12 Days of Holiday Health - Day 12

Can you believe it is already December 13th? I can't, but I am excited to be so close to Christmas! Today brings with it my last holiday health tip! If you have missed the other 11 you can read them HERE. I hope that they have made you think about making your holidays just a little more healthy this year!

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Tip #12: Remember Moderation!! 

Let's be honest, the holidays are to be enjoyed! I fully believe that you can enjoy your holidays without overdoing it and gaining ten pounds. It is all about moderation. I know it may be difficult to see an entire bag of the "seasonal" Cadbury Chocolate Balls and not devour them out of a fear you may not make it until they reappear at Easter in mini egg form, BUT you can do it. All you need to do is be smart the choices you are making. Try to get in your workouts, drink a lot of water, get some sleep, and try not to go hog wild at your holiday parties you will be fine! It is ok to indulge every now and again, but the problems come when we feel like we deserve to indulge all the time. Remember the hard work you have put in to get where you are. Enjoy your family, enjoy your holiday parties, and enjoy your favorite goodies...but at the same time...enjoy your workouts, enjoy good healthy food, and make your family activities active ones! Do this and this holiday season will be a happy and HEALTHY one for you and your loved ones!


How do you incorporate moderation into your holiday season? Do you find it hard to do, or are you able to indulge a little and keep up with your workouts?

12 Days of Healthy Holiday Tips - Day 11

I have heard so many people talking about the great things they are doing to help serve others this holiday season, and I love it. It makes me so happy. There are so many people who are struggling, and taking the time out of our busy schedules to do something for someone else can be life changing. I have mentioned before that I think a big part of our health is the love we feel. Well, I think an even bigger part of our health is the love we share.

 

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Tip #11: Give Service

It has been said by so many people that if you are feeling low, sad, depressed, or unhappy...the best thing that you can do is go serve someone else. I think Christmastime is the perfect time to do it. Make it a family effort. Make it a tradition. My parents are a great example of service to me, and in the past my family has done things like participate in sub for santa, volunteered at the food coalition, and secretly given lonely individuals the twelve days of Christmas to lift their spirits. It is amazing how great you feel when you turn your focus away from yourself and try to do something for somebody in need. It can even be as easy as spending time with a friend or saying hello to a stranger. Take time this holiday season to serve. It will help your health.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.  ~Winston Churchill

It's easy to make a buck.  It's a lot tougher to make a difference.  ~Tom Brokaw

  

Go the extra mile.  It's never crowded.  ~Author Unknown

  Do you have any service traditions? Do you feel better when you are giving service to the people around you?
Click HERE to read the rest of this month's Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 10

We are exactly two weeks away from Christmas Day! It is at this point that i turn into a ten year old and bust out the paper chain, start begging people to watch cheesy holiday movies with me, and go full court press with the Holiday tunes.

Speaking of... My favorites this year are Michael Buble's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Justin Beiber's Mistletoe, with Ellen of course. 

With the days until Christmas diminishing, all of the Christmas shopping has begun to get CRAZY. I love Christmas shopping! Well, I love any shopping, but it is always fun to try and find great things for the people you love with the excitement of getting to see them open it! If you are still looking for great things to give your friends and family, consider giving them the gift of health. Think about it, good health is something that we want most for ourselves and for all of the people that we love, so why not make your gifts healthy ones this year!

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 Tip#10: Give the gift of health!

Here are some great options of healthy gifts that you can give to inspire the people you love!!

- new workout clothing
(shoes, running socks, tanks, etc.)

How cute are these Nike Tempo Shorts? Yes please. 

- running /workout accessories
(Garmin, HR monitor, exerspy, headbands, a water belt, a new gym bag, lifting gloves, a jogging stroller)

Remember my Bondi Band?These headbands are awesome to workout out in, and would make a great gift. I absolutely love mine!

- a pass to your local gym, a punch card for fitness classes, or sessions with a personal trainer
- MUSIC!!
(an iPod, headphones, a gift card for music)
- a set of free weights for home
- a TRX trainer
- a medicine ball
- a jump rope
- a massage 
- a gift certificate to a health foods store
- healthy cooking items (Here is a list of my kitchen favorites if you are looking for good gifts for healthy cooking gadgets!)
- health books/magazines/dvds
- gift cards to healthy restaurants 

Some great gifts for neighbors/teachers/friends may be...
- fruit baskets
- nuts
- whole grain breads with fresh jam
- books
- gift cards

Hopefully these ideas helped a bit! What are the healthy gifts that you are giving or asking for this holiday season?

Click HERE to read all of the healthy holiday tips for this Christmas Season!

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 9

Food. Food. Food. I know I've already brought up the fact that food seems to be within six inches of your reach at all moments during the month of December. I'm sure you can relate to the feeling of ending your evening feeling like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey. For the record, I HATE that feeling, and yet it still happens from time to time. Sometimes feeling stuffed like that at night can lead to waking up the next morning feeling full and gross. There is one thing that always makes me feel better when this happens.

