Happy Holiday Week TMF-ers! Some of us have a short work week, and others are gearing up to work amongst those rowdy retail sales! Some of us will be amongst family, others amongst friends. It’s been a year of change, a year of better health and increased activity and we have so much to be grateful for! The immense food gathering of Thanksgiving and the excessive preparation that goes into all of the party and meal planning can get stressful, so don’t forget to take a step back, re-assess the reasons WHY we are celebrating and focus on WHY and WHAT we are truly grateful for. Here are the top 5 reasons why I am grateful:
5. My little furry friends. 🙂 Blue was a weiner-lab and my right hand companion for 15 years. He kept me humble,protected, and always laughing at all the eye rolls whenever I was too dramatic or high-handed. Best Weiner-lab ever. Diggy is my new rescue dog who never fails to crack me up at his tiny squirrel antics. He’s 3 pounds of attitude and thinks that a perfect day means a warm lap, a good walk, and then some more cuddles. After a long day it’s fun to come home to a tiny welcome party. 🙂
4. Amazing work experiences. Every job that I’ve ever had has been chock-full of good people, great experiences, and learning lessons. I’m sure there were low times and cranky people as well mixed in, but I choose to take away the positive from all of those situations. I’ve had 4 absolutely phenomenal bosses over the past 20 years, and I count them amongst the smartest and most wise people that I’ve met. Now I’m my own boss, and I have all of their voices in my head whenever I need to make any business decisions. It’s been a priceless learning experience.
3. I LOVE my Job! I wake up every morning grateful for the chance to earn a living doing what I love most. I enjoy designing workouts for my clients. I enjoy motivating people to get active and feel better about themselves, and I’m personally addicted to the rush of an intense workout and the feeling of accomplishment after a particularly satisfying boxing blast class. I hope to continue doing this for a long time to come.
2. My friends and family: I am surrounded by an incredibly positive and loving support system. No one ever doubted that I had what it took to create my own business and brand, and cheered me on when I began to let the questions start to overtake the faith and passion in my path. I will cheers to you this holiday for that!
1. Myself: Body and Mind. I have been healthy, unhealthy, at a low weight, high weight, sickly, and strong, and I know now what my body is capable of. I am appreciative that I recognize just how grateful I am that my body has put up with years of neglect, punishments, and intense activity. Good health is the ultimate luxury. Our bodies tell us when we are hungry (if we listen to it correctly), when we are thirsty, when we are tired, sick, energized, and when we need to slow it down and rest. We have such an enormous responsibility to ourselves to give our bodies the nourishment, the activity and the care that it deserves. When you’re having a bad body image day, or berating yourself for inahaling the nacho plate instead of eating a nice salad, just remember this acronym. WWTC. What Would You Tell a Child. Would you tell your young son that he didn’t deserve to go to a party because he didn’t look so great in his pants? Would you tell your little niece that she will never find a boyfriend because she skipped out on a workout that week thereby ensuring massive weight gain? Of course not. You would never tell a child these things, and so remember to treat yourself with the same care and compassion. The journey to our best health and bodies is a hilly, cliff riddled, and winding road, so give yourself a break. Take a deep breath, enjoy those who positively surround you and motivate you to a better you; and give thanks to all of the people and situations who have caused you to improve, learn lessons, or gain understanding.
Stay active this Thanksgiving week, and don’t forget to eat to your appropriate satiety levels and no more! There’s always another chance for a nibble much later. 🙂 See you at the gym!
Cheers,
Jessica
trulymadlyfit 