Maybe you haven’t lost the weight you committed to lose this year. The days are shorter and you aren’t exercising the way you planned. Or perhaps holiday overeating is well underway and you’ve decided it’s hopeless—for now anyway. Are you one of the many women who is now ending her sentences with the phrase “in January” or “after New Year’s”?

• “I’m going back to the gym . . . in January.”
• “I’m going to get back to (fill in your favorite weight loss plan here) . . . in January.”
• “After New Year’s, I’m going to get serious about my eating/stress/_______.”
• “I know I’m an emotional eater and I’m going to get some help with that . . . in January.”

Yes, it’s the holiday season, and for many of you it’s busy or challenging in its own way. And in spite of what you may be thinking, it’s exactly NOT the time to give up on yourself or to put yourself on hold. In fact, you have three weeks of your year remaining. This is time when you can have an impact, nurture some new habits, and prevent yourself from having to dig yourself out of a hole come January 1st. And guess what? It’s possible to do all this without adding to stress and overwhelm.

How to jumpstart your success before the New Year

You doubt me don’t you? The truth is, the holiday season may not be the time to overhaul your life or your habits, but it’s a fine time to start building the kind of incremental change that can work wonders—because this is exactly the kind of change that tends to last. Instead of throwing your priorities to the wind or declaring that there is “no time for me,” this is a time when you can start to build your sense of effectiveness in small but powerful ways.

Your December Jumpstart has two steps

Pick the area of your life that you’d like to focus on. Eating? Managing stress? Physical activity? Self-care? Now think small and think do-able. What’s one small consistent step that you can and will commit to over the next three weeks? This should be something that you want to start or some fragile habit that you want to commit to nourishing and maintaining. If you feel doubtful about your ability to take this step, you aren’t thinking small enough.

Warning: Thinking small is a real challenge for many of you because you are high-achievers. You are likely to devalue small steps and automatically double them. Don’t do this. It won’t work for a jump start.

• Examples of a small step:
• Taking your vitamins every day.
• Drinking eight glasses of water a day.
• Taking a ten minute walk at lunch.
• Spending five minutes every morning writing in your journal.
• Asking for help with something once a day.

Choose the small step that you will commit to and simply start moving forward.

Another warning: You may be tempted to choose many small steps. Again, one small step may not seem like “enough.” The truth is, huge change is built on the backs of small consistent steps, AND taking on too many things at once can lead to a breakdown in all of them. If you are tempted, you can choose two or three small steps, but no more.

Step Two: Commit to me-time.

If you aren’t already doing this, this may be one of the most valuable steps you ever take. And if you start doing this now, you are going to be well on your way to a powerhouse of a new habit by January 1.

Here are the rules of the Jumpstart: commit to taking ten minutes a day connecting with yourself. That’s it. Ten minutes listening to you. It might be ten minutes of quiet meditation, ten minutes of journaling, yoga, or stretching. Maybe you’ll do it on a ten minute walk or while drinking your morning coffee.

Don’t over complicate this, and don’t underestimate its power. These ten minutes will help you stay clear on your priorities, your feelings and your needs. They can help you identify what is going well in your life, what’s stressing you out, and how you want to respond. These ten minutes have helped many women before you with everything from emotional eating, relationship stress, procrastination, overload, overcommitment, and a general lack of mojo.

Yes, you can throw in the towel, call it a year, and check back in with yourself on January 1st. But what might you accomplish if you start really learning the art of do-able self-care today?

Take good care,

Photo Credit

Melissa McCreery

‘Tis the season of holiday fun and festivity—and holiday weight gain, stress, and overload. I’ll get right to the point.

1.  Be clear on your goals.  Ask yourself what you want to have or experience during the holidays. Whatever your goal—creating happy memories, maintaining your weight, or hosting an enjoyable family gathering—you are much more likely to achieve what you want if you are crystal clear on what it is.
   
2. Ditch perfectionism. Settle for “good enough” this holiday season, and you’ll probably laugh more and stress a lot less. “Perfect” rarely happens, and frankly, it’s not very much fun having to have everything “just right.” Give yourself permission to lighten up and enjoy the moment. Don't set drastic goals for weight loss or life change. Acknowledge the progress that you make and focus on taking small, consistent steps.
   
