(Trying to!) Stay Healthy During the Holiday Season

Weight loss is a struggle and can seem almost next to impossible as the weather gets colder. And! If you're anything like me, you've been drinking and eating yourself into a stupor all summer and now just staring at your gut like.....

Now that fall is here, you're thinking that it's only going to get worse. Thanksgiving, pumpkin everything, then -gasp- Christmas! Holiday parties, food galore...I'll just have my same ole New Years resolution! Wrong. The best way to achieve new health goals (aka shed those 10 pounds you've gained from boozing all summer) is to realize that this will be a long term adjustment. Don't you hate it when people ask "Hey why are you eating so many veggies?? You're on a new diet?" And you'd like to punch them out of a window because you're trying to change your life.

The truth of the matter is, if you enjoy holiday food and festivities, there's virtually no way to escape the fact you're going to make an unhealthy choice here and there. It's easy to slip into the abyss of a holiday food binge, for example at a holiday party. There's drinks, there's comfort food, desserts galore. What do you do? Great, now you're drunk! Food binge time! Obviously drinking at parties is going to make you eat everything in sight, especially for those of us who save our appetites for the party.

The key is moderation. I've read on several blogs that "cheating" on your diet at least once a week is healthy and actually smart. The body needs to be tricked for metabolism purposes. The 80/20 rule basically says if you eat healthy and exercise 80% of the time, you can cheat 20% and go get your pizza. The problem with the 80/20 rule is a plateau in your weight loss. In that case, you go more strict to 90/10. There's a good article on these rules on Livestrong.com. To read the article, click here.

Another thing to do is stay active. When people ask me what I want for Christmas and I can't think of what to say, this year I'm going to suggest passes at a boxing gym, or yoga classes. Being active during the cold weather not only keeps the holiday calories off, but has been proven to combat seasonal affective disorder.

As we approach the end of the year, people will be brainstorming their new years resolutions anyway. So you aren't alone if you're out there indulging in the holiday fun. Just keep in mind, the more you gain is the more you have to lose come the New Year! Happy holidays!

-T

Dear Summer...

I know you gon' miss me/For we've been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees...

Sigh. As we prepare ourselves for pumpkin spice everything and God-awful upstate NY winter, instead of moaning and groaning about what’s yet to come, we should at least be thankful we had a decent somewhat dry few summer months. But now Labor Day is over, and although the weather is holding up nicely, it’s hard not to feel a tad bit down and out. 

Maybe it’s because our fall isn’t long enough to thoroughly enjoy the foliage, apple picking, boot wearing…um, what else do people do in the fall? Get ready to get fat during the holidays? I find that now is a good time to start being productive, whether it’s starting a new workout and diet plan, or budgeting for your Christmas shopping…at least you have something to look forward to. A hot bod and a wad of cash to spend on loved ones for the holidays or a new winter wardrobe for yourself! 

See? Maybe the summer ending isn’t so bad after all. It’s hard to work on your goals when you’re being distracted by the beach and day drinking on a patio somewhere. (This could be classic denial). Well now it’s getting darker earlier, football season has started so you’re nonexistent to your boyfriend, and it’s too chilly to wear flip flops. So what do you do to keep your spirits high?

It’s always a good idea to plan a midwinter vacation to somewhere warmer because:

1. It gives you something to look forward to;

2. It breaks the winter months up so the season seems shorter as a whole; and

3. It motivates you to keep active (you want to look hot in that swimsuit don’t you?!)

Not everyone has the time or money to vacation to a warmer climate, so if you don’t there are plenty of other local goals you can work on (or distract yourself with) while the weather starts cooling down.

It’s a great time now to work on your fitness goals since there’s a lot of holiday eating coming up on the horizon. Since you’ve been boozing all summer, you might need to work off those few pounds anyway. Halloween is right around the corner, don’t you want to look spiffy in your costume? 

The weather is perfect for running and walking outdoors; better make use of it before the temperature drops so low your nose hairs crisp the minute you step outside. If you’re into running, the fall is the perfect season for races, especially in the NY area. By setting fitness goals, a trip to an orchard or two, and planning for the upcoming holidays, seasonal affective disorder isn’t coming your way even a little bit! You’ll be far too busy. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to look good in your fall attire! By setting goals and making plans for the year ahead, you’ll take 2016 by the horns and it will be your year! (For real this time!) Let’s do it. 

(Cries while slugging wine). Happy Fall season!

-T

The Hunger, ahem, Dating Games

Should I text him first? Nope, I’ll wait for him to text me…actually fuck him, I don’t even like him.

Oh yay, he just texted! Now, let me wait an hour to reply so I don’t seem too available. 

The dating game is such a dog eat dog world. When did it become such a cat and mouse game for "adults"? Why are people accused of being "obsessive" or "clingy" when they might just sincerely be interested? 

