BH

Hello everyone,

With Tishrei over, I’m back. How was your Yom Tov? Mine was.. What could I say? B”H, it was really great! Tiring, but relaxing. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it’s true.  I don’t know about you, but I seriously fell off the health wagon. With all the cooking, serving, eating and just Yom Tov itself, it’s real tough to be health-conscious. (I mean, seriously, who’s doing yoga when the house is on wheels and Yom Tov is just several hours away? Or, how about the time when everyone’s eating calorie-drenched dessert. And only YOU are NOT going to taste?!) Yom Tov is Yom Tov. And now we’re back.

What’s done is done. It’s a new beginning. Don’t say ‘if I only..’, because that won’t help anybody. Start eating well today, since, here’s the secret: You know that little piece of leftover cake  in the fridge? Don’t eat it. It will make a difference, no matter how many pounds you gained. Think of it as one less trip to the gym. What you gain in seconds, can take hours to get rid of. That is definitely tried and true (more than once, I believe ;) ).

Drink water like crazy. Hey, water isn’t reserved for only Erev Fast Days. We need it all the time. Even more than food. So drink 1/2 an hour before meals so you can be sure your hunger is real hunger and not thirst. Drink during and afterwards. Basically, always have water in reach and remember to drink it. That’s really the bottom line.

You’re your own person. Don’t start comparing yourself to the skinny girl down the street. Do what’s best for you. All that’s going to do is stress you out. Not worth it.

Set goals. And make them nice and small. Because no one’s losing twenty pounds in a week.  Oh, and reward yourself when they’re accomplished with a new outfit, a treat.. anything you enjoy but don’t normally do.

Warm up gradually. Don’t become super-healthy within days. At a certain point, you’re just going to crash. Take it step by step. A little less cake here, a little more walking there… You know, one thing at a time.

Learn from your mistakes. If you fall back (It’s only human. I’m not an angel, are you?), see why and make it positive. See what works for you or what doesn’t and  act accordingly. No need to kick yourself. Gam Zu leTovah, right?

Get a journal. Write in it EVERYTHING you ate and any exercise you did. And I do mean everything. No cheating! Try it, you’ll be surprised by how well it works. Because it really does.

That’s it for today. Work on it, set your goals, do your stuff. And, most importantly, have fun! Make it fun! Challenge yourself. Give it all you got. See what YOU can do. Because we all can.

Cheers!

Tonni