I laughed when I opened this post.

I swear we didn’t plan this.

Kat is back with her bi-weekly spot.  It focuses on balance over the holidays…. and it rounds out perfectly this week of posts focusing on holiday survival.

Most of my posts have been about clean eating and balancing it out with some treats.  Leave it to Kat to keep me honest on the mental front.  It’s not always easy with all we have going on, holiday family visits, and end of the year thing at work!

Don’t neglect yourself  – keeping a healthy mental state will benefit you and everyone around you. 😉

Here’s Kat…

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I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday!  Mine was unreal!  As usual, I had a TON of work to do, but I was in Hawaii.  This felt like a conundrum at first… but I gave myself the “in the long run” pep talk and knew what I needed this trip was balance!

My sister, Kristyn, lives in Hawaii, and because of the cost of travel, she rarely gets visitors.  So, my mom moved Thanksgiving to Hawaii this year!!  I had never been, so I was especially excited to visit my sister, see the island, and celebrate one of my favorite holidays!  My friend Jimmy also came along for the ride!

All in all, I give the trip an A!  The grade is based on the fact that I got a lot of work done, and was also able to spend a couple of care-free days enjoying myself and time with my family.

Hawaii is NOT really a place for foodies.  However, it IS really a place for active folk!

I don’t know how many miles I swam in the ocean.  Yes, miles. (Editor’s Note: I cannot even imagine doing this… you rock, Kat.)  I also got to run more than I should have (poor IT band, sometimes it hates me for how much I love to run), and got in hours of surfing!   All of this helped to keep off the thanksgiving lbs we all tend to rack up!

I hadn’t surfed in almost 10 years, but after a quick lesson from my sister’s boyfriend on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I was back up and at it!  Surfing so early in the trip was perfect because not only was it a blast, but it also helped me bring balance into the rest of my trip.

I’m nerdy and metaphorical (Editor’s Note: It’s part of her charm), but after falling a couple of times, and remembering to get up and try again to keep my balance, I knew I would make it through the trip alive, and that I would be able to keep this balance thing going! (I also did some yoga on the long board.)

So after swimming a few miles in the ocean after surfing, I took my Monday to work.  Almost 8 hours at Coffee Gallery in Haliewa, HI.  I got all of the research for my independent study done, and then had an awesome dinner with my mom and sis, and a fun Thanksgiving trip to Whole Paycheck – yep, they’re all over the island!  Besides the fact that my sister kept poking fun at me for being the only chick in Hawaii swimming in a one piece, this balance thing already felt good.

Tuesday I spent the day with my big brother (I mean, my sister’s boyfriend, John).  It was AWESOME.  We hiked up Koko Head.  1,200 feet of elevation gain in 1 kilometer.  It was so much fun and beautiful up top, with 360 views of the southeast side of the island.

Afterwards there was more swimming and lunch.  Later that day I got another opportunity to sneak in some work!

Wednesday was one of my favorite days, randomly enough.  I spent the day with my sister at work.  She works at Starbucks, so I could work on my 35-page independent study all day, and see her, meet all of her friends, and get a run in.

It went pretty well up until about oh, 7 miles into my run, when I realized I was 5 miles from where I needed to be, my IT band wouldn’t let me run another step, and I had to flag down a cop to pick me up and drive me most of the way back into town because the cab I called couldn’t find me.  You follow?  Yes, ride in the back of a cab car in Hawaii.  If only I had a picture of that!  This day still felt balanced because of the assortment of randomness and the work that got done!  (Editor’s Note: Only you… 😉 )

Thanksgiving also rocked!  We surfed in the morning, and I got to spend a bunch of time working while my mom and sister cooked up most of our amazing feast.  I made gluten-free stuffing.  However, I made another contribution that I am eternally sorry for – popcorn.  Yes, I broke a tooth on a kernel and am off to the dentist today to see what can be done.  Yikes!

The trip was certainly balanced, and I feel more connected to my sister than ever.  Amazing!  How lucky to get to swim, surf, and run for a week in Hawaii!?!  Thanks mom! 

Now, I am in the throws of finals, and hope you all wish me luck in the coming weeks, as I finish the two papers and conquer business tax!  Balance might even be more important this week!

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I know jealously is unattractive… but I am insanely jealous of Kat on this trip! 🙂

How do you remind yourself to stay balanced?

Last dental problem that you caused yourself?  (Editor’s Note: I cracked a tooth on a hard nut in a piece of carrot cake on Thanksgiving… but the worst was breaking my jaw.)