I am happy to report that I did NOT overeat at Thanksgiving! However, my baby ate his weight in cranberry sauce. I know, weird.

I even got some yoga in before bed on Thanksgiving. I’ve never felt so good after a holiday traditionally associated with stuffing my face full of food.

Starting out the holiday season right is certainly setting me up for success for the next four weeks. I often feel like the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a gluttonous free-for-all where all impulse control is thrown out the window and I secretly vow that if I wake up alive on January 1st, I’ll do better with my diet.

It’s time to break the cycle! Yoga has taught me that I can break a cycle at any time. The truth is, I’ve chosen the cycle so I can step away from it whenever I want. However, habits can become so engrained in us that sometimes the impulse to do what we’ve always done is much stronger than our desire to do what’s best for us.

That’s why, when I saw that the Yoga Loft is doing a cookie exchange on December 11, I dismissed it because I thought to myself, “The last thing I need in my life is more cookies.” I didn’t even want to chance putting myself in a situation that would require serious impulse control.

But then I got a great buy xenical uk email from Alysha about a healthy cookie recipe that she’s making for the exchange and realized I can make healthy cookies too! I love participating in holiday festivities and I shouldn’t miss out because I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself. This is just a great opportunity for me to practice working on my new, healthier habits in a new, slightly more challenging environment. I’m excited to get together with our community, have a nice time and treat myself to a couple delicious cookies that aren’t going to make me feel sluggish, guilty or negative about myself.

Pattabhi Jois, the founder of physical Ashtanga Yoga, said, “Practice and all is coming.“

It’s one of my favorite quotes because I can apply it to almost everything in my life. For me, healthy eating requires consistent practice, just like anything else that I haven’t been doing on a regular basis for a long time. And as new practices becomes more familiar and enjoyable, we can step our practice up a notch and put ourselves in uncomfortable situations to see if we can still maintain our practice. So cookie exchange, here I come!

If something matters to you, you’ll make it a priority to practice it. What have you been making a priority to practice? Leave your comments below!

Thanks for reading! ~ Megan

Image from toxel.com