3. Set time and energy budgets. Setting a financial budget is critical for reducing stress and overwhelm during the holidays, but it’s also essential to be realistic about budgeting your time and energy. Be clear about how much of yourself you have to give to various projects and do your best to stick within these limits. You’ll find that this policy also helps with perfectionism.
4. Savor the important stuff and say no to the rest. Focus on making deliberate choices and then savoring. This is an excellent strategy for approaching holiday treats and can help prevent holiday weight gain. It’s also a useful decision-making tool for the invitations and events that many of us face in December. The holidays come with some very special once-a-year-treats that you probably don’t want to miss. Identify what these are—and make sure you allow yourself the chance to indulge and enjoy them. Make a commitment to yourself now to pass up all the “extras” that aren’t really anything special. Decide now to skip the chips, store-bought cookies, extra cocktails, and “fillers” that people will be setting out this holiday season. Likewise, choose deliberately and decline the “must-do” events that really aren’t where you want to be spending your valuable time.  
5. Make it a group thing. Make cookie baking or shopping a social activity. Put on some music and have the whole family do a massive whole-house pickup, laundry folding session, or gift wrapping blitz. Don’t be a martyr. Divide up your to-do list when possible and don’t be shy about asking for help.
6. Schedule.  Plan ahead and set aside time for your high-priority items. Don’t forget to claim a spot for your own self-care, exercise, etc. Put these in your calendar now and you won’t end up disappointed because you never got around to them.
7. Take time for you.  Pay yourself first with a little me-time and you’ll have more energy, focus, and passion for all the rest of your activities. You may also find yourself doing less stress or comfort eating. At a minimum, claim ten minutes at the start of your day to check in with yourself and identify your priorities for the day. Spending ten minutes focused on you, whether it is spent in quiet time, journaling, yoga, or meditation can make a huge difference in the way the rest of your day unfolds.
8. Get your zzzs.  Sleep affects just about everything including energy, appetite, and mood. Although you may be tempted to burn the midnight oil, you’ll be more productive and effective if you commit to seven and a half hours of sleep a night.
9.  Be clear on your challenges.  What’s likely to cause hitches, stress, or throw you off track this season? Be proactive by brainstorming some strategies now that can help you during challenging times.
10.  Be in the moment.  Make a point of focusing on the present instead of spending your energy thinking about the past or worrying about what still may be on your to-do list. Stop to breathe deep, make eye contact, feel the snow on your face, or say, “Thank you.” The moment you are in right now is the place where your life is happening.

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery

The winter holidays are here and with all the joy and excitement, they also include challenges and realities that can throw your goals, routines, and eating off course. As much as many of us look forward to this time of year, we know that it is stressful and that the food-filled festivities can be a recipe for overeating and weight gain.

The research on holiday weight gain and stress is worth paying attention to. Holiday stress has a particular impact on women, who take charge of many of the holiday celebrations, particularly the tasks related to food.

Women are more likely to report increased stress during the holiday season. Women have a harder time relaxing during the holidays and are more likely to fall into bad habits like emotional eating to manage overload or overwhelm. Our health can take a further hit because, during the holidays, people are much more likely to choose non-active (and ineffective) activities like watching TV, sleeping, eating and drinking to manage their stress.

Many people engage in emotional eating and other unhealthy behaviors to cope with their stress levels during the holidays, and as you probably know, weight gain is a big issue. People gain more weight during the holiday season than any other time of year. It gets worse. We’re less likely to lose the weight we gain over the holidays, and, if you are already overweight, you are likely to gain more weight than average.

I’m not trying to be a downer here, but the holiday season is definitely a time to be proactive if you want to avoid overeating, weight gain, and stress and begin the New Year feeling on track and in control.

Here are five essential ingredients for staying on track with weight, health, and stress over the holiday season:

1. Set a goal. Be clear on what it is you plan to accomplish over the next several weeks. Be realistic; make sure it’s manageable; and be concrete. Your goals don’t have to be huge. Maybe you are going to pack a healthy lunch every day or walk on your lunch hour. Maybe you will only eat dessert on certain days of the week. Pick a goal that fits you and make sure that you can easily tell whether you are on track or not.

2. Create a plan. This is not the time of year to take anything for granted. Make sure you know the how and the when of anything you plan to do. Schedule time for your goals NOW before life gets any busier. Write things down. Identify the steps you will need to take. For instance, if you are going to pack a daily lunch, make sure you have ideas of what you will take, that you have the time to prepare it, and groceries on hand. Set yourself up for success by thinking things through on the front end.

3. Keep it do-able. I’m repeating myself here because it’s important. When you set goals that are too big, you are setting yourself up to fail and to feel ineffective. This is probably not the time of year when you will maximize weight loss, in fact, for many women, the goal may be not to gain. That’s great. Be honest with yourself about what you want to do and what you really can do over the next six weeks. Remember, small changes—the ones you can maintain–can create big results.

