Stay in Shape This Holiday Season

With the holidays in tow and New Year’s right around the corner, these next few days can still be very challenging. However, you don’t have to wait until January to begin making things right and getting back on track. Here are some tips that will help you to continue to enjoy your holiday to the fullest while not increasing your waistline.

1. Don’t Skip Meals

Eat a light, healthy meal a few hours before any holiday event. We often have the mentality of “saving” our calories so we can splurge on that special meal, but it can often backfire. If you go most of the day without eating, you will be more likely to overeat and choose unhealthy options. A great filling meal that will hold you over until your event should include both protein and fiber for extra staying power.

2. Choose Wisely

When you first arrive at a holiday event that provides food, scan your options first before digging in. If you plan to indulge, choose items that are only prepared on these special occasions but be sure to limit the portion. Also, don’t skimp on the fruits and vegetables–these will help you feel full and keep you from overeating the less healthy options.

3. Pay Attention

It is easy to overeat at holiday gatherings since there is usually a variety of foods. Eat slowly and listen to your hunger cues. If you are truly not hungry, avoid second helpings.

4. Limit Liquid Calories

To help keep your liquid calories in check, alternate water and an alcoholic or sweetened beverage. You will be sure to stay hydrated and not go overboard on the calories. Wine is a good option that can be sipped. If you are looking for a mixed drink, vodka, lime, and seltzer water is another great low-calorie option. Always choose the lighter alcohol over the darker ones as they have less calories.

5. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Whether it is leftover holiday cookies or a cheesy casserole brought over by your aunt, keep in mind the saying “out of sight, out of mind.” If these items are accessible to you, it makes you more likely to choose them. Limiting treats and unhealthy leftovers at home is a great way to maintain your weight during the holidays. You can always donate the food or bring it to work for others to have.

6. Come Prepared

When trying to eat healthy around the holidays, it can be difficult to avoid the many temptations. If you are attending a potluck, take a low calorie dish so that you have at least one healthy choice. Good options include a vegetable platter, fruit platter, hummus, black bean dip, or air-popped popcorn with a sprinkle of your favorite seasoning.

7. Stay Active

With cooler temperatures outside, it might be more difficult to get outside and be active. Try to incorporate time with family and friends by looking into an activity you can all enjoy. Holiday-themed races over the season are a big hit among many. Just keep moving and getting your steps in and find things you enjoy doing!

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Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling This Holiday Season

With the holidays here, you may be gearing up for a vacation with family or friends. But that doesn’t mean you should stop eating nutritiously or getting regular exercise! With some planning and preparation ahead of time, you can stay on track with your weight-loss goals and still enjoy your getaway. Before you get going, add these tips to your travel checklist.

Fuel up on a healthy meal before you leave
When you eat a wholesome meal before you start your trip, you’ll be less tempted to buy a bag of potato chips or a candy bar along the way. If you’re traveling in the morning, make sure you eat a nutritious, filling breakfast. If you’re leaving in the afternoon or evening, pack easy to take sandwiches with you on the plane before you go or in a small cooler for the car.

Traveling can play havoc with your meal plan and cause you to make impulsive food choices. To keep cravings for sugars and refined starches at bay, it’s important not to skip meals or snacks. Some healthy snacks that you can bring from home are individual hummus cups with celery sticks, bell peppers, and carrots, hard-boiled eggs, fat-free or low-fat yogurt with nuts, air popped popcorn, Vitatops, Quest or Kashi bars, fresh fruits, and lean reduced-sodium ham or turkey slices and reduced-fat cheese slices roll-ups.

Buy healthy ready-to-eat foods on the road.
If you don’t have time to prepare healthy snacks or meals before a car trip, look for assorted dry-roasted nut mixes, part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks, whole-wheat wraps made with lean chicken and turkey breast and reduced-fat cheese, canned fruit packed in natural juices, air-popped popcorn or turkey jerky. Be sure to store items that need refrigeration in a cooler in your car and later in the mini-fridge where you’re staying.

Make time to exercise
Whether you’re sightseeing, skiing, or cruising in the Caribbean, be sure to squeeze in a workout when you can. Many major hotel and motel chains now have gyms, while cruise lines offer workout rooms and a wide variety of classes. You can also exercise in your room (pack portable exercise bands or your own workout Beachbody DVDs).

Be choosy when dining out
When you’re on vacation, chances are you’ll be dining out often. Before you head out, do some research on nearby restaurants that offer the healthiest options. Be sure to read over the descriptions of the dishes that you are considering on the menu and don’t be afraid to ask the server how a dish is prepared. Ask to have salad dressings and sauces on the side; skip the bread basket; substitute steamed vegetables for white potatoes or white rice; opt for grilled, sautéed, or baked items over fried foods; and ask if the chef would be willing to prepare your meal without butter, using extra-virgin olive oil instead. Remember, everything in moderation! Be safe and have fun!

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Change Your Mental Mindset

Your mind controls your body. If your mind is positive, you will be positive, being positive or negative is a choice. Here are some helpful tips that will help change your mental mindset.

1.) Recognize your limits and your strength. Nobody is a jack-of-all- trades. There are things you will without a doubt do well and then there are other things that you won’t do so well and that’s okay. Recognize the areas where you are strong and focus on that.

2.) Change your environment. A neat, clean, organize place or area does wonders for the mind. Creativity flows easily. Create yourself an environment that allows for your mind to be at ease and you at best.

3.) Overcome inhibitors- inhibitors can come in many forms, it can be in the form of substances, food or even people. Whatever is hindering you, bringing you down or holding you back from moving forward seek to eliminate it. Set yourself up for success not failure.

4.) Implement assesses . Execute a plan of action and develop your talent. (hint: everybody on the planet has a talent in something) Have a solution in terms of goals and objectives and incorporate your talents to uniquely get it done.

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Maintain Willpower

Here are some tips to help you foster and maintain the willpower you’ll need to achieve the fitness goals you’ve just set for yourself, especially when no one else around you seems willing to lend a hand.

1. Take time to explain. If you’re frustrated that those around you aren’t more supportive, or don’t understand why you’re doing this, it’s possible that you need to be clearer about your new plans to get fit. Take the time to explain to family and friends that this isn’t just a fad or a flimsy excuse to avoid hanging out with them. Showing that you’ve got a fitness goal in mind, and a well-thought-out way to achieve it will not only help them understand you’re really serious about it; it’ll also help reinforce it in your own mind, helping you stay focused on what you really want.

Besides, once you’ve told the important people in your life what you’re up to, you might be happily surprised to find out that a couple of them might actually want to join you. They can be an instant buddy system for keeping that willpower focused and motivated!

2. If you must eat, drink and be merry, at least make it healthy! OK, so maybe not everyone’s idea of a fun time is doing a workout with you or going on a rigorous hike. And let’s face it: Big, communal meals are always going to be a popular way for loved ones to gather together. So how about going to a restaurant that serves healthier choices, or offering to help out in the kitchen for a home-cooked meal by introducing ingredients and recipes that are both more nutritious and perfectly delicious to boot? It’s easier to have the willpower to stay focused on your goals when you make sure healthy choices are readily available.

3. Don’t forget portion control. Even when you do successfully make the switch to healthier foods, eating huge amounts of them won’t help slim down your waistline. A few great tricks for cutting down the amount you eat? Leave the last bite or two unfinished. Never go back for seconds. And if you have a drink, sip it slowly, and alternate with water! Believe it or not, you’ll still feel full and satisfied without bursting at the seams. Remember, you simply can’t get magically fit by eating too much and doing all the same old things, no matter how tempting it may be.

4. Give yourself a day off and a well-deserved pat on the back! So you managed to make it through the day or week resisting all these outside forces, and you’ve stuck to your guns. (And your fitness program!) You finally get some alone time, only to feel like you’re ready to give in to all of your old ways. Don’t do it! But do treat yourself to a relaxing massage or a yoga session instead of a vigorous workout if you like. Congratulate yourself on sticking to a serious fitness plan in the face of constant pitfalls. And thank your loved ones who have learned to support and even join you in your new quest for a fit and healthy lifestyle.

