How Do You Assemble A Fitness Regimen Which Is Effective?

Many individuals establish an exercise want to enhance their fitness. Regardless of whether they stick to it, it may not work when the workout plan isn't suited to them. In case you have clear workout goals in your mind, they can be challenging to reach without having a decent plan. In case you are to maximize your fitness potential, you should commence taking care of assembling a well-customized exercise program that is going to be followed on the letter. From here, you will find the guidelines you should build a firm foundation that will move you forward.

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Eat Natural Series - Kale Kicks Inflammation

Let's take a look at kale and explore this nutritional plant powerhouse. Kale offers a range of protective benefits from anti-inflammatory, which is very important in blood sugar control, to cancer fighting properties.

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Benefits Of Pine Pollen

Pine pollen is a powerful herb obtained from a pine tree. Some individuals and companies make powder out of the pollen. This makes it easy for people to take it. There are plenty of benefits that come with pollen powder. These benefits include:

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You're Definitely Not Washing Your Bras as Often as You Should

Putting on a bra every day is kind of the worst, but it's also a fact of life for most women. And like everything you wear, it has to be washed semi-regularly.

New Girl Source: Fox

So, ladies: When was the last time you put your bras in the laundry? Last week? A few weeks ago? Can you even remember?

The best practice is washing a bra after you've worn it three times, experts told Buzzfeed. And, of course, if you’re sweating in a sports bra, throw it straight in the laundry.

It’s also a good idea to rotate the bras you wear, according to Elle. Why? Otherwise sweat, dirt, oil, and bacteria starts to accumulate on your bra straight from your skin. What a lovely image! But it's also probably the one thing that'll convince us to wash them more often.



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The Danger in the Air

Perfumes and fragrances are harmful to our health. They can affect the people around us in unexpected ways.

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Why Choose Online Wig Selling Stores

Time has resulted in massive advancements and have ultimately ended up to the Internet era. Unlike previous days, buying wig is no more embarrassing as online wig selling stores have emerged to ease the purchase while helping you to choose from the wide assortment.

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The 7-Minute HIIT Workout for Stronger Arms and Shoulders

Whether you want your arms to be crazy jacked or you just want to be able to open a dang jar without asking for help, this quick 7-minute HIIT workout will help you get there.

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In this routine, you'll move through 13 different arm exercises that work your biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, and even your core. Real talk: You're going to feel the burn, question how there are that many variations of a push-up, and curse the person who invented them. But, hang in there. The trainers offer modifications so you can build up your upper-body strength. Plus, it's only seven minutes, so the pain is temporary and worth it. You don't need any equipment for this workout. Hit play to get started.

To recap: Warm up and cool down fully before performing this workout.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest.
1. Narrow to Wide Push-Up
2. Triceps from Elbow Bridge Hip Lift to Leg Kick
3. Dynamic Push-Up from Low Squat With Clap
4. Push-Up + Toe Tap + Heel Over
5. Inverted Push-Up With Leg Lift
6. Alternating Plank + Spider (down, down, up, up, spider, spider)
7. Reverse Bridge + Shoulder Tap
8. Push-Up + Jump to Inverted Push-Up
9. Plank Shoulder Tap
10. Triceps Push-Up
11. Floating Triceps Dip
12. Floating Push-Up
13. Plank Jump

Looking for more short and effective at-home workouts? Grokker has thousands of routines, so you’ll never get bored. Bonus: For a limited time, Greatist readers get 40 percent off Grokker Premium (just $9 per month) and their first 14 days free. Sign up now!



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Castor Oil, the Best Beauty Secret Ever

I will tell you that I absolutely love castor oil and that I use it daily. I honestly believe that castor oil is the best beauty secret ever, especially for those of us in middle age.

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7 Vegetarian Holiday Sides That Steal the Meal

This Is Tofu?! 7 Awesome Recipes You Never Knew Could Be Made With the Spongy Vegan Stuff

Someone Updated “Baby It’s Cold Outside," So We're Not Singing About Date Rape

"Baby It's Cold Outside" is a classic Christmas song, but have you ever stopped to actually listen to the lyrics? Here's a quick refresher (the lines sung by the man are in parentheses):

My mother will start to worry (Beautiful, what's your hurry?)
My father will be pacing the floor (Listen to the fireplace roar)

So really I'd better scurry (Beautiful, please don't hurry)
But maybe just a half a drink more (Put some records on while I pour)

The neighbors might think (Baby, it's bad out there)
Say what's in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there)

Wait, so he spiked her drink? How did we never notice the line about date rape drugs? Or how the man practically forces himself on the woman?

