Holiday Health Tips

It's here!!  The holiday season is fully upon us!!

Time for lots of turkey, casseroles, tators, and deserts - and most often time for our diets, willpower, and every bit of progress we've made to go out the window until January 1st, right?

WRONG!!

It IS possible to take on the holidays without taking on the pounds that usually come with it... while still being able to enjoy yourself and some yummy indulgence at the same time.

The main key is MODERATION!  There will be a hand-full of days within the next month and a half that are going to tempt you with a huge amount of food and 98% of it will be bad!  My advice for those days - ENJOY YOURSELF!!  

Granted, don't go crazy and over-do it on those special occasions (see tips below), but know and understand that one day/meal is not going to derail your entire progress. 

That being said, it's all of the other days in between that are going to keep you on track.  Just because it is the holidays and every singe commercial is about food and every shelf is lined with Christmas cookies doesn't mean that we need to partake in the over-indulgence every single night.

Here are some tips to get you through the most tempting time of year:

• Create a dinner menu for all days of the week (except for the holiday parties) to cook and prepare.  Try to keep the dinners clean, healthy, and balanced.  Clean, home cooked meals are way more healthy than anything store bought or from restaurants.  
• Get in your exercises!!  This time of year is usually busier for most of us as well so its often harder to find anytime for exercise.  Try some HIIT exercises that are more intense, but can be done in a shorter amount of time.  Go for a run, practice yoga, throw some weights around, or try doing jumping jack and burpees throughout every commercial break.  Remember, exercising regularly will also help you keep your energy up and is highly therapeutic (which most of us need around the holidays after crazy Christmas shopping or stressful party planning).
• Practice your willpower.  If you make cookies and goodies for others, refrain from eating them yourself, or reserve a small assortment to save for a cheat meal.
• If you have a party coming up at the end of the week, try to eat as clean and healthy as you can throughout the week and let the party be your treat for staying strong and committed.

Special occasions and dinners:

• Don't skip meals prior to the big dinner.  Continue to eat regularly throughout the day, making sure you eat soon after waking up to get you metabolism going.  Skipping meals is only going to slow you metabolism down, then it will want to store everything when you finally do eat.  And because you'll probably be starving by then, you'll over-eat.
• Get a little bit of everything.  Portion control is important!  If there are a lot of options, just get a little of each one, or of what you like best.  Don't go crazy and make yourself sick.
• Fill up on protein and veggies first, casseroles, potatoes, and breads last.
• After you feel full or have finished your plate, give yourself a few minutes to sit and digest before going back for seconds.  If you rest for a few, it gives your brain time to catch up with your stomach and say "I'm full" before you start on round 2 and, again, get yourself sick.
• Drink lots of water!  A couple benefits here.  Water will help you feel fuller faster, hopefully preventing you from eating too much.  Also, water is always the healthiest choice of beverage and since you're already taking in way too many calories and sugar it's a good healthier pick.
• Even after eating all of the first course, its really hard to pass up the desserts.  Pick out one or two favorites and get enough for a couple bites.  Not a huge portion (remember, you're already full anyways) but just enough to enjoy the sweetness and ease the cravings.

Tips for after the big meals:

• Go easy on the leftovers.  Again, go for the protein and veggies first.  I love turkey and even bake them randomly throughout the year because they are an excellent source of lean protein.  
• Don't let your body get you down.  After eating a big meal (even just one) your body will bloat and retain water for several days, completely covering up any hard work you may have been doing to improve your waist line.  Don't worry!!  It's just water weight and it will come right back off in a couple of days, you didn't ruin everything - providing you're back on track.
• The scales will lie to you the same way your mirror is.  Along with the water weight you'll see higher numbers on the scales for a few days.  Again, don't let it freak you out - or just do what I do and avoid the scales all together until 5-7 days after a treat dinner.
• GET BACK ON TRACK!!  The very next day!!  Go back to eating clean and exercising regularly.  Don't wait till Monday or worse January!!  

It is possible to enjoy the holidays and come out unscathed and I'm going to make it a point to do so!!  MAKE YOUR SELF!!

Not This Year!!!

References:
bodybuilding.com 

MAKE (IT )YOURSELF: Healthy Tuna Salad & Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Sorry I haven't been on here in a while.  Kids, school, and workouts have been keeping my schedule full.

But anyways, I wanted to share two new recipes I've been in love with here lately.  I was in a baked chicken rut for a while and needed something different for lunches.

Tuna is another great source of lean protein!  I was never much of a tuna fan until I started experimenting with it and using an oil and vinegar dressing instead of mayo (I love vinegar based recipes).  Now I've come up with the best tuna salad that is filling, healthy, and CHEAP!

Healthy Tuna Salad:

1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Venigar
1-2 Tbsp Chopped Carrots
1-2 Tbsp Chopped Celery
1-2 Tbsp  Chopped Onion
1 Can Chunk Light Tuna (packed in water)
1/4 Cup Cooked Quinoa
1 Cup Fresh Spinach

Mix sauces together in bowl, then add veggies, then mix in tuna.  Add Quinoa and spinach last.  enjoy!!


Another healthy snack favorite that I've found is Protein Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  These are the perfect mid-afternoon snack to get me through to dinner.

Protein Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
3 Ripe Bananas
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats  (I actually also like 1 & 1/2 Cup oats and 1/2 cup Steel cut oats, too)
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Raisins

Mix all ingredients together, drop by spoonful on parchment paper on cookie sheet.  bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

*note there is no added sugar.  All naturally sweetened and clean!





Stay tuned.  I'll post some Holiday fit tips to help us stay on track through the holiday season!!

Maintaining during the off season.

I absolutely love this time of year!  It is my favorite.  The cooler temperatures, beautiful colors, the leaves falling, jeans, boots, and sweaters, and of course football and hunting season.

But with the closing of the pools and beach season over and the there's usually little motivation to continue on a healthy diet and exercise program.  That plus getting started on a new routine for getting everybody back to school or work may take a lot of your focus on away from maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Personally my daily training is going to have to take a definite back seat to Graduate school and bow hunting season (hey, girls got to feed the fam!).

However, that does not mean stop training all together.  It just means I need to do a little more pre-planning.  Since this is technically the 'off season' I'm not worried about making any significant improvements or changes to my physique, I just want to maintain it.

Both strength training and cardio are still essential for maintaining, I'm just going to make them less intense.
My plan is to run 3-4 days a week.  I'll do most of my runs of the treadmill, but I always look forward to my weekend runs when I can take it outside.  I find it so refreshing and therapeutic running in the brisk, cool air through beds of fallen leaves and just taking in all of God's beautiful creations.

 I'll strength train 3 days a week, only using bands or kettle-bells instead of all my big heavy dumbbells and barbells.  Since I've dedicated nap times and after the kid's bedtime for school work, I need to wake up early and get my workouts in before the kids wake up.  This may still seem like a lot but really it's only 30-45 min out of your day, plus it will give you more energy and improve your overall health and could help you live longer.

And let's not forget about eating healthy.  Being the off season, it's easier to forget about watching what you consume.  This is the season for warm, homemade, comfort food.  I love making my own stews and casseroles for the cool evenings, however, there are very few that could be considered 'clean'.

On top of the comfort foods, there's Halloween right around the corner with candy pretty much jumping into your mouths, followed by Thanksgiving, and then it's Christmas.  If you're not careful that could be a lot of weight gained in just a few short months - believe me, it sneaks up on you way before you know it.

And don't get me wrong, I think you should enjoy those days and stuff your faces full.  What we don't want to happen is to eat like that every other day of the week.  Too many times we get so far off track that we just say 'screw it' and decide to quit our healthy lifestyle and wait until the New Year to start again.

DON'T WAIT!  You don't have to wait for a new year to start over, just wait for a new day!!

So maybe I'll munch a little more than what I've been allowing, and we'll probably even incorporate a yummy (unhealthy) casserole night each month, but I still plan to commit to 80/20 of clean eating.

Starting over is so hard, so don't quit.  Do what you can when you can, stay healthy, and MAKE YOURSELF!

*let me know if you would like me to post my new workout program for fall.
*I also plan to do a lot of experimenting with making clean, yummy comfort foods this fall and will post the recipes!!

Making Healthy Choices

I recently read that researchers determine we make nearly 5,000 choices throughout the course of a day.

This morning I chose to not let the snooze go off several more times and got up for a morning run.  I chose the oat meal over the steel cut oats.  I chose whether or not to shave my legs and if I wanted to wear my hair straight or curly.  I chose what to wear and to look up my devotionals before looking up Facebook.

All this before the sun even came up.... so yeah, we make thousands of decisions throughout the day.

For the most part we make choices that will be beneficial for our well being.  We chose to go to work so we can get paid.  Then we chose what bills to pay and what we consider necessities or just wants.  We choose to put ourselves together and look presentable when we go out (usually).  We chose a compatible spouse and chose how we treat that spouse.  We choose what's best for our kids.

With all these good choices that better our lives, it's hard to believe how easy it is to forget to choose to be healthy.  In this area of life we too often choose comfort and convenience over what's really best for us.

We'd much rather sleep in or sit and watch that show in the evening than get in that 30 minutes of recommended exercise. 

We hit the drive thru or just go with frozen chicken nuggets (again) instead of preparing a healthy, balanced meal, which in reality could take less than 15 min.

... and yet we wonder why we can't loose weight, have high blood pressure, or feel exhausted all the time.