Yes, willpower comes from within, but learning how you can inspire your loved ones to help you in your journey to a fitter, healthier lifestyle proves the old adage that what goes around comes around. Letting everyone around you know that you really want to make your fitness plan work, and that you’d really appreciate their support as you do it, makes it easier both for you to stick to it and for them to help you stick to it. It only makes your willpower—and you—grow stronger.

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Mindless Munching Strategies

Here are a few tips to help you out when you are bored and tend to want to snack:

Try doing an activity that will keep your hands busy.

Take up knitting, paint your nails… anything!

Better yet, get out of the house; go someplace where a pantry full of food won’t be staring at you.

Take a walk with a pal, go window-shopping at the mall (but stay out of the food court!), or hit the park with that book you’ve been meaning to read.

Brush your teeth, rinse with mouthwash, or pop a piece of sugar-free mint gum. Those chips and cookies will be a lot less appealing when you’ve got a minty-fresh mouth!

Quench your thirst. Sipping on something could distract you from feeling like you wanna eat. Go for sugar-free iced tea, an iced coffee (stick with guilt-free add-ins!), or plain old H2O… with lots of crushed ice!

Gotta chomp on something? Sugar-free hard candies and lollipops will keep your mouth busy for a while without racking up too many calories.

If you want something more “snacky,” 94% fat-free popcorn is a good choice, with just about 20 calories per cup. And keep cut veggies and salsa in the fridge at all times.

Don’t keep your trigger foods on hand. If you know that certain foods are triggers for you, meaning they typically send you into an eating frenzy, try to avoid buying them in the first place — out of sight, out of mind (and mouth). At the very least, look for pre-portioned options. It’s a lot easier to stop after one 100-calorie pack of cookies than it is to stop when you eat straight from a big box or bag.

Last but not least? Keep a food journal or use your smart phone to track your food. If you hold yourself accountable for all that extra snacking, you might become a lot less likely to mindlessly munch. Try it! Good luck…

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Need a Motivation Makeover?

Take baby steps. Ever start a diet or workout routine with the enthusiasm of a late-night infomercial host only to have your motivation disappear in no time flat like a canceled sitcom? You’re not alone. Research shows that many weight-loss plans fall by the wayside within two weeks; however, stick it out for a month and your odds of success are much greater. Doing something for at least 21 days creates new habits and you are more likely to stick with the new behavior.

Small changes first. Make small, steady progress toward your ultimate goal during the first week. Aim to make one tweak a day: Add a new fruit to breakfast, skip your before-dinner cocktail, take a walk after lunch, do whatever you can to nudge your weight down. Once you adjust to these new habits, it will be easier to add more ambitious exercise and diet changes as the month goes on.

Don’t waste your willpower. Avoid situations that present temptations. Plan to have dinner at home instead of at restaurants; don’t walk by the doughnut shop on your way to work. And squeeze in a workout first thing in the morning, before your motivation runs out.

Talk in positive, bold statements to yourself. Saying you “should” do something, like exercise, immediately implies that you feel the activity is a burden. Instead, replace should with want in your vocabulary. By telling yourself that you want to work out today, you’ll get into the right mind-set.

Do the write thing. You’ve heard that jotting down your weight-loss goals makes them more likely to stick. The very act reinforces them in your mind. Use your smartphone with a free app like Lose It or My Fitness Pal to make it easy.

Downsize your sweet tooth. Adjust your palate by reducing sweets to only 10 percent of your caloric intake. Giving up too much makes you feel deprived. By gradually cutting back on sweets, you’ll eventually stop craving them.

Work it out. Exercise eases stress and distracts you from thinking about food.

Public accountability. Post daily in social media what you are doing to let others know. The pressure will keep you on track: If you cheat or stop exercising, you let down your followers as well as yourself.

Find fit friends. Enlist a friend or weight loss coach, such as myself, so that you have someone to keep you accountable and share your struggles with. It is someone to check in with every few days to see how your workouts and eating are going.

Think back. List all the changes you’ve made in the previous weeks once you start and star the ones that have been easiest to maintain. Modify any changes that are proving difficult for now and keep only the ones you can live with permanently.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. Start a group locally or online to connect with others

Plan for real life. Slip-ups are inevitable; it’s how you respond that matters. Don’t beat yourself up . Set up a plan B to fall back on.