Thankfully, Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski, a singer-songwriter couple from Minneapolis, gave the song a much-needed update that's less pushy and way funnier. Check out a sampling of the lyrics and the full music video below:

My mother will start to worry (Call her so she knows that you’re coming)
Father will be pacing the floor (Better get your car home)

So really I better scurry (Take your time)
Should I use the front or back door? (Which are you pulling for more?)

The neighbors might think (That you’re a real nice girl)
Say, what’s in that drink? (Pomegranate La Croix)

">http://www.facebook.com%2FTheCurrent%2Fvideos%2F10153952996707657%2F]


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Online Weight Management Programs - For the Busy Bees Today

Today's busy lifestyle has its effect on people in many ways. No time to cook or eat properly and less time sleep leads to many disorders. Insomnia, mental anxiety, stresses and abnormal body weight are just few of them. Even if people want to stay fit, they actually can't take out time to visit a fitness consultant or hit the gym to get the right guidance.

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The 13 Best (and Healthiest) Food Subscription Boxes Delivered Right to Your Door

How To Take Care Of Your Hair

It's a blessing to have beautiful hair naturally. Hair enhances the whole look of a girl in a whole different way. Healthy hair will give you smart and confident look.

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Weight Loss Specialists

The professionals are the ones who provide information and guidance to those who are attempting to lose weight. They play the roles of mentor, instructor, supervisor, and motivator. There is no standard path to become a weight loss specialist but having training and certification in fitness and nutrition is helpful if this is your goal.

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Weight Loss: Why Do Some People Become Attention Seekers When They Lose Weight?

In today's world, there are all kinds of things that someone can do when they are carrying a few too many pounds. When it comes to what one will do to lose weight, it can all depend on their personality.

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Stop Making These 6 Mistakes With Your Slow Cooker

Seeing the Things Trump Has Said About Women Painted on Women’s Bodies Is Sickening

There's no denying that President-elect Donald Trump has said—and done—a lot of horrible things to women. Many people continue to overlook his behavior, which motivated Aria Watson, a college student at Clatsop Community College in Oregon, to create an in-your-face photo project that's hard to ignore.

In #SignedbyTrump, Watson photographed women with actual things Trump said scrawled across their semi-nude bodies. Shocking? Yep, that's the point. The statements have always been offensive, but there's something even more disturbing and cringeworthy when you see the comments Trump has made about women's bodies on women's bodies:

Photo: Aria Watson Photo: Aria Watson Photo: Aria Watson Photo: Aria Watson Photo: Aria Watson Photo: Aria Watson



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Why Kanye’s Struggle With Mental Health Hits Home for Me

Last month, as I lay under my covers with no desire to leave the safety of the imaginary bubble I had built around my bed, my husband stood right on the edge of my space. He has learned to brace himself whenever November approaches; it happens like clockwork almost every year. Like Kanye, I lost a parent in that month, and over a decade later, it still hasn't gotten any easier to deal with the anniversary of their death.

When I read that Kim might leave Kanye after his meltdown, the story was sadly familiar.

After a few years together, my husband is conscious of what I’m dealing with—I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression—and I know that he is there for me. But I can't expect the days when I border on catatonic not to affect our relationship on a deeper level.

When I read that Kim might leave Kanye after his meltdown, the story was sadly familiar. I understood; it’s hard having a partner who has mental health issues, and the day to day can truly be a compromise for both parties. As the emotionally unstable half of my relationship, I empathize with Kanye, who was reportedly diagnosed with paranoia and depression after a brief hospitalization related to his mental health collapse. It’s not easy being the "Kanye" in a relationship, but I know from watching my husband that it can be even more difficult to play the role of support system.

It's not only the idea of potentially being abandoned that scares me, it’s also the feeling that you might lose the one you love because you are somehow defective. A lot of effort goes into managing my mental health for the sake of my relationship and friendships. There is a lot of guilt and underlying shame when your suffering feels like it causes the people closest to you to suffer too.

