Surviving the Super Bowl!

THE SUPER BOWL....an experience like no other.  A time when true football fanatics gather together to celebrate the culmination of a 6 month journey.  For the lucky few, a chance to cheer their team to the ultimate title.  For the rest of us, just another excuse to throw a party, eat poorly and consume various beverages of choice.  In the past, Super Bowl Sunday would have found me lost in the reverie of the day with family or friends sucking down all sorts of delectable and unhealthy treats, as well as, consuming some sort of empty caloric beverage.  Oh, how the times have changed!  This year, I chose to control the environment in which I watched the game.  I made decisions that would have positive instead of negative effects and created a situation that was much more conducive to the choices I am trying to make each day.  By focusing on the potential problem areas I face and making better choices I am hopefully redefining the patterns/habits that have created the destructive moments in my life.

Now, I am not saying that I only ate carrot sticks and salad for the game, I did enjoy a traditional Super Bowl staple...chicken wings, but I grilled them on my own grill/smoker and was able to control both the seasonings and the use of excess oils.  I also made my own dipping sauces so that I could regulate the amounts of fat, sugar and salt.  The end product was quite enjoyable.  I really did not miss the excess that I usually take in and the WATER that I drank made for a nice refreshing beverage.  The best part of the evening was that I spent it with my beautiful family.  I even had the opportunity to read stories with my 5 year old during halftime and got to say goodnight and offer sweet dreams to  my 3 year old.  It was also a lot of fun hanging out with my 15 month old son, who was much more energetic and enthusiastic about football than he was as a 3 month old last season.  The night was capped with a restful evening with my wonderful wife.  All in all, I would have to say that this may have been the most enjoyable Super Bowl in years.  It didn't hurt the the Packers beat the Steelers, which as a lifelong Cincinnati Bengals fan is almost as enjoyable to watch as the Bengals winning themselves....almost!