The power of motivation seems to wane during the holidays.

Today, I cheated (with food), after all it was Thanksgiving. A time to gorge oneself with as much Thanksgiving fare we can. Far be it, that we give thanks for even having food and take the time to properly give that thanks in an altruistic way.

No, we celebrate our glutton with an entire day of feasting. And then to top it off, that feasts fulls another deleterious deadly sin. Greed; as we skillfully plan a day in which we can buy as much as possible in as little time as possible.

Oh if we were only that diligent in planning our daily lives.

The Power of Motivation is NOT in Infinite Supply

Well lets just say I didn’t go all out. I didn’t even eat turkey. Mainly because I eat it all the time as part of my regular diet. But I did splurge and had three of may favorite items: pizza with cheese stuffed crust, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, and a piece of pecan pie (actually I just ate the filling).

I mean how can it get any better than that for me? Well immediately after, I did not feel well, then the bloating came on. Then feelings of getting fatter by the second and my clean eating progress flushing down the drain.

Then the self doubt mountain came falling down as I felt my desire to go to the gym the next day slipping away.

I look forward to my gym time as my moment to shine, where I get rid of frustration, and where I bang and clang some metal. One off track moment could easily derail an entire multi-boxcar success train that I had put together over several months.

Now I know I am being overly dramatic but it would seem that the pure joy of delicious morsels, in wanton excess, should not make me feel this way. But it did.

And a valuable lesson was learned. I don’t like to eat bad food in large amounts. Small amounts are fine, little tastes. It seems my taste buds have morphed and my body craves, no needs, good food in order to operate and feel its best.

So with the power of motivation waning, and the doldrums effect of too much sugar and refined carbs ravaging my body, I rededicated myself to remember this feeling.

I will recall this instance, next time I want to have a cheat holiday I will exercise restraint over the body. I will exercise the mind and spirit to help me overcome the wants of my cravings.

And I will learn that a healthy body is a lifestyle change and for this lesson I am truly grateful. The power of motivation is truly a real thing.

Some fun facts about Thanksgiving;

Thanksgiving is synonymous with a massive feast, but the history of its iconic foods holds many surprises. While Americans prepare roughly 46 million turkeys each November, the bird was actually not the main attraction at the original 1621 harvest celebration. According to historical documents analyzed by the Smithsonian Institution, the early Pilgrims and Wampanoag guests actually dined on venison, wildfowl like duck and goose, and local seafood like eels and shellfish.

Furthermore, popular staple items like cranberry sauce and pumpkin pies were entirely absent from the first table due to a lack of sugar and wheat flour. The holiday also inadvertently revolutionized the modern grocery industry; in 1953, a massive Swanson company miscalculation resulted in 260 tons of leftover turkey. To save the surplus meat from spoiling, resourceful executives packaged the sliced turkey alongside peas and potatoes into aluminum trays, single-handedly inventing the very first commercial TV dinners. Today, the festive meal is an absolute calorie powerhouse, with the average holiday diner happily packing away between 2,500 and 4,500 calories during a single sitting.