Your Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  In honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I decided to go red!!    I also decided this would be a great opportunity to chat with you about this day that people either seem to love or hate. 


Valentine's day (and halloween and easter and Christmas) can be a very difficult day for me because I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!  As long as I can remember I have been excited about that little red heart box with those yummy chocolates in them.  The Reese's peanut butter hearts (and eggs and christmas trees and pumpkins) are my favorite!    And many, many times Valentine's day has been the holiday that demolishes my New Years Resolution.  But not this year!!  


Not only does this dreaded day bring chocolate, but it also brings hoards of emotions.  And that alone can be enough to derail somebody's good intentions.   So I'm going to start with the emotional aspect of everything first.   


It sucks not having "someone" on Valentine's Day.  Everyone around you is oohing and ahhing over the great things their lover has done for them.  And all you can think of is the fact that you are likely going to die an old lonely person who never got a box of chocolates.  But this is the year to turn that thinking around!!!!   


You don't NEED another person to tell you how great you are, all you have to do is look in the mirror.  This Valentine's Day let's concentrate on loving ourselves. Write yourself a love note and list all of the great qualities you have.  Love your body enough to give it a good heart-pounding workout.  Don't be afraid to do something for yourself to celebrate the greatest love - the love within us.   Buy yourself a chocolate, drink a glass of wine, watch your favorite move - heck, send yourself flowers!!  Because YOU deserve it.  Take this time to realize that you don't have to have another person tell you how much you deserve it.   And if you do need to hear it from an outside source, then listen up, my friend:  YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!  YOU ARE  STRONG!  YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR HEART AND MIND TO!  AND YOU DESERVE SOMETHING SPECIAL.    Don't let the emotional aspect of Valentine's day tear you down and result in you disrespecting your body by bingeing on high fat, high calorie foods.


Which brings me to the next subject - notice I said don't BINGE.  I didn't say don't ENJOY.  Because you CAN enjoy it.   You know what?  A piece of Russel Stover Chocolate is 70 calories.   You CAN have a chocolate.  You can even have two.  Just don't eat the whole box.  It's all about moderation - it's not about deprivation.  We still have to LIVE.  And part of living is enjoying the small things in life.    Eat a nice dinner, have a piece of chocolate and ENJOY it.  Really take time to taste it and smell it and feel the texture.  And when the evening is over, so is Valentine's Day, and you can move on.   Don't let your celebrating last for a week - and don't beat yourself up over one little meal or one little treat.  That ONE thing is NEVER what wrecks your weight loss plans - it's everything that happens afterward.  


This Valentine's day make a vow to love yourself.  Love yourself enough to know you deserve something special.  And love yourself enough to get right back on track, keeping your food journal, exercising your body, letting go of guilt, and knowing you're an awesome person!!!