4. Savor and be selective. Think about food ahead of time. You probably encounter some special foods over the holidays that you don’t want to pass up. Plan for these, and whatever you do, make darn sure that you stop and savor them (without guilt). You can’t really indulge if you are busy feeling bad or mad at yourself for what you are eating. Make those calories count!

On the other hand, you’re going to encounter lots of unhealthy food you probably don’t really care about over the next few weeks. Consider making some policies for yourself about foods you are willing to forgo. Do you really care about the store-bought dinner rolls or the eggnog? Get clear NOW on what you will happily skip.

5. Commit to me-time. Remember all that stuff about holiday stress? As busy as you may be this holiday season, it’s important to set aside regular time just for you. This will help you manage your stress, stay connected with your needs and your goals, and feel better. You’re likely to be less irritable, more focused, and more productive if you commit to taking regular me-time. As little as ten minutes a day can reduce stress, add ease, and make an incredible difference in how you feel and function.

What are your holiday survival tips? I’d love to hear. Leave a comment and let me know your challenges and how you plan to stay on track this year.

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery

It’s Halloween and the temptation to overeat or eat mindlessly is everywhere. Miniature Snicker bars and candy corn seem to be on every desk and counter, not to mention the stash you may have in your own cupboard…

Is the candy haunting you?

Whether they are treats that you love or ones that trigger childhood memories, odds are that it's easy to grab one or two or four without even thinking about whether you are hungry or whether it fits your goals.

We've entered the holiday treat season and NOW is a good time to ask yourself the following questions:

What’s your plan? How do you want to respond to all the treats you will encounter between now and January 1st?  “Don’t eat them” is not a plan. What strategies do you intend to use to avoid emotional eating, minimize temptation, stay in control of your choices and not feel deprived? Do you have the support and the tools that you need to be effective?

Where are your weak spots and how can you be proactive? Take a careful look at any patterns you see with overeating. Do you feel calm and on track until mid-afternoon or does the chocolate only call to you after dinner? What’s that about? If you’re REALLY feeling haunted and it feels impossible to resist (we’ve all been there), then this is about something more than hunger. What else is going on? Is this emotional eating—stress or comfort or even boredom eating—that you are experiencing? Respond to the situation or the emotion and the food will become less compelling.

What simple policies or structures can you put in place to limit your exposure and make life simpler? Of course you know to get rid of that leftover candy you don’t even like, but what next step could you take? What’s your plan for dealing with the treats?

Any tricks or brilliant strategies you’d care to share with the rest of us?

Take good care, 

Melissa McCreery

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States this week. Wherever you are, it’s a fine time to pause and be grateful.

I can’t say enough about the power of gratitude. I’ve written about this before, but just in case it hasn’t sunk in (or you would like a refresher), I made a short, quick video for you.



Happy Thanksgiving–where ever you are. I’m grateful for you and the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas.

Take good care,

PS: I got into the holiday spirit early this year. Working on the THRIVING the Holidays program, I sketched out my own road map for savoring the season AND accomplishing some big goals. As a result, I’ve had the time to create and throw my first ever Thanksgiving weekend sale. Stay tuned! I’ll be posting news here and sending a special email to fans of the Too Much On Her Plate Facebook page.

Melissa McCreery

If your head is spinning with all you have to do and the feeling of too much on your plate, here’s one of my favorite quick stress relief tips. Download your brain and get grounded. Holiday stress, worries about money, the pressures of work or running your own business, managing schedules, and trying to figure out how to fit in time for exercise—all those thoughts and concerns require a tremendous amount of energy. When you get busy, or your stress level gets high, it’s too easy to fall into a pattern of chasing your to-do list and reacting to your life. That’s a real trap, because you’re at your best when you are relaxed, in touch with your priorities and values, and able to approach situations proactively.

One of the best ways to get grounded and back in the driver’s seat with your life can be journaling. You don’t have to be a great writer to journal, and you don’t even need to have anything very dramatic to say. Think of keeping a journal as simply a way to download the contents of your brain. Get yourself a journal and keep it private. Commit to writing in it regularly, for a short period of time (five minutes is fine to start) most days. You’ll find your own journaling style. Write about your thoughts and feelings, or simply use it as a place to dump the contents of your busy brain. You might write paragraphs or make lists. You can use it as a place to vent or to have conversations you aren’t able to have in “real life.” Record the things that you are worried about so they can reside in your journal instead of circling your brain and short-circuiting your productivity.

