Stress-Free Holiday Tips!!

These tips are so fabulous and really help put this fun, busy, crazy, love-filled time into perspective.  I found these on Darren Hardy's Facebook page a few years back (if you don't follow him please go and do it now).  He's truly life-changing.  His book the Compound Effect will change your life!!  Truly, go to his page and like it.  Here's 10 tips along with my editorial comments of course! 

10:  YES!!!  Get in a workout at least every couple of days!!  My goal is at least 5 days a week, but if you get in a good sweat session you let go of stress, feel better, clear your mind, get some extra energy and you feel crazy good about yourself!  Earn that fudge!

9:  We do this a lot!  All of our family lives close by, within 30 minutes or so from one another, but we still love hosting at our house.  Even my girls love that we host.  Yes, it's often more work, yes you have to clean and cook and be a good host, but we fill our home with love and laughter and memories.  Get everyone to bring a dish, BYOB and it makes it a bit easier.

8:  I so love this one!  It's hard to do, but you really don't have to do everything you are invited to do.  If you want to do it, if it sits in your heart right and you want to be there, you aren't going to do it because you are expected to, or supposed to or it's the right thing to do then DO IT!  But if you feel that you are obligated to do something or expected to do something give it a second thought.  This time of year is about doing things you love with those you love and if you don't love it, then why do it?

7:  Aah, yes!!  I've said this to myself just last night after I had a grumpy moment or two.  I was so busy doing who knows what around the house getting ready for Petra's party with friends this weekend and Sophia needed my help with her Oreo Truffle Pops she was making for school. I soooo wanted to say "not right now" but then realized what will she remember most?  Me frantically running around doing a zillion things and always have a sparkly, clean kitchen or me spending time with her, stopping what I'm doing and helping her finish them together?  It was time with her.  My girls won't always be with me, living with me, so I better make the most of my moments.  I then had to be reminded of this again later in the evening when things were a mess upstairs.  "Christina, does it really matter?  Really?"

6:   This is one my hubby always says to me:  "Take everything one day at a time.  Why are you already stressing about that?  We have 5 days until that happens, plenty of time!"  :)  Just handle what you need to handle each day and it will all come together.  Don't look at the ENTIRE huge list.  Just break it down to each day and accomplish that.  Little baby steps to take out the overwhelming feeling.

5:  Oooh!  I like this one. I have often thought of things to do differently or things we did this year that I want to do again.  Like how I decorated the house or who I want to see, or a new way to draw names with the family that I heard about, a fun new tradition you'd like to start, or start adding to your Christmas card list. 

4:  This is a good one!  I love that the girls are old enough to help me with this and do some of my baking for me.  They absolutely love it and it's something they will feel responsible for and feel good about doing and helping me. I just wish they got the cleaning up part down.  :)

3:  It's my 80/20 Rule!  Don't give up and throw in the towel!  It's not the time to abandon all your nutrition goals.  You CAN have your cake and eat it too.  Eat good, whole, nutritious, clean foods 80% of the time and allow for 20% to be your indulgences.  You can go to the holiday cocktail party, you can have a piece of that fudge or that egg nog.  Just don't do it every night! 

2:  This is a hard one.  Stop taking myself and things I can't control so seriously.  Sing it out loud: "Let it go, Let it go!"  

1: Yes!  The more you are grateful for all that you have in your life, all of your blessings, the more you will notice that you have.

Need a Holiday Hall Pass? I've got yours here!!

One Easy Way to Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain

 

Every holiday season, you try the same old drill. Stuffing? Don’t need the extra carbs. Eggnog? No amount of nutmeg can hide all that fat and alcohol. Pumpkin pie? Too many calories… delicious, creamy decadent calories. Nope, this holiday season, you’re going to stick to your nutrition goals!

But have you ever been successful in doing that? How many times have you gazed miserably at the dessert table, avoiding it like the Plague, only to eventually give in? Come January, you’ve eaten everything you said you wouldn’t – and then some.

You’re not alone. The average American ate 32% more over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend alone. Despite your best efforts to keep unhealthy food out of your line of sight, with all of the social events, candy corners at the office, and tasty sabotages (i.e. gifts, from friends), you simply cannot control your environment as well as you can during the rest of the year. Regardless of all the oaths and intentions, most of us still gain weight during the holidays.

