Injury, indulgence & New Year's resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holiday season was everything you hoped for. Personally, I’m a little relieved to be through the holidays and into the new year. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. I love the atmosphere, celebrating with family and friends and, of course, all the delicious treats. This year I was determined to keep my nutrition on track throughout the holiday season and (full disclosure here, folks) I failed…

I did have a really good routine going for the last few months. I was hitting the gym in the morning before work most days. I was eating well and feeling really good! Then, I hurt myself.. In mid-December I fell down the stairs (no, they weren’t icy, I was just clumsy) and injured my tail bone pretty badly. For over a week I was moving very slowly. Sitting was almost unbearable and when I did sit I had to do so on a “donut” pillow. Side note- if you ever hurt your tail bone these things are a must have. It has totally been my savior these past few weeks.

Anyway, I am almost back to normal now. I can manage everyday tasks again but I’m still not exercising like I normally do. I’ll get there. Like we’ve all heard many times before, it is so important to let your body heal. Pushing yourself before you’re ready is only going to set you back more. Of course I know this, and have said this to many people myself. However, now that I am the one who is injured, it's been a hard pill to swallow.

So, you're probably thinking “what does this have to do with you letting your diet go to crap over the holidays?” If you are injured and unable to workout nutrition should be even MORE of a priority, right? Yeah,

that’s the thought.. Unfortunately, I let this get the best of me for a while. I am always an optimist but being laid up really had me feeling down. Pair the pity party with the fact that holiday treats have been lurking around every corner and you have yourself a dangerous combination. Eating sweets and drinking wine to drown my sorrows over not being able to exercise is not really my style, but for a while I just didn’t care.

But guess what? It’s 2015! It’s a new year full of new opportunity and as 2014 came to a close I couldn’t help but remember how great it has been. I will be damned if I’ll let one small injury derail my progress (in the gym AND the kitchen) and my happiness. I am thankful for the reminder to slow down, both literally (on the stairs!) and figuratively. Sometimes, we get so busy with work, school, our families, our friends and a whole variety of other commitments, that we never have a second to breath and focus on ourselves.

Getting hurt was not fun at all, but it forced me to take a break which has allowed me to focus on myself more. As cliché as it may be, I do believe everything happens for a reason and maybe that was my reason. Maybe, it was just what I needed. That being said, in 2015 I resolve to slow down, take more time out for myself and to say “no” more. I don’t need to commit to every little thing that comes my way and I don’t need to constantly strive to make everyone else happy (any of my Taylors reading this?! You know.. :-P). I plan on focusing on myself, my goals and, as always, having as much fun as possible along the way. Cheers to a healthy and happy new year for all of you and to focusing on what YOU need to make that happen!