I don’t think it feels like Christmas until my entire family is together and we sit down to watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Some of us have Grinch slippers, others have Grinch pajamas, still others have Grinch sweatshirts, and now that I think about it, we probably look pretty ridiculous.

Nevertheless, I think we can learn a lot from the Grinch when it comes to fitness and nutrition like…

1. Wear comfortable shoes. The Grinch? His shoes were too tight.

2. Toss some deodorant in your gym bag. The Grinch? Well, he was known to stink, stank, stunk!

3. Eat a balanced diet. The Grinch? He feasted on high protein Roast Beast, Who-Pudding, and Who-Hash (I wonder what the NuVal score is for that stuff?)

4. Social support. The Grinch? Well he eventually surrounded himself with a positive and supportive system in the town of Whoville. I know I’m at my best when I’m surrounded by people that have good energy, similar goals, and lead healthy-living lifestyles, too.

5. We are stronger than we think we are. The Grinch? He discovered he had the strength of 10 Grinches + 2. We should ask ourselves from time to time if we are lifting enough in the gym and if it’s time to increase the intensity of our workouts.

6. Cross Training is a good thing! The Grinch? Not only did the Grinch do a little strength training but he tossed in some cardio in order to strengthen his heart, too.

Six pretty solid healthy-living lessons from one family tradition. Who-knew?

Now I really must go hit the gym so the Grinch doesn’t steal my fitness.