It’s less than one week until Christmas…welcome to the craziest week of the year.  Without a doubt you are going to at least one Christmas party this weekend.  The goodies at work have likely been rolling in all week.  And the alcohol is flowing freely.  You want to be good, you know you should be good, but the constant temptation is just too much.  Trust me, I’ve been there too.

Here’s the thing though. What you do once in a while doesn’t matter very much.  It’s ok to indulge when it truly is a treat.  Like when your Grandmother makes those cookies that taste just like your childhood, or a box of Godiva chocolates makes its way around the office.  There is no need to fret about every morsel you consume at Christmas dinner or on New Year’s Eve. Go ahead, have a glass of champagne and toast the New Year!

Because it’s not what you consume at a holiday party, or even what you consume in the days between Christmas and New Years.  It’s what you do every day matters. Your daily habits – all the other days of the year – that are the biggest contributors or detractors to your overall health and whether or not you reach your goals.

So, for the rest of this week and this weekend don’t add to your overall stress load by stressing out about all of the “food/drink mistakes” you’ve made.  Instead choose the best options you can when the next opportunity arises.  Treat treats like the treats they are.  Don’t house all Grandma’s cookies and don’t hoard the whole box of chocolate.

Looking forward to the week between Christmas and New Years, eat as well as you can as often as you can. Move your body even if it is just for a stroll around the block or from store to store in the mall as you make returns. Drink as much water as you can and most importantly RELAX.  We’ll all be back to the grind soon enough, so enjoy this time and enjoy each other’s company…it only comes once a year!