The ugly truth is if someone is attracted to you enough, male or female, those thoughts of "clinginess" and "overbearing" will be dismissed. If Justin Timberlake was texting me 24/7 willing to go on a second date with me, I would not think that he's a psycho at all. However, if it were some guy who I just didn't have chemistry with and I wasn't physically attracted to at all, I might deem him "thirsty". As sad as it sounds, think about it. It's true. 

Since communication these days has basically become nonexistent thanks to texting and social media, it's extremely easy to just "ghost" someone...AKA ignore them or just drop off the face of the earth. 

He didn't answer my text..but there he is on Facebook, posting statuses! So he is in fact alive. 

Even though the cowardly approach can be taken by sending an easy "I'm just not that into you, I'm sorry" text, some people don't even have the decency to do that. Most of us are guilty of this. It's easier to just ignore the person than deal with the possible frustration or feelings of rejection that you've caused. This is becoming the norm for singles in their 20s. You can't help but to feel sorry for our future generations...our poor daughters will be getting break up texts/tweets! 


What ever happened to an old fashioned phone call? Most women find a phone call refreshing as opposed to a text. It not only shows genuine interest, but also there tends to be less misunderstandings as far as communication goes if you’re talking on the phone. Texts can often get misconstrued and you find yourself screen shooting texts to your friends asking, “how would you take this text?” “Do you think they meant it like this?”


So what's the solution? We are all guilty of "ghosting" people..because let's face it-the truth hurts! I'd rather just "forget" to answer a text than reply with an honest "I'm sorry, you just don't do it for me". What's the worst that could happen? At least we wouldn't have to-gasp!-tell them to their face! That would be far too much communication. By continuing to do these things we are technically breeding cowards. Well okay maybe not cowards, but people who are going to avoid confrontation at all costs in fear of rejection. 

I've talked to slightly older singles out there, and they've admitted to simply letting the person they're dating that the chemistry simply wasn't there. Let's face it, if they aren't responding, we can all take a hint. Come on, you've read or seen He's Just Not That Into You! The fact of the matter is this--whether we like it or not, no matter if we have all the great qualities we think a partner should possess, if the person isn't interested, there's nothing a person can do to change that. Whether the timing is wrong, or they aren't on the same page as you, all you need to know is that they aren't the Jay-Z to your Beyonce and keep it trucking! 

-T 

Why are you single?

I recently read a quite interesting article by Jane Ridley titled "8 Reasons Why NY Women Can't Get A Husband". In this article she is reviewing a book called Marry Smart by Susan Patton. I tend to get defensive when I read articles similar to these- trying to explain why decent women are still single. Which leads me to world's most annoying question "Why are you single?". 

In the article, the first of the 8 reasons is "you drink too much". I actually agree with Ridley on this one. No decent man is going to think you're marriage material if you are slumped over a bar, slurring your words with puke stains on your dress. At the same time, when you are out at a bar binge drinking into the wee hours, we as women know that we aren't going to be the cinderella of the ball and meet our price charming. We might leave a shoe behind, but that's beside the point. We're smarter than that.

Also in the article, places to "hang out" to find an eligible bachelor were mentioned and museums were one of them. I'm not sure about in NYC, but up here in Albany we have one and homeless people congregate there and fornicate. So that's out. What young single girl wants to spend time at museums anyway? What kind of stuffy guy will we meet there?

Now ladies, if you've reached your early thirties and you aren't engaged yet you will be labeled as a "spinster". I had to google this term. I got different definitions from "an unmarried single girl who probably won't get married" to "an independent older woman who doesn't need a man, blah blah". So all of the sudden we're old independent women who won't get married because we drink too much and don't hang out at museums? LOL. I blame the demographics, but maybe I'm in denial. Is 30 still the new 20 when it comes to dating? What's the rush? 

To read "8 Reasons Why NY Women Can't Get a Husband" by Jane Ridley of NY Post click here.

-T

Why me? Why blog?

Will people actually read this? Will they think I'm stupid? What will I write about? Could they even relate? 

Starting a blog is quite intimidating these days. Unless you're providing dating advice for singles, answering questions about why men do this or women do that, or comparing the iPhone 6 to the samsung galaxy...will people really care what someone like me has to say? I don't have the cure for ebola or have an opinion regarding it.

Why?

Maybe because I'm a single young (kind of young) woman living in a boring town and winter is rearing its ugly 5-month-long head. I'd like to know if readers think about the issues I do, and go through some of the situations I have. With some thought provoking questions and discussions, we will have all the answers to life's problems right?! We'll all be winning. 

What is there to even write about?

Being a single twenty-something in a small town? Nursing/health care? Extracurricular activities? Love? Money? These are the things that seem to appeal to the masses, AKA my Facebook friends, at least. I'm not too good with politics or sports, so men might not be able to tolerate this blog. I'll try my best not to sound too girly. I promise not to man bash! I do promise my readers (all 3 of you) some entertainment, and maybe even some insight on dating, money and maybe even a little bit of health and fitness....through my eyes of course. Are you snoring yet? If not, stay tuned! I've just begun. Insert evil laugh here with emoji devil face!