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The Goddess Speaks
AS I was rushing off to another appointment I realized there was less than a month's worth of shopping days until Christmas. Good grief! I made a mental list of all the presents I still had to buy and the Christmas cards I needed to write and mail in time for people to receive before the big day, thought about what I needed for the four parties I had been invited to and noted I still had to get a dress to be hemmed by a tailor for the company Christmas party. In addition to all this, I also had to consider what special thing I wanted to do for my clients while dealing with my leaking ceiling and trying to figure out the right time for the plumber to come by. Stay true
to yourself
this seasonPanic set in. I started to drive faster, my heart rate went up and my air conditioner was just not cutting it on a dreadfully humid fall day.
At times like this, my usual activities -- working out, cooking healthy, having a nice bath and facial mask -- seem like selfish luxuries and not the necessities that they really are.
In trying to fulfill this seemingly altruistic agenda of putting others first, I begin to begrudge those I have to give up my time for. The tasks seem like work, not fun and spontaneous as they were meant to be. And I start to feel bad about me, as my waist starts to grow from over-eating and not working out. And of course it is just a downward spiral from there.
Today I have a date with myself. Tonight after I work out, I will light a few candles, put on some nice music and read the magazine that has been sitting on my coffee table for months. Tomorrow I will take a nice bike ride with friends and have coffee and talk about what we will do for the holidays.
THIS time of year, it helps to remind myself and my clients that working out is a gift you give yourself. This gift of health and fitness should be given continuously throughout the year. Two of the fitness industry's leading certification organizations report that beneficial cardio workouts can take up as little as 30 minutes three times a week; and to maintain lean muscle mass you need only do two sets of eight to 10 repetitions, per muscle group, three times a week.
Fitting fitness into our busy schedules sometimes requires a little thought and creativity, such as setting the alarm a half-hour earlier so you can get up to work out, jotting exercise onto your calendar just like any other appointment or scheduling a one-hour meeting with a personal trainer to set you up with a stress-busting, realistic workout plan to take you through the holidays.
Buy the first Christmas present of the season right now, for yourself: a good pair of walking or running shoes. Then make a date to take yourself on a "holiday spirit" walk around the block after dinner tonight. Better yet, get your spouse or kids to go with you for some bonus family time.
Along the way, check out which of your neighbors managed to get their holiday lights up first. Walk down a different street in your neighborhood each night to see new displays. I'm always amazed how just a 15- or 20-minute brisk walk energizes me and lifts my spirits.
The holidays are about giving and sharing. When we forget about ourselves and put the things that make us happy, complete and whole on the back burner, the spirit of happiness fades. When we stay true to ourselves, only then can we embody the true spirit of giving and sharing with others.
KC Carlberg is a certified personal trainer
at the Honolulu Club.
The Goddess Speaks runs every Tuesday
and is a column by and about women, our strengths, weaknesses,
quirks and quandaries. If you have something to say, write it and
send it to: The Goddess Speaks, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O.
Box 3080, Honolulu, 96802, or send e-mail
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