Fitness Friday: How to Not Go TOO Crazy Over the Holidays

   The holiday season is officially upon us!  I hope everyone had a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving Day.

   As someone who has zero willpower, I know how easy it can be to overindulge over the holiday season.  I myself am usually the first to overindulge.  However, a big birthday is looming right after Christmas as well as a hot little dress I have my eye on, so this season will not be an overindulgent one for me.

Here are some tips and tricks that I'm going to make myself follow this holiday season:

*Don't starve yourself prior to an event

I used to subscribe to the idea that if I starve myself before a big event than I would be able to enjoy myself at the event.  Well, this plan usually backfires as I'm SO famished that I end up over doing it.  If you are going to an event where you know you will be eating a lot or drinking a lot, make sure you have a well balanced breakfast or lunch and to include some protein and lots of water.

*Have one "good thing" for every one "bad thing"

Finger foods are my absolute weakness.  At a party I usually skip the veggie platter and go right for the cheeses and fun stuff.  No more of that.  For every finger food I take, I'm stocking up on a veggie.  This way even if I'm eating a lot of crap, I can still know that I got a good dose of vitamins and minerals.

*Try a little bit of everything, instead of a lot of one thing

I can sit and have a meal of pasta anytime I want, but this is the time to try a little bit of everything that a party has to offer.  Trying a little bit of everything turns into a meal and you won't be overindulging on one fatty meal.

*Drink a large glass of water for every alcoholic drink

I'm queen of the hangover, which is not a title that I want to have.  If I have more than one drink I am almost guaranteed at least a headache the next day.  If I really go for it, I wake up the next day sick as a dog and with a raging fever.  Do I think a drink of water between boozy drinks will keep my hangover at bay? No, but it may help!

*Know when to say no

While my taste buds have matured quite a bit over the last few years, I am still incredibly picky.  If there's something I know I don't like or have no interest in trying, I am just going to politely say no.

*Throw in some active dates

It's the season to get together with friends and loved ones, but who says these get togethers have to involve dinner and drinks?  Why not get together and try a fitness class?  Or walk around the mall and get some steps and shopping in?  Even getting together and wrapping gifts or going for a wintery walk is better and healthier than the typical drinks and dinner.

*Don't forget your exercise routine

Things may be a bit more active for you this time of year, but it's not the time to forget about your exercise routine.  Everyone can squeeze in a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity a day.  If you find yourself too swamped in the evening, make time for it by waking up a bit earlier.  I know it's a pain in the ass, but it will help you in the long run.

*Try some healthy swaps

I know it's definitely the time for baking, so check out some of these healthier substitutions to use in your baking.  It won't make your cookies healthy, but any little difference in something you are going to eat anyway can definitely help.

Here are just SOME of the healthy holiday tips that I will be forcing myself to follow this year.

Do you have any tips or tricks on how to avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain? 

Please comment below!

 ***

Fitspiration: The Real Skinny Book Review

    I love heading to my local library to check out the newest health, diet and fitness books.  It's a great way to look into a lot of different nutrition plans and fitness routines without having to pay for the book.
   A few weeks I picked up, The Real Skinny: 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions.

I began reading this book as soon as I got home from the library and I really enjoyed it.  I really liked the formatting of this book.  It was written by stating 101 of the most popular "excuses" against losing weight.  Things like: I'm big boned, Healthy cooking doesn't taste as good, I'm too busy.  After the excuses, the book provides simple (albeit common sense) tips on how to fight those excuses.  

Some of the excuses and tips that I took notes on were:

* I can't live without my diet coke

*I'm always hungry

*Happy Hour is my favorite hour

At the end of the book a nutrition plan was included, along with some really great recipes.  The nutrition plan consists of 1,600 calories a day and:

-6 servings of grains (mainly whole grains)

-2 servings of fruit

- at least 4 servings of vegetables

- 2 servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy

- 7 servings of lean protein

-5 servings of healthy fats

A lot of the information in the book was common sense or commonly known if you read any fitness magazines or fitblogs regularly, but it is a good book to have on your bookshelf when you need inspiration.  I can't tell you how many times I've used at least 5-6 of the excuses in the book.  If I never use one of those excuses, I could just flip to that page and get the advice on how to break that excuse.

Any diet books you guys can recommend that are written in more of a "quick tip" format?  I really enjoy those!

Fitspiration Review: The Eat Clean Diet Recharged

   I think everyone's New Year's Resolution is to be a healthier individual.  This year I've actually been able to make that positive change in my life.  For the first time in my life I have an exercise routine that involves working out on most days (I even wake up a half hour earlier to squeeze in a mini morning work out) and have been eating healthier than I ever have.
  Now don't get me wrong, my diet still needs A LOT of help, but I've made significant progress in eating healthier and consuming less calories on a regular basis.  As I started doing research on changing my dietary habits the term "Clean Eating" kept coming up.  After doing some further research on Clean Eating I was introduced to Tosca Reno.
  Tosca Reno is a clean eating activist and author.  She has published quite a few books on the topic and her website is an amazing resource (and free!).
   I purchased one of her books, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, from Amazon and have read it cover and to cover and refer to it quite frequently.




Here's my review on her book and on her take of the Clean Eating Lifestyle.

-Tosca is all about the eating more frequently trend.  Mini-meals as opposed to the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner is a core principle of Clean Eating.  (My lifestyle at the moment just doesn't cater to this idea)

-Her take on clean eating I find to be very strict.  For instance, I just can't take my coffee black every day and I'm not going to purchase bee pollen to use in my cereals.

-The structured eating plans provided in the back of the book are super helpful.  It gives you a breakdown of the size of meals you should be eating if you are able to follow the mini meal plan.  If you aren't able to, it still is able to give you A LOT of ideas of what a clean eating day looks like.

-There are a lot of helpful tips throughout the book- which foods are important to buy organic, restaurant survival guides, how to incorporate super foods into your everyday diet and how certain foods can help in our physical appearance.

Would I recommend the book?: I wouldn't purchase this book, maybe borrow it from the library.  I've browsed through the cheaper version, The Clean Eating Diet: Just the Rules and I wish that was the book I would've purchased as it's just a condensed version of my book.  If you don't want to read her book I would SERIOUSLY recommend her website.  The site is amazing and has some fabulous recipes.

Would I recommend the clean eating lifestyle?: I have definitely implemented some of the principals of clean eating into my every day life.  I eat a considerable more amount of whole foods (foods from the earth) and make a conscientious effort to look more into what goes into my food.  I just find it super difficult to follow the lifestyle strictly as I love me some Starbucks and Reeses!

I LOVE reading books on fitness, nutrition, health, etc.  Any recommendations?