Indigo jones

This year, I have been overwhelmed by all of the articles about how to undo the damage we are about to inflict on ourselves.

First it started with stories about eating too much candy during Halloween. Next, a pre-emptive strike against over indulging at Thanksgiving dinner, followed by binging our way through the entire holiday season, which apparently is one big food splurge, lasting from Halloween to New Year’s Day. The past week’s articles have centered around hangover cures, from the drinks we have not yet consumed on New Year’s Eve.

What started as posts about avoiding the indulgences, slowly morphed into stories about planning to fix it all in January. Somewhere, around the second week in December, even the health and wellness writers threw in the towel and moved on to repair tactics.

If you live a healthy lifestyle, very little of this is relevant. Yes, Thanksgiving has become a carb fest, slathered in butter and brown sugar, and sprinkled liberally with pecans, but it is just one meal. Truly, how much weight can you gain from one meal?

It’s about eating it, enjoying it, and going back to normal healthy eating the next day.

Sure, there have been more temptations lately, but if you make wise choices most of the time, a little indulgence is fine.
No time to workout? Sorry, I don’t buy that one. Get up, get to the gym and get on with your life. It keeps your stress levels in check, and makes sure that your pants still fit after all those treats. No gym? Go for a walk. Just do something.

Next week, the gym will be flooded with the New Year’s “resolutioners.” The ones that vow that this year will be the year they diet and exercise. They fill up the classes, hog the machines, and mess up the locker rooms. They are also gone by the end of the month.

I don’t really believe in making New Year’s resolutions. I believe in taking each day as it comes and doing the best I can with it, whether it’s January or July. Instead of setting a big goal that is often unattainable, why not simply commit to doing better a job of taking care of your body and your health? Why not find simple tweaks that can improve your lifestyle, and go from there? Find something active that you love to do, and doing it will become pleasure, not drudgery.

Don’t look backwards at the things you can’t change, but try looking forward to the things you can do better.

Instead of spending tomorrow trying out that trendy new hangover cure you just read about, why not drink mindfully tonight, and spend the day enjoying all of the possibilities that a new year brings?

Here’s to a great 2012, filled with health, happiness and love!

Xo Indigo Jones

Photo: Glasshouse Images