Merry Christmas! 
I have always looked forward toward this awesome day! Even during my dark years of depression, this was the one day of the year that always cracked a smile on my face. I used to start planning for Christmas as far back as late August or September on what I wanted to do. While the rest of the year was hard and heavy, Christmas was as light as snow and always meant a lot to me even today. This can be a hard time of year for anyone regardless of who you are or where you are at. I know of a friend who got to the point where he could not stand the holidays, though, I’m not really sure what lead him there. But, I think that may be changing for him, I hope. Christmas does not have to be dark and gloomy, and should be bright and cheerful. Ok, if you disagree, then take your hand and smack yourself hard and then crack your smile if you have to and you’ll get the point. Surely, one could take several hours out of the dark clouds to crack a smile 
Get with others, go to parties, be with friends, but most importantly, smile and enjoy! Don’t let an otherwise great day be dark and lonely
Let’s all have a happy, healthy and cheerful and Merry Christmas!
Season’s Greetings to all!
Tim
The Holidays can be a hard time of year especially for those who want to loose weight or start a new health and fitness goal. Most usually end up saying, I’ll wait until next year to start. With Christmas and New Years around the corner, it’s still not to late to take action.
Things that make it hard:
1. All the good food
2. Everyone having a good time but me
3. Goals
4. Health
5. Family Crisis (it can happen this time of year)
6. Sickness or Illness
7. Attitude
8. Comparing yourself to others
9. Struggling efforts
10. What you think others are thinking
This list (above) can go on, but, you get the picture. It’s all a head game. It’s all about how you are perceiving reality. The following is a list of what you can do now to get yourself on a better path for next year.
What to do now:
1. Close your mind to what others may be thinking (are they really thinking anything?)
2. Set a small goal for the end of year i.e: 1 or 2 pound loss (or gain, yes as a limit)
3. Start using portion control now, but, be good, don’t be extreme here
4. Don’t over indulge
5. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF!
6. Get out and enjoy yourself
7. Yes, have that desert you are craving, just one piece of pie / cake etc. (not two or three)
8. More than one party to go to, lucky you, portion control, portion control, portion control
9. Drink a lot of water and/or have a light healthy snack before heading out to a party
10. As in portion control, be sensible.
It doesn’t matter who you are, this can be a difficult time of year for more than achieving any goals. Everyone wants to have a great time this time of year. The holidays can be a mixed bag of realities for everyone.
Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings to everyone!
Tim