This year, I made the decision to seek out a psychiatrist. The search was not an easy task, especially since I exist at the intersection of being black and mentally ill. Our culture is quick to label black people as "overly emotional" or "aggressive." A stigma still exists for people—especially black people—who live with psychological disorders, which is a reason so many people stay in the closet about their mental health struggles, and don’t seek the treatment they need. This stigma is reiterated in headlines; despite seeing Kanye’s behavior continually deteriorate, his events have been categorized as "emotional outbursts" and "tantrums." And despite the fact that several of Kanye’s friends have suggested that he genuinely needs psychiatric help, many still accuse him of "faking it" for attention.

Neither Kanye nor I is exempt from the expectation of strength and resilience that prevents black people, and black women especially, from embracing our full range of emotions and seeking professional help. When someone like Kanye is described as arrogant or angry, rather than in need of care, this reminds us of a cultural perception that people with mental health issues aren't worthy of healing.

In my journey, it has been a struggle to find a culturally competent therapist who could authentically understand my experiences enough to administer acceptable care. And the entire search required such a tremendous amount of effort I almost gave up several times.

The first therapist I found was an old white guy. I sat in his office and described my spike in social anxiety that had begun as a direct result of the never-ending microaggressions I experienced on a daily basis after moving to the extremely white city of Portland, Oregon. His remedy was to read a book by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and to immediately forgive and educate everyone who was being racist because they "didn't mean it."

Another therapist reassured me that she could understand what I was going through because she had coincidentally watched Selma the night before. She made this statement right before she fetishized my unborn child; when she learned my husband is white, she noted how cute my kid would be. Both of these inappropriate statements took place in one session, but she managed to squeeze one more microaggression into a 60-minute time slot by telling me I looked "strong and muscular" (which is often synonymous with a lack of femininity in black women) when I expressed concerns about a negative body image.

I eventually did find a therapist who has been super lit, and now I don't feel forced to code switch or explain certain cultural understandings for context. Recovering from trauma is an ongoing process, and I’m lucky to have a patient and understanding partner who is there for me throughout. And while I continue to get better, so does our relationship.

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Unlike someone who has a visibly apparent physical condition, there’s really no way to know the mental state of your spouse or partner without their transparency. But that can be hard if they are riddled with the embarrassment of being incapable of getting over what they may feel is a cognitive abnormality. There are days when it seems more useful to pretend everything is OK than to admit that you have no explanation as to why exactly you have no will to get out of bed. And I know that it’s hard for my husband that he’s always along for the ride... whether or not he wants to be at that exact moment.

So I guess it makes sense that I’m taking some comfort in the tabloids right now. Despite Page Six reporting that Kim and Kanye are living separately following his hospital release, according to E!, the couple is stronger than ever, and just like me, Kanye seems to be taking it day by day to get back to his version of "normal."



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Ikea Apparently Has a Product to Fix Every Relationship Problem

At this point, getting into a fight at Ikea is a relationship milestone. Arguments at the Swedish retailer are so common that some therapists give couples the task of building Ikea furniture as a way to build their relationship—physically and metaphorically.

So it's only fitting that the company introduced Ikea Retail Therapy, a website where the products are renamed in a joking nod to the relationship problems they fix (a single bed is called "my partner snores").

Even though these home furnishings (a corkscrew called "why men can't open up," for example) won't actually solve the issues you have with your partner, you can send over the links to the retail therapy site as a not-so-subtle hint. Here are some easy ones to start with:

he won't text back Photo: Ikea day bed Photo: Ikea
corkscrew Photo: Ikea dishwasher Photo: Ikea Photo: Ikea



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Why You Can't Lose Weight

You are careful about nutrition, you take enough vitamins, lead a healthy life with hours of exercise. But, still, you don't have the body you've always wished for. Just to feel better - you are not alone. In fact, this problem is quite often. Even though we often blame the genetics and we doubt that the celebrities have secrets about their perfect look, maybe better we should analyze the reasons that cause this phenomenon.

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Do You Finish the Diets Your Start?

I was cleaning my cupboard the other day and found a lot of diet teas, pills, powders and specific diet foods which I started and never finished. Oh let me not forget the injections! And the terrible mood swings which come with some of the diets.

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Model Barbie Ferreira Has the Best Term for Her Stretch Marks

This is Barbie Ferreira, a model who’s been a part of campaigns for Aerie and Lane Bryant:

She's unafraid to talk about her supposed "imperfections." This week she shared an unapologetic photo of her bare midriff showing off her "lil stripes" (a.k.a. stretch marks):

Barbie Ferreira The term is a riff on #tigerstripes, a popular hashtag people use on Instagram when proudly posting photos of their stretch marks. When you really think about it, stripes (or tiger stripes) are a much more appealing and endearing way to talk about the completely normal marks so many of us have on our skin.



