're at 48 total now) I hit my second breaking point of carbs. Then finally, after 72 hours ~ I absolutely decided that I deserved chocolate. I mean, seriously you have no idea how many times I had to watch myself on video saying the same thing over and over and over to re-edit the same video. I like me, but c'mon.

So, what's my reaction to my carb and chocolate cheats? What would YOUR reaction be? I know a lot of people beat themselves up over this kind of thing and allow it to lead to a downward slope of eating badly for days and feeling down on themselves. That's completely pointless. Yes - I ate some things I shouldn't have. Yes - I skipped a couple of workouts to be glued to my computer and trying to fix this problem for 3 days straight. No - I am not going to make myself feel bad for it. It's called LIFE and it happens. No one is spot on with their diet and workout routine every single second of every single day. Do I wish I would have handled things differently? Absolutely, but it's something I can learn from. I can know that next time - I can't let what's  important to me suffer because of something else that's important to me. It has to be in balance. I got my chocolate and carb fix and I will try to at least balance it out with some extra workouts this week. Not the same as eating clean, but it will make me feel a little better.

I'm only human, and sometimes - I need chocolate. It's not the end of the world and I'm not going to gain 5lbs. tomorrow. I also don't have to let it be the beginning of a llloooonnnggg eating binge. It was one day and one bar of chocolate. And now it's done. I'm moving forward. Allowing yourself to make mistakes and committing yourself to learning from them is all a part of the process.

You Can Lie To Yourself, But Don't Lie To Me

Let's get real. A lot of you are lying when you tell yourself that you're doing all you can to lose the weight. You tell yourself "I'm working so hard and nothing's happening!" Then when I ask you what's going on, your words paint a different story. Here's why you may not be seeing the results you want.

1) You're eating too much fast food and eating out too often. Fast food is not healthy. Period. With the exception of Saladworks and maybe a salad from Subway, you're wasting money and calories if you're trying to eat healthy. Even then - they're still giving you processed meats. Fast food will never, ever be as good as grocery-store-bought whole foods. Ever. As a last resort - ok. As an unexpected delay in meal time option - ok. As a daily lunch choice - no bueno. You absolutely should not be eating out every day and then complaining about weight or money since you're readily wasting both. Paying $7 for a meal daily is far more expensive than buying groceries and making that exact same meal yourself, but healthier. It requires you to prepare a little bit more, but so what? If you're really trying to get healthier, you need to be willing to do what it takes.

2) You're not working out enough or efficiently enough. Adding exercise slowly to your routine is a great idea. Doing a half hour of cardio a week however will not get you far. And if your cardio consists of slowly walking your dog through the park that one day - that's really not gonna do much for you. To efficiently work out and burn calories - you should be working your way up to 5 workouts a week and they should be aerobic. Your heart should be pumping and you should be sweating. Yes that sounds hard because it's supposed to be. That's the point! Find something you like that gets your heart rate up but is also fun. Cardio kickboxing and Dance-Fitness classes are great ways to move it and enjoy it while you move.

3) You give up too easily. Getting fit is not a goal you hit and then stop. It's a lifestyle. Even once you reach whatever goal you have for yourself, you still have to work to maintain it. It doesn't stay on it's own. Your life has to be one that's geared towards change. It's ok to mess up, it's even ok to backslide sometimes. It's NOT ok to stop. What would be the point? If you stop trying, all you'll end up with is being sad and back to where you started. Who cares if you mess up? Who cares if you skipped two weeks of workouts? Just start again! Get back into it. There's no rule that says if you don't do things perfectly, you're out of the game. You are on a personal journey. It's up to you to live it how you want. So quit complaining and get back in the game!

xoxo,
 Sweet Charity