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 Tip #9: Drink LOTS of water.

One thing I always tell my clients is to aim to drink 100 oz of water a day. I know it seems like a lot, but it is totally possible, and it will help. It will help to flush your system, keep you full so you don't eat a ton of junk, and is a great natural detox. A great signification that you are getting enough water is the color of your urine. Sounds gross...BUT...it should look light yellow, not dark. Drinking a lot of water can also help clear your skin and it will just make you feel better. Take the 100 oz challenge! See if you can get your water in everyday!


Are you a water drinker? Do you have to make a conscious effort to get your water in or do you drink a lot of water anyways?

Click HERE to read the rest of the Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 8

This one is a no-brainer, and it may be my favorite tip of them all. Today was an awesome day that I was able to spend with the people I love the most...my family in this beautiful place. 

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 Tip # 8: Spend a lot of time with the people you love.

Unhappy leads to unhealthy, and I know I am the happiest when I am able to spend time with my family and friends. I have so many great people in my life that mean so much to me.

 I think most of you would agree that a large part of health comes from happiness and love, both of which are emotions that come when you are surrounded by those who love the most.

So BE SURE to make time in your busy holiday schedules to enjoy those individuals who you have in your life. It really is what matters most in life.  Don't you agree?

Do you have fun holiday plans with family and friends for the month? I sure hope so! I can't wait for the majority of my family to head to Arizona for a fun Christmas celebration.

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 7

One of the hardest things about the holiday season is the ginormous abundance of holiday sweets. I swear they turn up in every possible place. At home on the doorstep, at work, in sample form at the grocery store....EVERYWHERE. So...in order to avoid eating every possible treat in sight, make your holiday treats healthier this year!

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 Tip #7: Make your holiday treats HEALTHY ones. 

There are always a lot of parties, and most of them are oozing at the seems with treats. It can be difficult to go to all the shin digs you are invited to and keep up the will power. If you can do it...awesome. HOWEVER, there are some ways that you can stop yourself from overindulging and not feel like you are completely deprived. My solution...bring your own holiday treat, and make it a healthy one! If you bring a healthy contribution to a party you will have something there that you know you can eat and I can assure you...other people will appreciate it. These can make great neighbor/teacher/co-worker/friend gifts as well!

One of my FAVORITE treats (any time of year) are my low-fat zucchini cookies.

Cinnamon Almonds

Homemade Cinnamon Applesacue

or even some Dancing Blondies.

Some other great options to bring to a party are...fresh fruit, veggies and dip, or even a great healthy salad!

What is your favorite healthy treat options? Do you feel like you are completely surrounded by junk? If so, how do you avoid overindulging?

Click HERE to read the rest of Decembers Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 6

Efficiency is a HUGE thing for me at the gym. You will not see me hanging out at the gym shooting the breeze whomever will chat with me and taking fifteen minute rests between sets. I think I'd go crazy if I did so actually. I like to get to the gym, workout, and get home. I love working out, and sometimes a good long workout is like medicine for my soul. However, I'm all about doing whatever I can to maximize my workout time and get the most bang for my caloric bucks (and my time of course.) During the holiday season, finding time to workout can be tough,  but it is doable. When you do find that time you don't want to waste it lallygagging around the gym. You want to make sure you are getting in, and getting it done as efficiently as possible.

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 Tip #6: Make Your Workouts Count.

Trying to get a quick workout in doesn't have to mean you don't work up a good sweat and burn a ton of calories. You can definitely do both! My longtime readers know I am a HUGE fan of circuit training and HIIT. It is the best thing you can do for fat loss, it's a great calorie burner, and it is a great way to keep your workouts interesting. I have posted a ton of circuit training workouts and a lot of info on interval training as well. If you are looking for a good way to get in a good sweat and burn a ton of calories while doing so try some of these workouts out!

I did a great full body circuit yesterday that went a little something like this...

10 minute warm up on the treadmill
15 assisted pullups
24 alternating rows with a deep lunge (12 on each side/20 lb DB)
15 squats with a curl (20 lb DB's)
2 minute sprint 
(repeat 3 times)


20 single leg squat to walking lunges with 2 push ups at the bottom (I may have to show these sometimes soon. They are KILLER.) Twenty feels like 300.
15 Overhead tricep presses
2 minute sprint
(repeat 3 times)

20 minute set of intervals in the elliptical
Finish with wiping off your sweat. Cause you'll need to... 

Side note...Tonight my sister Linds arrived for a little weekend visit. I have missed her SO much since she moved with her fam to Austin, and I was thrilled to see her! She has been my little pseudo mother most of the time I've been in Provo because my parents moved to Arizona. We headed straight to Yogurtland after her arrival, and I can tell you one thing. Me + My fam + frozen yogurt = happiness. 

Please excuse the crappy blackberry photo...sometimes you have to take what you can get!

Are you a fan of circuit training? If you haven't tried it you most definitely should! I do a lot of HIIT with my clients and it gets results!

Click HERE to catch up on all of this months Healthy Holiday Tips