Holiday eating officially kicks off tomorrow!

While you may tell yourself, “It’s just once a year,” it’s actually a full 2 months of packed schedules, the opportunity for family drama, and continual temptation.

Left unchecked, the holidays can do a number on your weight and wellness.

The best approach is to make your self-care a priority and plan when, where, and how much you are going to indulge so you get the most joy out of every well-earned bite.

But how do you get—and keep!—yourself motivated to not only create a plan, but to follow it all the way from Halloween to New Year’s?

There is 1 thing you can do that research proves will boost your success by 225 percent.

If you were to do only 1 thing to reach January 1st looking and feeling your best, it would be this.

The number 1 thing you can do to help meet your healthy holiday goals is . . .  seek support.

Study after study shows that having at least one person support you in meeting your wellness goals will dramatically increase your chances of success.

Having a wellness partner or joining a support group helps:

• Normalize what you’re going through—You realize that everyone has cravings, gets frustrated by the numbers on the scale, and has moments of weakness. You are not a failure or a freak.
• Cheer you on—Noticing and celebrating every sign of progress builds momentum towards successfully meeting your goals. Having someone to share these with helps keep you motivated.
• Problem solve—When you are focused on the problem, it can be almost impossible to see even obvious solutions. Having someone on your side who can see the situation more objectively can help you brainstorm ways around any obstacles.
• Make the journey more fun—going it alone makes it easier to get caught in the negative thought spiral going on in your head. Having a partner helps break the inner patterns so that achieving your wellness goals is more enjoyable.

But where can you find help?

• Ask a friend or family member—Choose someone who is consistently positive, good at problem solving, and will be uplifting and inspiring.
• Join a group—There are a number of on-line and in-person support groups. Pick a group that does more than just air problems. Look for a focus on celebrating successes, problem solving, and offering encouragement.
• Hire a coach—Consider working one-on-one with a certified professional health or wellness coach who is goal and success focused, and that will come up with an individualized plan to help you break through any thoughts, beliefs, or patterns that are literally weighing you down.

A second tip for maintaining your motivation is to celebrate each tiny thing you do that helps you make your holidays healthy and happy.

Do this by asking yourself what, how, and when you’ll celebrate—and then do it! Suggestions include:

• Acknowledge and praise yourself each time you meditate and workout. Even if you only get in 5 to 10 minutes, consider it a win.
• Give yourself praise each time you face a temptation and choose to stick to your food plan.
• Honor down time. When you schedule time for rest and relaxation, honor it! Make a point to do something that is truly relaxing.
• Pat yourself on the back for releasing expectations. Each time you successfully release an expectation or respond in a more positive way than you would have in the past, acknowledge and celebrate it!
• Write kudos to yourself in your journal. You deserve them!

And if you don’t respond as you planned, what do you need to do to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and still move forward towards the person you want to be come January 1st?

I would love to hear your goals for creating the holidays you want and your plans for achieving them. Also, keep me posted on your progress. I’d love to help cheer you on to success!

Together we can do it!

Unless you do something different this year, chances are you will start January 1, 2014, making yet another New Year’s resolution to lose weight.

Give yourself the gift of not only getting the support you need to begin the New Year looking and feeling your best . . . but the skills, information, and techniques that will ensure you love your body every January 1st to come.

Go Here for More Information: http://loveyourwayslim.com/lyws-support/