My Clean Living Life, Part III

This has got to be one, if not the, hardest times of the year for a striving-to-be-clean girl like me (smile).

 

It doesn’t help that I live in New England where its bitter cold outside  at 5am in the morning when I wake up to go to the gym.

 

 

And, to add insult to injury, good and un-healthy food greets me everywhere I turn, making it harder and harder for me to make  the right food choices…Between office day and night parties, get-togethers with friends, family gatherings, pre-holiday dinners, after-work happy hours and the like, I almost feel like throwing in the towel and biting into that lovely red velvet cupcake!

 

 

And eating clean?!?   What a joke?!?   Not with all of these yummy, unhealthy but delicious snacks surrounding me…

 

 

But then this tiny little nagging voice of reason shakes me, wakes me up and tells me to maintain control because if I keep giving in to food temptation, it’s going to be that much harder come January 2nd…

 

So…I take a deep breath and remind myself of the little things that I have done in the past to counteract the decadence.   Here are just a few tips that I have used successfully:

 

  • Drink lots of water (not only is it filling but it also cleans out toxins)
  • Eat slowly and take small bites
  • At parties, eat out of tiny dinner plates 
  • Try not do two things at once (like eat and talk on the phone) as you will lose track of your portions
  • And finally, drink one large (10 ounces or more) glass of ice water for every alcoholic drink consumed

 

The holidays are truly a whirlwind of fun, good food, good drinks and activity but if you try to keep track of what you eat and drink daily and not give in to every temptation out there you can get through them with minimal damage and celebrate the post New Year in style!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me!  On August 5, 2016 I will celebrate 5 years (Colon) Cancer free.  Yay!

 

You see on Friday, August 5, 2011 I had surgery to remove the colon cancer so I count that day in August as my anniversary date as opposed to counting when I actually completed my 12 chemo treatments which, by the way, was in February of 2012.  I’m not going to get into it here as I have already blogged about the actual experience which can be found under Blogs on my site, lajeunehollis.com – Check out my blog post:   A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free

 

Although I tried unsuccessfully to put on a Colon Cancer Cruise in 2015 Check out my blog post:  Colon Cancer Survivors Cruise Info it was still a learning experience that left me much richer for it…

 

The month of March will forever hold a special place in my  heart as it is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and without the colonoscopy I received back in June of 2011, I would not be sharing any of these stories with you today – Check out my blog post:  True Blue

 

Eating healthy and nutritious foods is a way of life for me now, not just a passing fad  Check out any one of my blog post series:  My Clean Living Life – Part V

 

Working out at The Edge in Hamden is a great stress reliever for sure but it also serves the dual purpose of keeping me physically fit – Check out my blog post:  Pit Bull or Poodle?

 

And participating in seasonal sports and/or activities on a regular basis brings me right back to my childhood as my parents were always good about keeping all 7 of us Hollis kids busy in a good way – Check out my blog post:  Ski Date

 

Having good friends to lean on during a major illness (remember that old saying about the fact that you don’t know who your real friends are until you encounter a major illness) rang so true for me.  Also, making new friends as a direct result of my Cancer experience was humbling to say the least Check out my blog post: Friends are like jewels…

 

Family is crucial and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without the love and support of my father and my siblings during this trial – Check out my blog post: Anniversary

 

And finally,  growing up in a religious household made all of the difference in the world in terms of how I viewed my illness and how I responded to it – Again, check out my blog post:  A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free  Having faith and a church home (for me, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, CT) was completely necessary for my sanity and my survival.  I was then and continue now to be truly blessed.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL