Scuffling with Physical Success

'Tis the holiday season, and it's a season of shopping, eating and celebrating. Most of us are taking advantage of the year-end discounts wherein stores are doing their best to lure us into their establishments with the hopes of dropping a few of our hard-earned dollars. We are celebrating the end of the year, which has hopefully been filled with great memories, wonderful successes and goal achievements.

The additional piece we are inundated with is eating. The holidays mean a time of splurging on the excess of sweets, cakes, home-cooked meals and beverages. If you're like me, then splurging means an extra visit to the gym or longer walks with dogs. I will admit that I do envy those fortunate individuals who are able to eat whatever they want, when they want, without adding on any or very little weight this season!

What keeps you motivated to stay healthy, eat and exercise during the holiday season? As you age your metabolism slows down, which means the level of calories we can consume is lower as you age—so you need to seriously increase you level of activity to offset the imbalance.

Have you formulated your list of motivators for what is going to keep you physically healthy this season? How about being able to achieve your business or career goals easier? Would becoming more financially abundant be a motivator?

Would it surprise you to learn that your ability to achieve the success you're seeking is directly affected by your physical health? (Psst. Read my blog from last month, "Your Health, Your Business.") The easiest association people make between these is when you're physically unhealthy, you have a tendency to be sick more often than those who are healthy. Your body can't handle stress and fighting off illnesses and be successful with both. Being ill takes a bigger toll on your life than just a few sick days you might need to take off from work.

My goal by revisiting this topic is to empower you to make thoughtful, educated and strong choices while you enjoy your holiday season.

Your first step is to determine the priority your physical health holds in your life. For some of you it might be due to extenuating circumstances, or it might be middle of the ground, or it might be your top priority. The key in identifying the priority it plays is not for you to judge yourself harshly for it but rather to be honest about it. When you can be honest with yourself where physical health is on your priority list, it will allow you to let go of a certain amount of stress this holiday.

To make strong choices in your fuel plan (Remember, I replaced the horrid word "diet" with "fuel" a few years ago.), you need to base them on honesty and truth. No matter where it lies, your next step is to make the connection with the emotion that may be associated with having your physical health be lower than you would honestly like.

For example, if out of the five elements (Physical, Financial, Personal, Relationship, and Spiritual) your Physical health is fourth on your priority list, then you need to begin to understand why it's lower than the three. Making the connection and identifying the emotional reason will enable you to make better choices in the future and see how your decisions will affect the other elements of your life.

When you make the connection, you will be able to easily establish actions to help keep you motivated to stay healthy through the holiday season. The following are three recommendations to get you started to a healthier life physically

• Be sure to enjoy both cardio and weight training in your exercise regimen. They will help you build your lean muscle mass. (You've seen this recommendation before.)
• Eat little and often, as it will help in increasing your metabolism rate. The rule of thumb to remember is 500 calories per main meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner – and 200 calories for two snacks in the morning and afternoon, for a maximum of 1,900 calories per a day. Also, try to refrain from eating at least two hours before going to bed.
• Hydrate your body regularly. It's suggested that we drink 64 fluid ounces of water every day. To help keep you from overindulging, try to drink at least 10 ounces about thirty minutes before each meal. Remember that the hydration isn't effective when caffeine is involved. Green tea is believed to increase digestion and your metabolism, so make it a part of your diet. You can use green tea as a great afternoon pick-me-up if you find your energy low.

The holidays are a great time of year. But when we overindulge with food and beverages, we often will feel sluggish. This results in not having the energy to participate in fun events. Amp your energy level this holiday season and enjoy yourself while improving your chances of success in all areas of your life.