So how do you stay 100% committed to your nutrition plan during the holidays? You don’t! Trying to stay completely on track during the holidays may be the exact thing that causes you to gain weight.

There are several possible reasons for this. The first is the Forbidden Fruit Effect (or Theory of Psychological Resistance). You always long for whatever it is you can’t have. The deprivation itself makes holiday food all the more tempting. Your brain also perceives that you’re being punished and you end up in an battle between the side of you that has promised to stay in control and the side that wants no part of the food restriction. Guess which side typically wins?

The second cause is the Law of Dominant Thought, which says the focus of your thoughts will affect your choices, behaviors, and achievements. There is a reason why health experts recommend you clean out your cupboards of unhealthy foods. Out of sight, out of mind right? Unfortunately, during the holidays, indulgences are constantly in your sights—and therefore at the forefront of your mind. When you spend the day obsessing over not snacking on peppermint bark, you can’t be surprised when you go through the whole tin in one sitting. Where your mind goes, energy flows. Constant exposure to unhealthy foods, combined with the alcohol that often flows freely at holiday events, can make you more likely to overeat.

The third culprit that contributes to holiday binging is stress. The planning, cooking, decorating, and managing schedules of the holidays may push you to crave comfort foods – anything high in fat, sugar and/or salt – that temporarily calm your nerves. But, in the end you end up more stressed from the disappointment of not being able to fit into your “skinny” jeans.

So, now you know what’s going on in your head during the holidays. So how can you overcome all of these influences and keep off added holiday pounds?

The solution is the Holiday Hall Pass. This sweet indulgence allows you to make the most of the holidays, with five safeguards to prevent you from getting too crazy. These safeguards—let’s call them holiday helpers—create an environment that evokes positive emotions that calm the negative ones you experience when you attempt to deprive yourself.

Holiday Helper #1: Exercise a little bit every morning

The first little helper is a pre-performance morning exercise routine. Spend at least 20 minutes doing anything active: T25, PiYo, walking the dog, whatever it is that you do. During typical weeks, fitness experts recommend one day of rest, but during the holidays, it’s best to be active every single morning to stay consistent. It can be an all-out workout or a simple physical activity to create a positive tone for the day, helping you keep off the stress.

Holiday Helper #2: Keep a journal

If you simply write down what you do and feel throughout the day, you’ll become aware of your choices, causing you to continue to make good ones. Through writing, you bring a little logic back into the equation, which helps you overcome your emotional tendencies.

For maximum results, journal immediately before you show up to a holiday event. Write down what you’ve already eaten that day and how your choices have made you feel. If you’ve already chosen to eat unhealthily throughout the day, the awareness you bring through this journaling process will help you to create a plan of action for the upcoming event. It’s not about saying to yourself “Well, I’ve already ruined this day so I’ll start again tomorrow,” but rather asking yourself what one positive thing you can achieve at this event to feel good about yourself and the choices you made.

On the other hand, if you have been eating healthily so far and are energized and proud of yourself, bringing those thoughts and feelings to the present moment will enhance your opportunity to be mindful about what you choose to eat at the holiday event.

Holiday Helper #3: Don’t let yourself get hungry

You should graze every 2-3 hours. Whether it’s a full meal or just a light snack. Keeping your metabolism up and your stomach satisfied will prevent you from becoming too hungry. You won’t end up with plates of food you have to haul away with a forklift if you aren’t starving when mealtime finally rolls around.

Holiday Helper #4: Set holiday indulging intentions for yourself

Remember, this isn’t about denying yourself anything delicious; your intentions simply set the scene for an enjoyable-yet-controlled feasting experience. You can choose to allow a small indulgence with each meal, whether it be one piece of cake or a few little cookies. You can also choose to go ‘all out’ for one special night. Also use attentional cues—pre-made questions pre-programmed and scheduled in your smartphone to help you stick to your intentions. Some examples of attentional cues are: Are you proud of your food choices so far today? Would the people who want you to succeed be happy with your choices? Are you giving all the effort you can to following through on your plan? Does this food taste better than how your body looks/feels when you’re healthy?