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Bicycle Riding Tips for Heavy Riders: A Beginner's Guide

Biking is a fun activity. For heavy people, this form of activity might bring up issues and worries such as damaging a bicycle, injuring oneself or even finding the appropriate clothing. This variety of reasons hinders them from bicycling and from enjoying its benefits. But with some helpful tips, heavy riders can have a wonderful biking experience.

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DIY Tips On How To Test For Legionella

Water testing allows individuals to ensure their safety. In addition, water testing can also help make sure that individuals can maintain a good and healthy body.

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19 Healthier Takes on Risotto That Won't Have You Stirring for Hours

Dirty Cell Phones: Cold Season & How Microfiber Sticky Screen Cleaners Can Help

Everyone knows the usual ways to avoid spreading germs in preparation for this upcoming cold season. Wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, cover your mouth when sneezing and avoid touching common public places like doorknobs and elevator buttons. The more you keep your germs to yourself and shy away from the germs of others, the less likely you will be to fall prey to the flu and other pesky illnesses, right?

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A Simple Way to Make Coconut Banana Chia Pudding

You got us—we're chia pudding maniacs! We can't help it; the mixture is sweet and creamy, yet packed with nutrients. Why would we ever need anything else for breakfast (or dessert, for that matter)?

We like this version topped with mini chocolate chips and shredded coconut... but you should experiment with any nuts, seeds, or fresh fruit you like.

Coconut Banana Chia Pudding

Recipe by: Glow Kitchen
Makes: 16 6-ounce servings
Ready in: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coconut cream (the thickest part from the cans; toss the liquid or save it for a smoothie.)
2-3 drops liquid stevia
1 ripe banana
3 tablespoons chia seeds
Fruit, dried fruit, dried coconut flakes, and nuts for toppings

DIRECTIONS
1. Blend the coconut milk, stevia, and banana in a food processor.

2. Pour into a bowl and mix in the chia seeds.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

4. In the morning, give it a good stir and add in your favorite toppings!



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We've Got Some Bad News About HIIT Workouts

High-intensity interval training is one of the most popular ways to work out, especially for people who are short on time. Quick bursts of exercise where you push yourself to the limit can be effective, if done right. But you need to make sure your HIIT workout follows these three guidelines:

  • You can make it quick, just not that quick. Earlier this year, a study seemed to suggest one minute of all-out exercise has the same benefit of 45 minutes of jogging. But that's a serious exaggeration of the research. Martin Gibala, the study's author, told Vox that high-intensity workouts should take 30 minutes to complete.
  • Your intervals can be short, just not that short. And you need to do a lot of them. A meta-analysis found three-to-five minute intervals completed at least six times (with ample rest in-between) led to the best, sustainable results.
  • You need to work out often. You can’t just do HIIT once and call that your exercise for the next seven days. The same meta-analysis suggested working out six days per week—three days of HIIT and three days of cardio.
Like we said, this isn't great news if you thought a one-minute workout was all you needed to be healthy. But we're not saying it's time to give up on HIIT either. As a matter of fact, we've got a couple 20-and 30-minute HIIT workouts you should try.


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5 Ways to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just Urgent

No Regrets With Susie Moore If you’re always getting to things late, or in some cases, not at all, then you’re not alone; one of the biggest reasons people come to me as a life coach is to help get them on track with the things that matter to them that somehow continuously fall by the wayside.

Usually, they’ll say something like, "I don’t feel in control," or "I’m not sure why I’m not operating at the level I know I can be," or even, "I feel unfulfilled and I hate it."

President Eisenhower said, "I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."

People feel frustrated because they feel like they are ignoring what matters most to them. Among the biggest culprits: feeling that your work/life/day-to-day existence isn’t meaningful, failing to launch a passion-based side hustle you’ve been dreaming of, having sex with your partner too infrequently, not doing the travel you’ve always dreamed of, spending too little time with loved ones, and not making self-care a priority.

Whether it’s crossing something off your life’s bucket list or just saying thank you to a friend, the important things that we never get around to weigh on us over time. It’s understandable that we miss this stuff—we’re all just trying to blast through the urgency of the day-to-day: pay the Visa bill, take the dog out, and check off our Tuesday to-do list at the office. But we still have to figure out how to get the important stuff done too. Here’s how:

1. Understand the difference between urgent and important.

President Eisenhower said, "I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent."