The choices we make determine our outcomes.  We can comprehend that choosing to spend too much money on a shopping trip means being a little tighter with the purse strings for a bit, or that giving our kids too much sugar will result in belly aches for them and headaches for you.  But we never want to hold ourselves accountable for some of the unhealthy decisions we make with our bodies.

Maybe it's because of all the crazy advertising for the latest and greatest fad diets and trends that have left so many people confused, unhappy and hungry or thinking that wrapping a velcro band around your waist will magically make you thin.  Or it's the false advertising labeling certain foods as 'health' foods when a lot of them still have tons of unhealthy fats, sugars, and processed chemicals that are harmful to the body, create disease and sickness, and makes you feel like crap!  Maybe people are choosing not to care thinking it's pointless to even try getting healthy or in shape, fearing their too far gone.

It is true what they say:

We innately are always looking to make things better and easier, so why not gain better health by making healthier choices.  It's really that easy. 

Choosing whole foods over processed foods, eating more fruits and vegetables instead of boxed and packaged foods, choosing to look past the candy bar selection at the check out line, avoiding greasy fried foods, choosing salad or a grilled chicken option in the drive thru.

Anytime you choose a healthier option you are taking steps to better your life.

And lets not stop there. 

Make healthier choices by finding ways to become more physically active.  The more you use your body the better you will feel and the better it will function.

Don't always drive around to find the parking spot closest to the door, get out and walk.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Take a walk after dinner.  Choose a weekend activity with your family like hiking that will get you moving.  Don't just sit for an hour watching The Biggest Loser, get out there and start exercising yourself. 

Everyone can find 30 minutes sometime in their day to choose to do some physical activity.  Shorten the time you spend on Facebook or CandyCrush.  Go when you're show doesn't come on for another half hour instead of channel surfing the entire time or watching something you truly care nothing about.  Get out of bed early in the morning instead of just laying there waiting on your alarm clock to go off for the millionth time.  Think really hard - there's time.

With all the choices we are faced with throughout the day it's hard to always stay on track or make the right ones.  Just remember, though, that every choice you make for your body could either be helping it or hurting it, so practice being health conscious in your decision making. 

And I'm not saying there's no more cake, ever.  It's just like that shopping trip:  every once in a while you're going to spend way too much and have fun doing it, just don't do it often!!



References:
Proverbs 31 Ministries
BodyBuilding.com

In Serious Need of a Sugar Detox!!

A couple weeks ago I stated to feel sick.  My body just didn't feel right.  I was extremely exhausted and without energy.  My allergies were going crazy and I was sneezing all over the place.  I had a headache and sinus pressure all throughout the day. 

Something was up and my immune system was definitely down.

I didn't know what was going on.  Since I started my fitness journey my health has been amazing!  I rarely if ever get colds, my allergies hardly ever act up, and I usually have so much energy.  I haven't felt like this in a while.

I even took a pregnancy test;  that's how tired I was!!  Don't worry it was negative!!

Then my wonderfully observant husband made the comment, "Maybe because you've been eating like crap."

***LIGHT BULB****

As much as I didn't want to admit that he was right... he was right.  It was the week of the 4th of July;  lots of picnics, eating out, pies, and ice cream.

Sure I said I wanted to enjoy my summer, but I was taught a huge lesson on over-doing-it. 

It is amazing what sugar does to the body.  The more I ate it, the more I craved it, despite the effects it was having on my body.  It's just like a drug!!  There have even been studies on how the chemicals and hormones in our brain trigger some of the same responses to sugars as it does with heroine and other drugs. 

So I decided I was in serious need of a sugar detox!!  I was not going to ingest any kind of artificial sugar for 5 days (mon-fri).  I have cut a lot of sugary foods out of my normal diet anyways, but I did still nibble on my dark chocolate and I would nibble on the kids' foods, like fruit snacks, nilla wafers, and teddy grahams.  Just the mindlessly munching on snacks left behind.  But for 5 days I was not going to let anything past my lips that contained sugar, aside from whole fresh fruit.

And let me tell you... it was hard, especially after the binge I'd had the week before!!

Monday was the easiest.  After dinner I thought about my dark chocolate, but I had the freshly motivated determination in my mind that got me through it.

Tuesday was a little harder.  I was doing ok with will power and determination and I wasn't experiencing any sinus problems, but I was a huge grump.

Wednesday I was exhausted!!  As soon as my husband got home from work I fell asleep on the couch with two kids jumping on top of me.

Thursday started getting better.  I felt my energy was renewed and my body felt great.  Cravings were still there, but I was doing good.  A short trip to Walmart and walking through the pastry section seemed suffocating, but knowing that I was going to be much healthier by passing it by made it easy.

