The Fall Doesn't Have to Mean My Fall

I know it's fall when I start mowing my lawn more often because I can't stand the sight of leaves on the grass before I think they're supposed to be there. Next fall would be good. Falling leaves means snow is right around the corner which means I have to get up extra early to go to the gym because there's usually a driveway full of snow that has to be shoveled before I can go anywhere. It means grey, bitter cold days are ahead. It means I won't get to ride my bike as often. It means it's the time of year I'll fight my body's instincts to squirrel away food so I can eat more and hibernate until snow storms give way to spring showers.

I'm not singing Kumbaya bring on the apple cider if you know what I mean. I'm trying to pretend it's still summer and that I don't mind how cold my toes are in out of season sandals. My neighbor wears sandals until she slips on ice the first time. I suppose you can say I get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) early.

Making Snow Cones Out of Snow
I can pout about the weather for the next 8 months (Michigan springs bloom late) or I can seek out and savor every nugget of sunshine and joy each day brings. On the bright side, fall is the start of the Holiday season. A season where over eating is often overlooked, forgiven and even encouraged. Who doesn't love a good buffet attended by people who don't expect you to behave any better around the chocolate fondue than they are? Co-dependent eating en mass! A food lover's fantasy.

Keeping My Summer Clothes From Shrinking
To survive the holiday season this year, I'm planning ahead. I'm planning on being able to fit into my summer clothes next year. I'm not even packing them up this season. Out of sight out of mind invites denial. No summer clothes to try on periodically throughout the winter and it's easy to blame ill fitting capris on moths and faulty dryers.

I'm also planning on how I'm going to make up for the lack of outdoor activities and all the extra calories I've been burning all summer. I quite like being able to enjoy an ice cream cone without having it show up days later in the belly of my blue jeans. I'm super active in warm weather. I walk more, work in the yard more, park further away more often, play outside with the kids and ride my bike more often.

Self, Meet Excuses. Excuses, Meet Determination
I'm thinking about how I'm going to manage the flow of Halloween candy already in stores. My hard and fast rule of absolutely no Halloween candy until the first trick or treater rings the doorbell has worked pretty well so far. I don't even buy it until Halloween night. I pay extra and get a lousier selection than early bird shoppers but if it's in the house, I will consume it. Do I know better? Sure I do. But I'm a liar and a cheat. I'll tell myself anything to justify eating candy if it's around and no one's looking, "you'll work it off at the gym, you'll take a walk later, you'll work out an extra half hour, you'll skip seconds at dinner..." Eating a little candy incites a sugar frenzy that can last for days. I'm not going there.

If it's out of the house, I'm certainly not going to leave my desk to buy mini candy bars in the middle of the day. If the grocery clerks didn't know me by name, maybe... I'm kidding! Keep your environment temptation free.

86 New Years Resolutions!
I want my Lucky Brand jeans to fit me on November 1st, December 1st, January 1st and every day after that. I don't want to feel the need to make New Year's resolutions. I know how to eat right and exercise. I'm going to make my 2004 Holiday game plan and I'm going to stick with it. I'm going to make adjustments when my best laid plans go awry, usually at the precise moment I run amuck and abandon my good eating and exercise habits for a brief period of temporary insanity. This happens frequently in December when warm chocolate soufflé cakes, pecan pies and holiday cookies demand my attention. Rebound skills are essential. Fortunately they're easy to cultivate and maintain.

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