Holiday Helper #5: Be easy on yourself

Feeling guilty about indulgences only amps up the stress, leading you right back to the second and third serving of turkey and cranberry sauce. Enjoy your holiday and indulge without beating yourself up.

Original article posted here:  http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/nutrition/avoid-holiday-weight-gain

Fabulous new way to do your "Gingerbread House" this year

This would be a great hit at one of your holiday parties. Isn't this fabulous! I think I will have to make this!! Found this on Happy Herbivore and the directions from Green Giant.

Wouldn't you like to nibble, nibble, gnaw on this little house?

Create your own veggie house at home and share a photo in the comments or on our wall!

Here is what we used to make our veggie lodge:

Six 8"- carrot logs (One for front, five for back)
Eight 5"- carrot logs (sides of lodge)
Eight 3"- carrot logs (front)
Eight 1 1/4" - short spacer logs (by front door)
Four 1 1/2" - carrot logs (to create side window opening)
Three 7" -carrot log rafters

Sixteen 6" - 7" long stalks of celery (for roof)

The foam core board gable ends measure 8"x 6" x 6"
The foam core board floor/base measures 8" x 5" (plus extra on the back for chimney if desired)

The window is made out of a slice of turnip.

Use toothpicks if necessary, in addition to cream cheese mortar to fasten cucumbers and celery.
Use bamboo skewers for stacking chimney mushroom "stones."

Presence or presents?

Please, please read this. It's so, so easy to get caught up in all that you need to do this time of year instead of enjoying every single moment of what this time of year, this season, is truly all about.

It's not about the perfect picture with Santa, the perfectly trimmed tree or Pinterest decorated house. It's filling your home and your life and your children's minds with love and amazing, wonderful memories.

Fill your home with the real meaning of the holiday….sharing, showing and spreading your love, good will and cheer.

Presence instead of presents….I love that line in this article.

This article comes from a fabulous blog I just found called AHA Parenting.  I am in love with it and keep finding more and more things that are helping me out right now and giving me many of my own "aha" moments as a parent.   

Parents' Holiday Survival Skill #1: Manage Yourself

"My memories of Christmas as a child are of stress. My mother wanted everything to be perfect and got so worked up trying to do it all that it made the rest of the family crazy. I remember my dad comforting me when I was about 8 years old, I was crying and said “I hate Christmas” and he said “I do, too, honey. We just have to get through it.”

So for my kids I try to be relaxed and fun. We make ornaments for friends and family in December and give them out as we see people — gets us into the giving without thought of receiving. We take time to see the lights around town, to decorate and appreciate our tree. We talk about the other festivals of lights and remember that feasting and gifts are to make the darkest, coldest time of year merry. We celebrate the return of the sun. We relax and play and laugh and appreciate each other.” - Amy

The most essential skill for parents, at the holidays and every day? Manage yourself so you can stay calm and loving with your child.

Picture from Aha Parenting

Remember that the holidays aren't just stressful for you, they're actually stressful for children.  So much desperate longing gets stimulated (just like for us.)  So much excitement gets triggered, which needs an outlet somewhere. All the school and community events mean that families are busier. Parents get more stressed, more snappish, which makes children act out. Schedules are disrupted. Sleep is interrupted. Children get anxious about whether they're good enough, given all their "naughty" impulses (and that Elf watching their every move!) 

Children depend on us, both to regulate their environment, and to help them regulate their moods. If you’re out of balance, you won’t be able to help your kids stay on an even keel. In fact, if you’re anxious about everything you have to get done, I promise you that your child will begin to act out. 

Your kids don’t need a magazine-spread holiday. They need you, in a good mood, living the spirit of the season and spreading love and good cheer.  How?

• Give up on perfection and accept that real parents get reality holidays, complete with messy kitchens, cranky kids and events that you can't get to because somebody needs a nap.
• Pare back your schedule to do only the essentials. Just say no to whatever doesn’t bring you joy. 
• Make sure you nurture yourself and stay in balance. Start by getting enough sleep.
• Focus on family connection, rather than shopping or events.
• Just say No to comparing yourself to anyone else. You can't see inside their family; you can only do what seems right for your family in this moment, and that is more than enough.
• Be sure your own expectations of the season are reasonable. (What makes you think your difficult relative will suddenly be less difficult this year?)
• The minute your mood veers from loving to frenzied, stop. Hug your children and regroup.
• Count your blessings and say thank you for everything good in your life, every day.
• Find ways to laugh at what will inevitably go wrong.
• Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on a job well done, not just in December, but all year long.