Friday I was fine.  I felt great and looked even better!!   Just from getting the artificial stuff out I didn't have hardly any of the common bloat in my lower abdomen and my muscles showed more definition. 

This detox was amazing and gave me a renewed strength and boosted a slightly faded motivation.  Again, I'm usually very limited on the amount of sugars I consume, but this is the first time I totally removed EVERYTHING, and I loved it, how it made me feel, and how it healed my body that was going into sugar shock.  If you're in need of a new boost, or jump start, I encourage you to try cutting out the sugars.

Now, on Saturday we had a family picnic with a huge desert table, and you bet your bottom I had me some sugar.  But I didn't over consume and stuck mostly with the healthier brownies that I brought and shared my desert plate with my kiddos.  But that was my reward for doing well, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  After that, it's back to sugar free living... until my next reward.

 

 

References:

Jacky Warner, This is Why You're Fat
Fitness Rx For Women

MAKE (IT) YOURSELF: Italian Shrimp & Pasta

Haven't posted a new recipe in while, sorry!  This one is actually already on my recipe page, but it's one of my favorites so I wanted to highlight it.  It has so many great flavors and textures and the shrimp brings good variety to the sometimes boring chicken or fish.  It's a bit heavy on carbs so be careful with portion sizes and make sure you use whole wheat pasta.

Italian Shrimp & Pasta:

Ingredients:

1 medium bag cooked/peeled shrimp
1 1/2 (cooked) whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 C broccoli florets - fresh
1 small-medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch strips
1/3 C Lite Italian Dressing - divided

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed.
Peel shrimp if needed and rinse.
Sauté shrimp, pepper, and broccoli in 2-3 tbls Italian dressing for 5-7 min.
After pasta is cooked and strained, pour in remaining Italian dressing and mix well.
Divide pasta out on plates and top with shrimp mixture.

Viola!!  A healthy Italian masterpiece in just minutes!!  Enjoy!!

My new summer goal: to not make any new summer goals!!

About a month ago BodyBuilding.com announced a new 6 week summer challenge.  It was a challenge to go from 'good' to 'great'; to really bust your butt for 6 weeks during the summer to get ripped and look your best, plus, grand prize winner gets $10,000 and more prizes. 

I was ready to go.  You had a two week window to get prepared for the challenge before the actual start date.  I immediately started to strategically plan out the next 6 weeks on paper.  Designing a new workout routine, making menu plans that had every meal plus snacks mapped out, as well as complete back up plans... just in case.

I was going to win this one!!

However, the more I planned the more intense I got.  I looked at the calendar and focused on all the upcoming events:  camping trip, birthday party, family cookout, work picnic, 4th of July, and anniversary.  I could do it.  Those would be my cheat days.

I started doing morning cardio and got a jump start on my new strength training routine.  Even designed a more elaborate menu plan that had me carb cycling so that my cheat days wouldn't affect me as much.  I had every day, every hour planned to make sure I would completely dominate this challenge.

The official start date was June 17 and I got up and didn't have the urge to do anything.  I had already stressed myself out enough in just the planning and preparing that I was already burnt out.  Then I thought:  what is this for?  I'd already been asked the question if it was for the transformation or for the money and I immediately had the response:  for the money.  I was very happy with my body and health.  Sure I definitely still have some trouble spots that need work, don't yet have my 6-pack abs, and still need a lot of discipline in the kitchen, but overall, I was more than happy with me.

It is so easy to get obsessed with you fitness goals that it takes over your entire life.  And some people can handle that and make it a top priority.  I myself can't let that happen.

I didn't want to completely waste my entire summer stressing over some challenge that boiled down to a final picture and the very, very small chance that I might win some money.  I decided there that I was going to enjoy my summer, enjoy my family, and enjoy some good food.

Does that mean I'm going to completely let myself go for the next 2 months - shoot no!!  I'm going to continue to practice living a healthy lifestyle because that's what it is a lifestyle, not a quick fix or super intense regimen to get ready for one single event.  I am still going to exercise regularly and work on those trouble spots.  I am still going to eat a healthy diet 80-90% of the time (well, maybe even 60% sometimes).

But what I'm not going to do is freak out over missing a workout because I'd rather have a little extra snuggle time with my babies or because I stayed up too late the night before watching movies with my husband.  I'm not going to obsess over everything I eat, or get anxiety from a picnic that offers nothing but horrible carbs and fats.  I'm not going to go camping and not eat Smores, or not go all out for my anniversary. 

It's good to have goals.  They can motivate us to get to the next level or push ourselves beyond our comfort zones.  Goals are what keeps us on track for who or what we want to become, so it's very important that your goals reflect that and don't turn you into something else.

My goal is to not make any goals, but just to live a healthy life and enjoy my summer.  Does that mean I'm not going to get that 6-pack I am so close to achieving?  Maybe...  but maybe not.