I spent the week of Christmas in Las Vegas this year. I was reminded of Las Vegas’ nickname of Sin City. My sins weren’t full-blown ones, but I was definitely tempted in many ways. However, I’ve never claimed to be a saint either. I lost $20 in the slot machines and video poker, but I consider that to be entertainment money.
I’m more concerned that I lost my way with food and exercise a little bit while I was there. I wasn’t too bad, but I certainly didn’t follow all the suggestions I’ve written about here–at least not completely. My eating and exercise weren’t quite up to snuff.
I also got out of the habit of writing on this blog. It’s funny how it doesn’t take too much sometimes to get off track. But I’m back.
The lure of good food and wine did get to me at times. In general, I kept my wits about me, but I must say I also enjoyed myself at times. I gained 3 pounds during the week, but that was a lot better than I have done on other trips to Las Vegas. And I have managed to get a couple of them back off since returning.
I’m glad I wrote my last blog post about Healthy Holiday Articles. I learned some things myself from them. I especially found the article on Quick Workouts for Busy Times useful. I found myself having to fit some quick workouts into some short time frames. A couple of times, I dilly-dallyed about getting ready to go out, and didn’t have time to go for a workout. I was able to fit in a few reps of the five exercises in that article, before heading out on the town. It wasn’t a lot, but at least it was something.
We stayed in a timeshare (the Wyndham Grand Desert) while we there. It’s a couple of blocks back from the Planet Hollywood as seen in this photo.
The Wyndham has a really good fitness room. It has cardio equipment, machines, and free weights. I ran on the treadmill and lifted weights a couple of times while I was there. That made me feel better about all the good food and wine I was eating.
I’ve wanted to beat myself up about this a bit, and I have succeeded to some extent. However, when I think back on it, I don’t believe I really was all that bad. I had a good time, remained aware of what I was doing, and I didn’t really feel deprived. A few years ago, before I got smarter about all of this, this trip would have had a much more disastrous effect on me.
I know I won’t get my $20 back from the slot machines, but I know I am giving back the pounds I gained. I’ve decided that, instead of forgiving myself, I should congratulate myself.
It’s a new year, and like everyone else, I plan to make some improvements in myself. I liked the fact that I got some more workouts done while on vacation. That felt good, so I’m going to do more. I also really want (and need) to get better control over my time and productivity if I want to accomplish everything I want to. I don’t think it’s going to be a major transformation, but more of a getting back to what I know really works for me.
I also thought of several new ideas for blog posts while I was gone. I had hoped to write some of them up, but haven’t done that yet. *sigh* I’ll get to them, though. I’m still working on my transformation to become a real blogger.
So how did you spend your Christmas and New Year’s? Let us know in the comments. Do you have any regrets? If so, can you find a way to forgive yourself and move on? Or, can you congratulate yourself and move on? Either way, the past is past, and we need to keep looking forward and living in the present day.
photo credit: http2007 on flickr