None of our December holidays are about shopping or instagram. They're about the transformative power of faith, love, and light. So fill your home with the real meaning of your holiday by focusing on presence, instead of presents. Which means keeping your own cup full, so you can fill everyone else's.

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Black Friday through Cyber Monday Deals!!

Click Here!!  Black Friday Holiday Deals special page!!

During the weekend of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Team Beachbody® is offering deep discounts on a variety of select Beachbody products! The offer is valid for a LIMITED TIME ONLY starting Tuesday November 25th 5PM PST until Tuesday December 2nd at 5PM PST. Offer quantities are limited and we’re expecting that some items will sell out quickly.

3 Day Refresh journey and results!!

I documented my journey July 7-10, 2014 on my Facebook page.  Here is my journey that I thought I'd share here with you too!

July 6  So excited for this week! My first PiYo challenge group kicks off tomorrow and so does our 3 Day Refresh!!! We are planning our meals now so we can stock up and have everything ready and easily available!!

I don't know about you, but I seriously over-indulged this weekend with food and drink. I enjoyed every bite, morsel and sip and had a ton of fun. Not feelin the least bit guilty. 

I've heard some people call their bloated tummy a "food baby." If that is the case, then I'm just about at my due date and ready to pop!! LOL!!

SOOOO anxious to get going on this 3 Day Refresh tomorrow to cleanse and get rid of these toxins and extra bloat. I'm even more thankful that Edde is doing it with me. It will help so much to be doing this together. I'll document this for you so you know what it's all about. 

July 7   Ok....A little nervous about the words "fiber" and "sweep" together! I trust the 3 Day Refresh process though. Just drank it...let's see what happens. LOL!!!

Okay here's an honest update of day 1 of the 3 Day Refresh. The pic below is just a sampling of what we ate. We also had Shakeology, Fiber Sweep, Vanilla Fresh, an apple, summer squash and lots of water and tea.

Up until 4pm I was totally satisfied and not hungry at all. Then I worked out. Got really hungry after that and then we made dinner. It was SOOOOO hard grilling a delish pizza for the girls and us eating veggie stir fry and a protein drink. The food choices and the recipes have been super good so that's not a problem. It's just looking at and smelling that darn pizza! LOL!!

Right now at almost 10pm I'm more hungry than I normally am at this time, but having some decaf green tea now will hopefully satisfy me.

I think I should workout in the morning to help with this nighttime hunger. I probably revved up my metabolism working out so late like that and having a lighter dinner than usual. 

Most of the food intake is earlier in the day and lighter at night. Not how I normally do it, so that's just a little change. 

This is definitely doable and even Edde is surprised at how much he is loving the veggies!! He even came home and made summer squash for his snack!! Now that is "totes cray!" LOL!!!

Anyway….day 1 done and on to day 2 tomorrow. Headed back to work so am packing up all my food for the day.

Oh and BTW, the Fiber Sweep I was worried about hasn't caused me any trouble. Hopefully it doesn't! 

July 8  Okay, so far so good on Day 2 of the Refresh....the only problem I'm having so far is not having coffee!!! I normally only have 1, well okay okay maybe 2, cups of black coffee in the morning. The Refresh doesn't require you to not have coffee they just highly suggest you refrain from it for these 3 days. 

It's only 3 days....if I can't do it for 3 days I have a problem. I'm finding out that I have a problem!!! Yikes!!

Had my delish Shakeology this morning, 1/2 a medium banana, green tea and water with lemon. Next up is my famous Fiber Sweep!! Happy Day!!

WARNING!! TMI in this update!!

3 Day Refresh update: I was hungrier than usual this morning but once I had my Shakeology and fruit I was fine. Did well through the day until I got home. That is the hardest part of the day for me always. I like to come home and have a snack. It's my routine. 

