Hi! Happy Monday! I hope you had a very wonderful Christmas weekend. I’ll give you a quick recap of my weekend and tell you how I showed MYSELF the meaning of Merry Christmas by taking care of my body!

On Christmas Eve, I posted a blog about getting the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. I did the DVD on Friday morning, and it was BRUTAL! That Jillian Michaels doesn’t kid around! I completed Level 1, and then hit the gym where we live. I did 2 miles on the treadmil (without stopping!) – it was a really great workout: I burned over 700 calories, but I also felt really mentally strong. We drove down to my parents’ that afternoon, and my sister prepared a delicious (and healthy!) Christmas Eve meal.

We also had “family Wii night” and played some fun Wii fit games – chicken wing flapping, rhythm kung-fu, skiing, and golf -

Christmas morning, we had a healthy brunch including low-calorie egg bake, weight watchers apple french toast bake, and a winter fruit salad. Thanks again to my sister for helping prepare such a healthy meal! We opened gifts, and I got some awesome gifts – an air popcorn popper, a food steamer, an individual coffee maker, Hungry Girl cookbook, new kitchen knives, and a subscription to Women’s Running magazine! My family was totally in tune to my healthy goals and got some gifts to help support me in reaching those goals! It wasn’t just Christmas gifts to me, but also to my body!!

Here are Jay and I next to the Christmas tree -

My mom belongs to a 24-hour access gym, and we decided to get a workout on Christmas Day. I got some new workout clothes from the Nike outlet and I took the opportunity to sport my new duds and get a fabulous workout. Jay and my mom came too -
When we got to the gym, there was nobody there! I had a great 3-mile workout on the treadmil, and did some weights and stretching afterwards. I was so proud and excited to have worked out on Christmas day -

Our Christmas dinner included ham, low-calorie cheesy potatoes, corn, green beans, and veggies. We also had dessert (home-made cookies from my Grandma), and I treated myself to 2 cookies. In years past, I may have had 10-12 cookies in one sitting. It was awesome to feel satisfied after 2 cookies and know that my decision will help me reach my goals quicker! I also had a small taste of Ostakaka, a Swedish dessert my dad and sister made. Growing up, my dad always had Ostakaka on Christmas, and it was meaningful to know he was sharing that tradition with us, too!

I also had an opportunity to visit on of my besties, Karmen. She and I have been friends forever (14 years?) and she was one of the bridesmaids in my wedding. Karmen and I had a great time catching up, and I was excited to learn about her own successes. She recently gave up smoking and I am SO PROUD of her!! Karmen is a regular blog reader (hey girl!) and I just want her to know how special she is to me, and how absolutely inspired I am by her and her own healthy goals! You looked great!!

This weekend represented Merry Christmas to my body because I took care of it. I ate healthy meals and didn’t binge on sweets. I surrounded myself with family and friends who support my healthy living goals. I got gifts that will continue to help me reach those goals. I took care of myself, and even had some great workouts – including Christmas Day! Most importantly, I felt the love and inspiration to continue to take care of myself and live a healthy, active lifestyle!

Thank you to my family and friends for helping create such a healthy weekend. Jay and I can’t say “thank you” enough for the love, support, and motivation to reach our goals. We are so blessed and appreciative to have that type of support in our lives!! Thank you for everything!!