Many women find that a journaling habit helps them exhale. It’s a release and also a way of untangling thoughts or feelings that may be hard to sort out inside your head. Journaling is also a powerful way of connecting with your deeper, authentic self and getting grounded. This is something that can be hard to do when life gets busy.

Try journaling for a week and see if it’s a stress busting habit that works for you.

Take good care,

PS: If you are craving more calm and ease over the holiday season, I recommend you take a look at the THRIVING the Holidays series. It’s all about making sure YOU, and what you need, don’t get left behind in the holiday rush.

Photo Credits www.flikr.com/stevendepolo

Melissa McCreery

It happened to me. I was literally sitting here putting the finishing touches on “part one” of the THRIVING the Holidays Series worksheets when I flipped to next week in my calendar. It’s Thanksgiving already!?! While one part of my brain sort-of-knew-it already, the other part had a momentary lapse of how-did-this-happen?

It’s that time of year when we can go from feeling prepared and calm to feeling too-busy and stressed in the blink of an eye. Holiday stress can come out of nowhere.

It’s also the season of shorter days and busy evening schedules. My son, the musician, has two holiday concerts scheduled this week alone. My outdoor runs are what keep me calm and centered (and fit), and squeezing those in is becoming a  challenge. We still have leftover Halloween candy at the office and now we’re entering a new season of holiday treats…..

It’s hard for a girl to stay on track and be her best self AND do all the holiday special stuff.

Wouldn’t it be great to have an oasis from holiday stress and hoopla? A way to get centered, motivated, distressed and clear on how YOU want to spend your valuable time and energy? A way to keep food and fitness and expectations and to-dos all in perspective?

THAT, my friend, is why I created the THRIVING the Holiday Series. I don’t know of anything like this program.

• It’s not a diet or an exercise plan.
• It’s not simply a teleseminar series (although you will have access to three info-packed teleseminars and the mp3 recordings showing you how to create an individualized blueprint for thriving this season, how to create a juicy, do-able plan for savoring food and fitness, and how to take charge of your unique challenges, stressful situations and the sticky issues that may come with your holidays).
• You’ll set do-able goals, celebrate your progress, and check in weekly for accountability and motivation boosts (no forgetting about you and your goals this season).
• You won’t set yourself up with unrealistic expectations, but you will have my plug-and-play ten minute a day solution to staying grounded, relaxed, and in action (the Success Soundtrack™–really, I’ll mail it to you, you just commit ten minutes and hit “play.”)

And you can get started THIS WEEK. That’s right. Before Thanksgiving, I’m going to give participants the materials and walk them through the process of putting their Holiday THRIVE blueprint in place.

Things kick-off Thursday (and the download of this call will be available immediately afterward).

The price stays super-low for just a few more days. –and truthfully–if you want to be in charge and on top this holiday season, NOW is the time to take action. This is the time to be proactive.

You can learn all the details here:

http://toomuchonherplate.com/thrivingtheholidays.htm

Life is too short to wake up in January with a holiday hangover. Will you join me?

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery

I’m going to ask you to do something.

Take a moment to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine the holiday season ahead of you.

What comes to mind?

It’s likely to be a mixed bag—shopping, special meals, special celebrations and rituals. Spiritual traditions and company parties. Gifts and bills. Holiday treats, overindulging, time with those you love (and maybe those who drive you a bit nuts). Candlelight, special moments, and long to-do lists. Overload, late nights, and busy schedules.

With all that happens in November and December, it can be a real challenge to keep YOU on your schedule. This is a season of holidays, but it’s also a season of increased weight gain, stress, decreased sleep, and falling off track with fitness, personal goals, and getting the time you need for yourself.

I’m on a mission to change that with my brand new THRIVING the Holidays Series

In this program, which kicks off this month, I’ll show you how to:

• Take charge and create YOUR best holiday season (this means that you thrive and stay on track with your goals, while you savor the experiences that have meaning for you)
• Take charge of food and fitness without feeling deprived (and create your personalized juicy healthy holiday lifestyle)
• Tackle stress, time challenges, and other sticky situations—before they tackle you

We probably can’t eliminate all the stress from the holidays, but we can make the season a whole lot more enjoyable to savor. For THRIVING the Holidays, I’ve combined a powerful teleseminar series, weekly check-ins, goal setting, and accountability, and even my secret ten minute weapon, the Success Soundtrack™, in one easy-to-use, time-efficient, soul-feeding program. And I’ve priced it extra-specially low for early birds who are ready to take action now (there is even a two payment option, available for a very limited time).

