Staying on Track {Giveaway}
*******This giveaway has already ended. Stay tuned for more!
Hey everyone! How was your day?
I was blown away by all of your awesome comments and sweet compliments on the Zumba videos. Even though it’s a little more challenging than it usually is, I still love teaching so.so much. Dancing makes me happy and is one of the few things that feels good right now, so I’m sticking with it as long as I can. Maybe I can plan some “let’s take a Zumba class” meet-ups when I get back into the traveling thing 🙂
Last night, while nana, madre and I were shopping, I couldn’t believe that all of the Christmas decor was already up. It’s like retail skips right past Halloween into Christmas, which I love, but it just seems so early this year. Just another excuse to get the tree up before Thanksgiving, eh?
[Our 2009 tree]
Holidays are definitely already on the brain for many people, and it was the topic for this morning’s conference call.
After I posted this morning’s post, I hopped on a video conference with the Shape Magazine Senior Associate Lifestyle Editor. The funny thing is that I woke up a little earlier so I could brush my hair and look semi-human, but we could just see and hear her, no one else could see us.
The funny thing is that if I would have zombie-d it, it would have been set up where everyone else could see me. Isn’t that how it always works out?
Anyway,
the video chat was fantastic. The speaker was Bahar Takhtehchian, and she discussed her favorite tips for staying on track during the holidays. She was a joy to listen to, but I couldn’t help but think “I’ve heard all of these tips before. I hope she shares a secret awesome trick I can share with my readers.” But the truth is, the methods to staying on track during the holidays are really all things we’ve heard before. Just like healthy living in general: the idea behind it is simple, but the execution is where it can get tricky.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the things she discussed, along with my own tips in brackets:
-You can still enjoy the holidays while maintaining your fitness and health accomplishments- treats are ok! [I am a huge believer in treating yourself! The only time we can run into challenges is when we tend to celebrate holidays over and over and over again. If it’s Thanksgiving, live it up- but after that holiday, get back into the usual swing of things]
-Make important choices during the day. Enjoy a satisfying breakfast with a combo of whole grains and protein- choose foods that will fill you up and keep snacking at bay. As far as lunch goes, choose something like salad, broth-based soups, salad, whole-grain sandwich (hummus or avocado instead of mayo), and keep lunch lighter since those who are at work are unable to nap after lunch and digest a large amount of food. [I also like to enjoy something healthy before going out to a party, such as some soup or a large salad. This way, I know that I’ve had some veggies and nutrients before the party, and don’t arrive ready to stuff the buffet table into my face]
-Go for healthy snacks, as they keep blood sugar stable and rev the metabolism. Some good choices: fruits, nuts and yogurt. [Amazeballs, egg puffs, smoothies, small salads, veggies and hummus, banana or apple + almond butter, deli meat or tempeh rolled up with some goat cream cheese, Larabars]
-Aim to get enough fiber. Women need 25g per day and men need 38g. Not only does it help with satiety, it can help to prevent disease.
-Stay hydrated (avoid caffeine since it has a dehydrating effect, and we can easily mistake thirst for hunger). Take H2O in a bottle with you, or flavor it with some lemon zest [I also like to add fresh berries, cucumber, mint, or orange slices to add some flavor]
-Keep moving! Use the mall for cardio, walk and chat with a friend (extremely beneficial in such a technology-focused environment), find a class you love (an instructor who inspires you, amazing music make all the difference), work out with a buddy who will motivate you to reach your goals, make small changes.
-Choose wisely and don’t overdo it.
When it comes to the holidays, I really think it’s important to remove pressure from yourself as far as working out and eating perfectly. The holidays aren’t a time to go on a crazy diet or set some lofty fitness goals- it’s a time to kick back, relax and enjoy family, friends and the season. I think that it’s much easier to stick to what you want to achieve when you’re willing to cut yourself some slack. Enjoy dessert, just don’t enjoy it every single day at every chance you get –treats are everywhere, from now until New Year’s. I’ll usually go for the ones that are really *worth it* like my nana’s Bundt cake, or my other nana’s Thanksgiving pies. If it came from a factory, it’s not worth it to me.
[Thanksgiving table of dessert justice]
As far as cocktails go, I don’t really have to worry about that this year, but usually I’ll go for something clear with club soda, a beautiful cocktail or fancy pants glass of wine and savor it.
As far as fitness goes, if you’re running short on time, go for a quick and effective workout. HIIT is one of my faves- 20 minutes and you’ll torch a ton of calories and have a higher afterburn effect throughout the rest of the day. For weights, choose compound movements that work more than one muscle group at a time (like lunges with a bicep curl or overhead press).
Definitely look for the forest, not the trees, and in the grand scheme of things, if you’re *mostly* sticking to your usual habits, a few extras here and there are NBD.
What holiday meal/treat are you most looking forward to? What’s one of your tips for staying on track during the holiday season?
I cannot wait for Thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce, stuffing and pie… and I’m drooling.
When you leave a comment, you’ll be entered to win an amazing prize pack from Shape magazine:
-a one-year subscription to Shape magazine
-a yoga mat
-a stability ball
-a pedometer
-box of Fiber One Brownies
See ya in the morning with 10 Ways to Make November Gnarly <— help me with this title? haha
xoxo
Gina
**************************This giveaway has ended as of 11/3 12:01 AM EST. Stay tuned for more fun giveaways in the near future!