The Eisenhower Principle can describe all of our priorities. Important activities create outcomes that lead us to achieving our long-term goals. Urgent activities demand our immediate attention, and are usually external—helping someone else achieve their goals, like a needy friend, a boss, or a client. Given that the consequences of not complying with the urgent have immediate consequences, we often tend to them first… or for some of us, we only manage these concerns, all of the time.

2. Know what’s important to you.

What are you longing to do? What tugs at your heart and resonates with you? The first thing we need to do to get the important stuff done is know what the important stuff is. This year for me it was writing a book (which registered exactly zero on the urgency scale, but 100 on the importance scale).

What matters to you—jumping on a plane to visit your grandmother, visiting Egypt, starting that jewelry-making business on Etsy?

3. Consider what makes you feel bad.

Some people struggle with identifying what they do want, but know very clearly what they don’t want. What is grating on you in your life? A client said to me recently, "I hate working an office 9-6 job."

That’s a good starting point! She was voicing that she wanted freedom over her schedule. This led us to brainstorming jobs with more work-from-home flexibility, and even considering consulting work and going freelance, full time.

What would you like to change about your life right now? This is a big indicator of what’s secretly important to you.

4. Determine what you admire in other people.

When I’m on my third mimosa at brunch and a girl walks past the restaurant carrying a yoga mat, I always feel a slight pang of envy and guilt... as I turn away and continue to eat my pancakes.

A friend recently said to me, "How is it that most of the people you coach have a full-time job and a business on the side? That’s a trend?! Wow!" She really wants to start a side hustle as a health coach.

When we longingly observe what other people do—from making time for intimacy to starting a business to working out three times a week—we know what our next objective should be.

5. Schedule time to achieve your goals.

A client of mine is a full-time attorney and is also working on writing a novel. I told her to schedule writing hours: two-hour blocks set two to three times a week, and more when possible.

She said to me, "What a palm-to-forehead moment! I thought the writing would just come somehow. Scheduling it like an appointment made all the difference!" She now writes from 5 to 7 a.m. two mornings a week, and also on Sunday evenings. Boom! That novel will be in her hands in no time.

One of my business mentors doesn’t check his phone or email for the first two hours of every day. He sets his own agenda in that time—not the people asking him for stuff, calling him wanting something, or tagging him on Facebook. His important needs come first: writing, meditating, and having breakfast with his wife. External, urgent needs come second. No wonder he gets so much done, and that he is so happy and calm!

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Getting the important stuff done matters. Otherwise, our lives are frittered away on meetings, happy hours, bad Lifetime movies, and Instagram. So know what matters to you, understand what is making you feel like sh*t, and know that you can change it, you powerful thing. Look around you: People are already doing the thing you want to do. Unless that person is a unicorn, it’s possible for you too!

And nothing beats action, my friend. A book won’t write itself. My body won’t magically manifest itself in a yoga studio. Your dating life won’t double overnight as you sit on the sofa, eating Doritos. You gotta get busy! What will you be scheduling in your calendar this week?

Susie Moore is Greatist's life coach columnist and a confidence coach in New York City. Her new book, What If It Does Work Out?, is available on Amazon now. Sign up for free weekly wellness tips on her website and check back every Tuesday for her latest No Regrets column!


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Bacon and Avocado Emojis are Finally Here

New Food Emojis Instagramming brunch just got a hell of a lot easier with new emojis for pancakes, bacon, eggs, croissants, and, our personal favorite, avocados. Or if you're on a health kick, you now have cucumber, carrot, green salad, and stuffed pita at your disposal. While we're super excited about all the new food options, this batch includes 72 total emojis, from female weightlifters (!!) to facepalm. The emojis are finally here (when you update to iOS 10.2), which has us all heart-eyes emoji.



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How My Eating Disorder and I Are Going to Get Through the Holidays

How My Eating Disorder and I Are Going to Get Through the Holidays Illustration: Jeff Williams

2016 is my ninth holiday season with an eating disorder. It’s the ninth year I will bake my latkes instead of frying them, bring banana-sweetened cookies to potlucks, and try to avoid the multitude of holiday happy hours (with their cheese plates and martinis aplenty). If you’ve never had an eating disorder, it can be hard to see sharing a meal over the holidays as anything other than a joyful practice in togetherness. As a food editor—and lover of eating in general—I recognize the power of food in a community, but my dysfunctional relationship with eating has made my connection to this food-centric time of year more complicated.