There is A LOT included in this program—but be assured—I’ve designed this carefully. It’s not overwhelming. It’s flexible, there when you need it, and definitely do-able. Right now, it’s also still available at a special investment (the cost of the entire program is barely more than the Success Soundtrack™ product that I’ll mail to you when you enroll), however, the price will be increasing soon.

Take a look and let me know what you think. I hope you’ll join me!

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery

Does this happen to you?

Every year, at about this time, I notice the bags of candy corn in the stores. I don’t even like candy corn (does anyone, really?), but it reminds me of fall and Halloween, and childhood, and I almost always develop a craving. It’s a once-a-year-treat and I buy a bag.

Next week it might be pumpkin scones and eggnog lattes (again, I don’t think they taste NEARLY as good as they sound). It seems like from now until after the Superbowl (at least in the United States), the stores and the media will be dishing up one tempting food-filled event after another.

And then there is the shopping. This year, I am already getting email reminders about holiday purchases I made last year, asking—“would I like to buy again?” My to-do list gets longer in the last quarter of the year. This season brings more traveling, more visitors, special events and breaks from school and end-of-year business stuff….

I love this time of year, but it can be stressful. And it’s the kind of season that can knock the best of us out of our routines, our healthy habits, and our good intentions.

Two years ago, I offered a program that was focused on holiday survival. It was quite successful and participants loved it.  This year, I’ve decided to go one (big) step further. I’m going to be offering a THRIVING the fall and winter holidays series. It’s going to be fun, focused, and easy to participate. I’ll be sharing many more details in a free teleseminar I’m offering next week:

How to THRIVE During the Fall and Winter Holiday Season: Tips for staying on track with your goals, your health, and your life

Yes, I’ll be previewing my new series (and offering a VERY special deal to those on the call), but I’ll also be sharing do-it-yourself actions for you to take NOW in order to savor the next few months and stay on track with the things that are important to you.

During the teleseminar, I’ll share:

• Why it’s important to think about the holiday season NOW even though it’s only October
• The difference between surviving and thriving during the holidays and shifts you can start to make today to put yourself on the “thrive” side of the equation
• 2 common blind spots that can sabotage your success and happiness over the next few months
• What you MUST feed yourself to be successful
• 2 things you can do RIGHT NOW to maximize your success

I’d love for you to join me (and yes, the call will be recorded so you can listen on your own schedule).

You can get all the details, and reserve your seat here.

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog series so far and have taken the opportunity to try out some of the ideas I’ve offered so far.  Here are my final two suggestions to round out the top 5 ways to get ready for fall.

4.     Face food facts. How does your relationship with food change with the seasons? If you are comfortable with your eating, than I challenge you to simply consider whether there is any place you could reduce some food prep stress. Think about creating systems, simplifying, or delegating. If food is an issue for you—if you tend to eat more during the colder seasons or move less or feel overloaded by holiday treats from October to January, then now is the time to be proactive.

Ask yourself how you want things to be different this year. Make sure that you don’t create a list of “don’ts” (as in “I won’t eat sugar and I won’t eat in the evening and I won’t…”). What you are looking for is a list of insteads or substitutions—as in “instead of____ I will ____.” Instead of snacking in the evening, I will work on a crossword puzzle, instead of snacking in the break room I will go outside, instead of…You get the idea. The point is that now is the time to identify any instead strategies that you need. If you come up with more problem areas than you have solutions for, now is also the time to enlist some help.

5.     Avoid the holidaze. The holiday season seems to be extended every year. Your challenge is to enjoy the occasions and the traditions without feeling overloaded and dazed by holiday stress or expectations.  One of the most powerful things you can do for yourself now is to be proactive. What DO you want to experience during your personal holiday season? What do you want to avoid? What stressful situations should you plan for or develop a strategy to cope with? Where could you use some extra support?

Perhaps the most important question of all in a season that can be jam-packed—what do you want to say no to or let go of?  If it’s a group event that stresses you out, chances are you aren’t alone. Do you want to let it go (skip it) or create a more enjoyable alternative? Now might be the time when these conversations are the easiest. Don’t forget to identify your “must-do” items—the things you really care about—and make sure they go into your schedule before everything else.

One of the most powerful ingredients for success (and for thriving) is having a foundation in place that supports you in what you are trying to do. The five tips above are all ways to do just that over the next few months. I challenge you to try them out and see how they work for you.

Interested in how you can have more direction, support, accountability and success throughout the holidays? I’ll be sharing information about my Thriving the Holidays program in the weeks ahead.

Take good care,

Melissa McCreery