Believe in yourself. When you strongly believe in your ability to succeed, you are most likely to stay on track. So leave your no-can-do attitude in the dust and hit the road to a better body for life.

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Maintain Willpower

Here are some tips to help you foster and maintain the willpower you’ll need to achieve the fitness goals you’ve just set for yourself, especially when no one else around you seems willing to lend a hand.

1. Take time to explain. If you’re frustrated that those around you aren’t more supportive, or don’t understand why you’re doing this, it’s possible that you need to be clearer about your new plans to get fit. Take the time to explain to family and friends that this isn’t just a fad or a flimsy excuse to avoid hanging out with them. Showing that you’ve got a fitness goal in mind, and a well-thought-out way to achieve it will not only help them understand you’re really serious about it; it’ll also help reinforce it in your own mind, helping you stay focused on what you really want.

Besides, once you’ve told the important people in your life what you’re up to, you might be happily surprised to find out that a couple of them might actually want to join you. They can be an instant buddy system for keeping that willpower focused and motivated!

2. If you must eat, drink and be merry, at least make it healthy! OK, so maybe not everyone’s idea of a fun time is doing a workout with you or going on a rigorous hike. And let’s face it: Big, communal meals are always going to be a popular way for loved ones to gather together. So how about going to a restaurant that serves healthier choices, or offering to help out in the kitchen for a home-cooked meal by introducing ingredients and recipes that are both more nutritious and perfectly delicious to boot? It’s easier to have the willpower to stay focused on your goals when you make sure healthy choices are readily available.

3. Don’t forget portion control. Even when you do successfully make the switch to healthier foods, eating huge amounts of them won’t help slim down your waistline. A few great tricks for cutting down the amount you eat? Leave the last bite or two unfinished. Never go back for seconds. And if you have a drink, sip it slowly, and alternate with water! Believe it or not, you’ll still feel full and satisfied without bursting at the seams. Remember, you simply can’t get magically fit by eating too much and doing all the same old things, no matter how tempting it may be.

4. Give yourself a day off and a well-deserved pat on the back! So you managed to make it through the day or week resisting all these outside forces, and you’ve stuck to your guns. (And your fitness program!) You finally get some alone time, only to feel like you’re ready to give in to all of your old ways. Don’t do it! But do treat yourself to a relaxing massage or a yoga session instead of a vigorous workout if you like. Congratulate yourself on sticking to a serious fitness plan in the face of constant pitfalls. And thank your loved ones who have learned to support and even join you in your new quest for a fit and healthy lifestyle.

Yes, willpower comes from within, but learning how you can inspire your loved ones to help you in your journey to a fitter, healthier lifestyle proves the old adage that what goes around comes around. Letting everyone around you know that you really want to make your fitness plan work, and that you’d really appreciate their support as you do it, makes it easier both for you to stick to it and for them to help you stick to it. It only makes your willpower—and you—grow stronger.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/michelevaron
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http://www.uftbiz.com/michelevaron – Interested in a home based business? Learn more about Beachbody coaching and helping others stay motivated and accountable to reach their goals while you are also reaching yours!

Unhealthy Things You May Be Doing Every Day

Think you’re aware of all of your bad habits? Everyday millions of people are unwittingly affecting their health with the little choices they make. Here are the top offenders–are you guilty of any of these?

1. Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation puts your body under stress and disrupts the regulation and release of many regulatory hormones. Research shows the less someone sleeps, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese and crave higher calorie foods. Those who sleep five hours or less are more likely to become obese than those who sleep seven hours or more a night. The optimal amount of sleep needed to perform adequately, avoid sleep debt, and not have problems…during the day is about 7-8 hours for adults.

2. Too Much Screen Time

Whether it’s your computer, phone, television, or some other screen–using it more than two hours a day can lead to weight problems, and more than four hours a day increases the risk of various diseases. Get active when you have to use screen time (like using a sit/stand work station). At home, talk to your family about the importance of reducing screen time and work together to find other activities that don’t require a screen.

