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GOODBYE 2013, HELLO 2014!

photoHello!  I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays!  I took some time off while I was in Taos for Christmas, but now I am back home in Dallas.  I had a great time, enjoyed lots of time with friends and family, and of course, delicious food.  In early December I posted about ways to keep up your healthy habits during the holidays.  I think I maintained a good balance this time around, and kept my attitude positive.  It is helpful for me to take an inventory of where I am, and reflect on what I want to accomplish in the year ahead (more on that later).  Looking back on the past couple of weeks, this is where I am now, headed into 2014!

1.  Exercise:  Although my time in the gym was more erratic than normal in December, I still made it a point to fit in most of my workouts.  However, I had to take a little time off due to some neck and upper back pain.  Let me explain…  The week before we left to Taos, I was feeling a little off.  My shoulders, neck, and upper back felt tighter than usual.  Ryan offered to take a look and do some MAT (Muscle Activation Technique), but I passed.  I pushed on, thinking it was just due to stress/fatigue/carrying a 35 lb toddler (!) around.  By the time we were in the car for our 12 hour road trip, it was difficult to turn my head to the side to look at something!  Not good.  Once we arrived in Taos, he did some muscle tests and discovered that I was way out of whack.  He treated me with MAT, and I was very sore the next day, but felt less pain and tightness.  He treated me again a second time, same results. By the third day of treatment I felt a huge difference.  I was still a little sore, but my posture was dramatically better and the pain was gone!  If you have never heard of/tried MAT, click here for more detailed information, and definitely give it a shot!  It works!  I am thankful that my hubby is a MAT Specialist, and incorporates it into my training!  For more on how, take a look at The Move Project.  I did one weight training workout while I was away, but other than that, I took it as an opportunity to let my body rest and recover.  Yesterday and today I hit the gym for weights and cardio.  It feels good to get back to my routine!  This was a good lesson for me to listen to my body and get small things taken care of right away, before they turn into bigger issues.

2.  Diet:  I followed the philosophy of “savor the flavors, but eat clean in-between” while I was away.  I definitely indulged in my favorite foods and drinks, but I tried to eat clean as possible for the meals that followed.  I had my fill of “off-roading”, and am ready to go back to my now-normal Whole 30/Paleo ways.  In fact, I am going to do another Whole 30 starting January 1st.  I am super excited to do this again because Whole 9 is launching an entirely new website, specifically for Whole 30, and will have tons of helpful information available.  Who’s with me?!?  Its gonna be great!

3.  Attitude:  The most important piece!  In the past, I have felt guilty/stressed headed into the new year after being off of my normal eating and exercising plan.  One of the key things I have learned over the years is that it is OKAY take a slight detour sometimes, and then pick up where I left off.  A couple of weeks spent enjoying the holidays is not going to undo all of the hard work I have put into creating and maintaining healthy habits all year long.  I have learned to enjoy it, and then MOVE ON!  It may sound obvious to people who have never struggled with these things, but it used to be something that I stressed about, and I know others out there have as well.

So…here’s to starting 2014 strong, with a positive attitude and a plan, while at the same time cutting myself a little slack! Cheers!

Drea-Signature

Welcome! Loubies and Lulu is a Dallas-based fitness, fashion, and healthy lifestyle blog by Andrea Overturf.

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