I may not be in full-fledged recovery, but this season, I have a plan for dealing with my eating disorder.

In the throes of my ED, I’d spend hours staring at the fridge, moving containers into and out of plain sight, planning what I should and shouldn’t eat. But the holiday season posed an even more an anxiety-ridden daily routine, which broke down a little like this:

Challenge: Choose between a post-work meal cooked alone at home, where it’s easy to control every ingredient, or drinks and a "dinner" exclusively made up of fries, but spent with friends at a bar.

Challenge: Abstain from the baked brie and artichoke dip on the appetizer table while coworkers happily munch and look at you to join in.

Challenge: Go to a dinner party at your friend’s house to find they’re making fried chicken (and serving literally nothing else, except wine); try not to freak out.

It may sound whiny—privileged, even—to speak of food this way. But while dealing with an eating disorder, every snack, every party—even one bite—was a test. The holiday season made me feel isolated, not festive.

I may not be in full-fledged recovery, but this season, I have a plan for dealing with my eating disorder.

1. I will know my limits and say no when I need to.

The reason I won’t be texting back about going out for after-work drinks isn’t because I’m a flake; I just know that if we go out, we’ll order deep-fried appetizers. I also know my compulsive-eating tendencies mean I’ll eat a whole plate of fries... and then only celery tomorrow. I’ve felt the most out-of-control after such hangouts, and spiraled back into disorder because I thought it too rude to turn down another holiday invite. I’m not afraid to say no anymore.

2. I won’t skip meals before a party.

Having played the "how little can I eat before I’m around people" game far too many times, I’m even more tempted around this time of year to eat less before an event. I feel pressure to fit into the holiday dresses I bought a size too small on purpose, but I also feel pressure to casually fill my appetizer plates with five mini-hamburgers and knock back mugs of mulled wine like my friends inevitably will. However, these warring impulses don’t have to affect eating nutritious meals. This year, I ate breakfast on Thanksgiving Day—it was the first time I’ve done that in nine years. I’ll try to have lunch every day, even if there’s an office party this week. And I’ll recognize that even if I eat more snacks than I’m hungry for that night, the important thing is that I was healthy and in control earlier.

3. I have a response ready for those who may comment on my eating habits or body.

This is the ninth year I’ll go to holiday gatherings a noticeably different weight than the year prior. My more out-of-touch relatives—the ones who were first to say how thin I’ve looked in years past, when I was really struggling—might say I look "different." Last year, that was enough to send me sobbing to the bathroom, to want to hurt my body in ways other than depriving it of or binging on food. This year, I know I have two options: a) I can explain why their language is triggering, and hope they’re respectful enough to hear me out or b) I can calmly walk past them, eat one of those no-added-sugar cookies (or maybe even one of the real ones), and start a conversation with someone else.

4. If I binge, I won’t be hard on myself the next day.

Whenever I felt like I’d eaten too much at a holiday party, the real problem came the following morning, like an inevitable hangover: I’d go back to my own kitchen and think: The only thing I should have today is vegetables. And two years ago, I would’ve done just that, dousing my steamed kale in soy sauce to make it taste better. This year, even if I binge, I’ll make a real dinner with which to eat those greens, even though I already ate cookies and drank wine. The binge is just one day (or maybe a lost weekend), and it’s not cause for spiraling.

5. I will set aside time for self-care.

I still tend to confuse self-care with selfishness. But deep down, I know that without self-care, I’m not a very pleasant person: I feel angry all the time, make snide comments to people I love, and compulsively organize my refrigerator (my roommates must love it). I’m finally starting to feel comfortable buying the chocolate-covered biscuits I love—and try hard not to look at the nutrition facts before eating one. I’ll stay in bed for an extra 20 minutes sometimes, just because the pillow is cool, and the blankets are warm. I’ll put on running clothes, but browse a fancy kitchen tool store instead. They’re not monumental proclamations of self-acceptance, but anything that says "do this because you deserve to feel happy today" is a start.

Disordered eating is a deeply personal illness; what works for me may not work for you! If you’re currently living with or in recovery from an eating disorder, consult your support system before drastically changing your routine.

Rebecca Firkser is a writer and cook living in New York City. She also happens to be Greatist's assistant food editor. She’s never more than a few feet away from a cookbook. Follow her on Instagram @ruhbekuhlee.



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