When “going green” ruins your holiday workout routine: Santa isn’t the only one after these cookies…
The green container is my kryptonite. Yours might be another color, but mine is green. And it waits for me on the weekends tucked in the back corner of my niece and nephew’s kitchen. I try to pretend it’s not there, but I can smell the melted chocolate before I turn the doorknob. Last week it was brownies, this week, Christmas cookies. I start with a gingerbread man’s arm before I realize a tiny village just formed in my stomach. Yup…I’m on Santa’s naughty list.
My workouts have been strong, my willpower… not so much. Holiday treats fill our newsroom, and as I sit in my cubicle gnawing away at almonds, my co-workers enjoy sprinkled cookies shaped like Rudolph. (I wish his nose would guide me to healthier options.) Eventually, I cave, taking small bites off the break-room table. (Also known as my “green container” away from home.) I’ve heard nothing tastes as good as “fit” feels, but let’s be real…whoever said that has clearly never had a Sugar Jones cupcake.
The holidays have been a struggle. I made it through Halloween without eating the contents of a piñata, but Christmas poses a new challenge. It’s funny how that little voice in our head can justify our actions. “Well, I’ve had little bites of 12 cookies so technically I’ve probably ONLY…REALLY had one”… followed by…“You worked out today so you earned that cheesecake”… As soon as Mariah Carey’s song hits the radio I’ve rationalized my holiday habits for the season.
I’m going into this week determined. It takes more than 100 burpees to burn off that star shaped Rice Krispies treat so if I want it, I need to be willing to work. I try to give myself one snack a week, although recently I have been double dipping into that infamous “green container”… The same Tupperware my eight-year-old nephew ripped out of my hands telling me, “Your cheat day was yesterday”…( yah.. yah.. yah). You know you have a problem when the kids stop asking you to open their fruit snacks. They’ve learned through age and experience that I’m not really trying to make sure their gummies are “safe”. I think they’re onto me.
My goal is to compete in Rockford’s Tough Mudder race and the training starts in the kitchen. I think that’s the trick to staying on track, paying more attention to the 22 hours away from the weight rack. We need to have goals to motivate us. I’ve noticed some people will change the background on their phones to a picture of something they are working towards. I try to keep that image in the forefront of my mind so when the candy cane frosting is screaming my name like merchandise in a Pier 1 commercial, I see a finish line instead.
I’m far from a fitness expert and I think that’s why I enjoy tracking the grueling process through these blogs: it helps me stay accountable. While we are likely going to binge at Grandma’s house this week, we need to get back on track once the cookies leave the fireplace. As the lights come down, I vow to replace that “green container”…with actual greens.