3. Skipping Meals

If you skip meals because you don’t have time or you want to reduce your total calories during the day, you’re making a big mistake. Skipping meals will likely make you feel hungrier and cause you to eat more than you normally would at your next meal. Skipping breakfast, in particular has been linked to obesity.
Be sure to eat balanced meals or snacks every four to five hours to keep your appetite at bay and your metabolism revved. Consider Shakeology as a simple way to start your day and something to grab quickly for lunch with all the nutrients your body needs for the day! Check it out at http://www.shakeology.com/michelevaron (message me for questions)

4. Drinking Your Calories

If the majority of your drinks contain some sort of added sugar (sports drinks, sodas, fruit punch, or specialty coffees or teas), you are consuming calories that have no nutritional value or filling affect, not to mention all of the added sugars Consider herbal teas or making your own fruit-infused water if you need a little extra flavor.

5. Not Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Make an effort to include one fruit and vegetable serving in at least two of your meals every day. Not a big fan? Again, consider Shakeology as a way to get all of your fruits and vegetables in for the day – over 9 servings plus tons of superfoods and the shake tastes amazing (4 flavors to choose from).

6. Sitting All Day

Whether you work, commute, and/or go to school, you are likely sitting all day. Sitting greatly reduces muscle contractions and slows the metabolism. This lowers calorie burn, and increases storage of unused energy to fat. Take a few minutes every hour to get up and move around. Breaking up sitting time with short bursts of activity is associated with various health benefits.

7. Not Exercising

Exercise gets the blood pumping, increases “good” cholesterol, strengthens bones and muscles, and reduces the risk for various health problems like type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Without exercise, you are at greater risk for disease. Additionally you may experience low energy, stiff joints, poor circulation, and difficulty performing physical work. Need some recommendations based on your goals? I would be happy to help you out! You can get a workout in for as little as 10 minutes a day – now you can do that!

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Snacks with Crunch

Craving something crunchy? Give up the chips, and go for a healthier choice, like nuts, seeds, or raw veggies. Here are some snack suggestions that pack a crunch!

• Raw veggies — including green or red bell peppers, cauliflower and broccoli florets, or jícama sticks. Serve with reduced-fat cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt, or a bean-based dip.
• Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons natural no-sugar-added peanut butter
• Soy nuts or dry-roasted edamame
• Almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, dry-roasted peanuts, or other nuts
• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Carrot sticks with 2 ounces of hummus
• Whole-grain crackers (3 g or more fiber per ounce) with a spreadable cheese wedge
• High-fiber, low-sugar, whole-grain cereal (choose a low-sugar brand with 5 g or more fiber per serving)
• Air-popped or microwavable popcorn
• Apple or pear slices
• Frozen grapes
• Toasted whole-wheat pita bread (choose varieties with 3 g fiber per pita), cut into triangles; enjoy with an individual container of hummus
• Toasted whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas or wraps, cut into triangles; serve with salsa or a bean-based dip
• Dark-chocolate-covered soynuts, dark-chocolate-covered sunflower seeds or bananas

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Top Snack Ideas with Crunch

Craving something crunchy? Give up the chips, and go for a healthier choice, like nuts, seeds, or raw veggies. Here are some snack suggestions that pack a crunch!

• Raw veggies — including green or red bell peppers, cauliflower and broccoli florets, or jícama sticks. Serve with reduced-fat cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt, or a bean-based dip.
• Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons natural no-sugar-added peanut butter
• Soy nuts or dry-roasted edamame
• Almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, dry-roasted peanuts, or other nuts
• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Carrot sticks with 2 ounces of hummus
• Whole-grain crackers (3 g or more fiber per ounce) with a spreadable cheese wedge
• High-fiber, low-sugar, whole-grain cereal (choose a low-sugar brand with 5 g or more fiber per serving)
• Air-popped or microwavable popcorn
• Apple or pear slices
• Frozen grapes
• Toasted whole-wheat pita bread (choose varieties with 3 g fiber per pita), cut into triangles; enjoy with an individual container of hummus
• Toasted whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas or wraps, cut into triangles; serve with salsa or a bean-based dip
• Dark-chocolate-covered soynuts, dark-chocolate-covered sunflower seeds or bananas

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