My routine almost always includes peanut butter. Peanut butter with anything! Who am I kidding??? I don't need anything with the peanut butter. Whatever I have with the peanut butter is just to make me feel better about having peanut butter. Had some cucumber and hummus instead. Really good, but it's not peanut butter.

I am zapped of energy and haven't worked out today. In fact I even fell asleep on the couch. I rarely do that!! However, I seem to have a lot going on at the same time as my refresh. 

--------------WARNING!!! Here's where there's TMI coming up.-------------- 

My womanly "monthly visitor" arrived and was also kind enough to bring a cold with her so I really can't say my tiredness is from the refresh. I think it's the combo of everything. I'm not having to go to the bathroom a ton for "movements" like I was worried about. I'm going more often only because I'm really drinking a lot more water than I normally do.

Feeling okay hunger wise right now. Will wait to eat dinner a bit later to keep the late night hunger pains away. 

That's my 6:45pm update on Day 2. More later!!

July 9   Morning Refresh update!! I feel so much better in regards to hunger than I did yesterday. I've had my banana, drinking my Shakeology right now and water. Feel perfectly content. The only reason I'm not feeling well is because of my cold, but other than than I am feeling much less bloated and leaner today! Even with my "monthly visitor" I'm feeling like this. That's a really good thing in my book!!

Today is our last full day. We can do this!! It was funny though, last night all we kept talking about was what we are going to have for dinner on Thursday night. LOL!! We had all these things we were blurting out and then laughed and said how stupid it would be to do all of this good stuff for our body and then go put crap back in it. Yay!! I think it's helping to change our mind too!! All in moderation baby!!

I have to share what Edde posted last night in our Challenge Group. If you know my hubby, he's not too down with veggies. Some, but not all, and he definitely doesn't choose to have them for lunch or a snack. If he can do this anyone can do this. No offense my love...I'm so happy and proud of you for committing to this and doing it with me!! 

"Well I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I really don't eat a lot of veggies so was pretty scared. But wouldn't you know it, I am actually looking forward to my veggies during this. They feel like a treat. But my fruits.......now that is a super treat!! Tonight we ate later...we held out for as long as we could...hopefully that helps with our late night hunger pains. Day 2 is in the books. Just a couple hours before bedtime. Then I wake up and get a fruit!!!!"

WAHOO!! We are officially done with the 3 Day Refresh!! I'm so glad I did this. Today was, by far, the best and easiest day food wise for me. I wasn't ever hungry…in fact I didn't even eat all my food!! Shhh…. I was very content and satisfied all day long.

We'll have our results for you sometime tomorrow. We took pics, weight and measurements before we started. We'll see how we ended up tomorrow morning!!

I've never done a cleanse like this before and neither has Edde. It was all veggie and fruit based, no meat or dairy. At first that was a little hard but today I didn't really even think about it. You are getting lots of protein with the Shakeology and the Vanilla Fresh protein drink as well as getting good fiber in the Fiber Sweep. I was never uncomfortable, didn't have any "bathroom" problems and really wasn't too hungry at all. The first day was the hardest but after that I was totally fine.

With it being only 3 days I think this is really doable. Besides my cold and "monthly visitor", I feel really good! Definitely feel much cleaner and leaner. Feels good to feel this way!

This is certainly something I could do every once in awhile to clean up and either get back on track or just feel like refreshing myself.

See ya tomorrow with our results. I'll also see if I can get Edde's thoughts down here too!

P.S. - I totally forgot about my cup of coffee this morning. Didn't even need it and I just made a batch of homemade brownies and I didn't lick the spoon or the bowl!! MIRACLE!!!

July 10    RESULTS!!!

Wow, I truly was shocked at these results for it only being 3 days!!  I only lost a bit over 4 pounds but I learned that my nutrition is the key to looking and feeling lean.  I had gotten way off track and the water weight and bloat totally showed it.  It doesn't take much to get off track.  You can be working out so hard and doing what you need to do with your workouts, but if your nutrition is off your hard work won't show as quickly.

I've done the Refresh a couple more times since this first time and each time I get the same results.  This is a perfect way to kickstart a new fitness program or getting yourself back on track with your eating.  It's only 3 days, the food is great - in fact I still use a few weekly because they are so good - and you just feel so good about yourself.  Try it out!!  It's great to have on hand during the holidays.