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Hi Gina! I recently found your blog and I really love it; I actually went back and started reading from the beginning (as well as reading your current posts) and I’m up to May 2009 now, I just can’t stop reading! You’re really an inspiration and so motivating to me 🙂
The holiday treat I’m most looking forward to is eggnog. I’m a huge fan of seasonal foods because I think it’s so much more enjoyable to savor something when it’s only available at a certain time of the year – definitely something to look forward to. One of my tips for staying on track during the holiday season is to simply change up my routine. I’m in law school now, so my schedule is super crazy – winter break is a great time to catch up on sleep, and do fun and active things like go ice skating or take a walk outside with family and friends.
I can’t wait for all the veggie dishes during Thanksgiving especially asparagus. 🙂
That dessert table looks AMAZING!! Must.Have.Homemade.Desserts! haha!! LOVE magazines, and I love yummy healthy snacks! To stay healthy during the winter, I try to drink a LOT of water so it always helps to feel “full” before indulging!
I like to *alter* favorite holiday recipes and make them a little more healthy – usually without telling everyone that is enjoying them. Whether its less processed, lower cholesterol or just has fewer calories, its my little secret santa gift to everyone at the party. 🙂
The tip of indulging when it really counts. If you’re going to be bad, do it GOOD =) lol and Try to keep active. If it’s not “working out,” do as much as active “fun” stuff as you can, more walking in malls, etc.
STARBUCKS pumpkin Spice latte is my weakness around the holidays!
I love the holidays for all the good food! But I do get concerned about eating too much but definitely keeping some time for some workouts is never a bad thing and I’ll have my sister to join me 🙂
I always look forward to pumpkin pie! I’ll gladly pass up a huge meal on Thansgiving to savor a delicious piece of pie! 🙂 It’s definitely hard to keep up with hardcore workouts, but planning ahead and scheduling makes it a lot easier!
Mashed sweet potatoes. Baked, then mashed, with a touch of cinnamon and honey.
Yum!
Hi Gina!
I am a new reader and have spent the last few days going back to older posts and catching up. You are so adorable and inspiring. Congrats to you and the Pilot on your baby girl, what an amazing gift for this holiday season. I am already drooling thinking about my mom’s stuffing and off course some apple pie. As far as staying on track during the holidays, I am a huge proponent of portion control – taste everything 😉
We’ve already had our Thanksgiving (Canada), but I was quite looking forward to it. I just moved across the country in the summer and my parents came to celebrate Thanksgiving with me. It was definitely non-traditional as far as our usual, but my mom brought homemade cabbage rolls with her and we cooked up the rest!
I love Thanksgiving the most for it’s food. I love me some cranberry sauce, stuffing and mashed potatoes! And of course pies 🙂 This is also the first year my boyfriend’s family and my family are celebrating the holidays together.
simple enough: good company. i’m at college right now and both my brothers are now living on the west coast, so it’s only my parents, my grandmother, and i! regardless i just can’t wait to enjoy all the comfy pleasures of home with the people i love dearly <3
I can’t wait for green bean casserole! We have green beans every now and then but never in casserole form. Yum. And since we won’t be home to eat my grandma’s pumpkin crisp, I’ll have to try making it myself this year. 🙂 In years past, I just went crazy at the holiday table and never gave a second thought about moderation, but recently, I just try eating small portions of everything…and then I do that a few times throughout the day 🙂
Amazing giveaway, by the way!
What about ‘Ncredible November : )
I am most looking forward to my Mom’s stuffing on Thanksgiving!!!!! OMG it’s so good : )
My trick to staying on track during the holidays is to not justify eating horribly the entire months of November and December–only during the actual holiDAY do I treat myself! Also, I try to do a Turkey Trot 10k or something in between holidays to motivate me to stay in shape : )
Gnarly November!!!!!!!!!!! hehe I love it Gina! Juuuuust keep it 😉 People will love it 😉 hahahaha! <3
Well as I have already celebrated my Thanksgiving (Canadian!), I will concentrate on the Christmas food that I am most looking forward to 😀 In my family, we always have a HUGE feast of live crab on Christmas day with my Dad's entire family 🙂 I love it. Probably my all time favourite day of the entire YEAR! My Aunt decorates the table to beautifully and, oh, it's just a lovely night. And nothing can beat the crab. Nothing. It's a huge feast and we all have a competition to see who can get the biggest "wad" of crab 😉 hahaha. SO MUCH FUN!
A tip of mine for staying on track throughout the holidays is to always have a healthy breakfast. I think breakfasts make or break the day 🙂 IMO.
My fiancé’s family makes this amazing squash casserole – I call it squasharoni and cheese bc it tastes like the best mac n chees – butits yellow squash! But any veggie healthy side effects are cancelled by the butter. (Paula Deen makes a similar recipe but it uses LESS butter). I have a serving then patiently wait for next thanksgiving.last year myfiance made it for my family. And they loved it! I did not think they’d love it either! It’s very southern just like him – and were so midwest! This is my first turkey day not with my fsm – but well be with his fam! I love his fam tho and I love this dish so I can’t wait!
Apple crisp and my moms amazing squash! I loveee Thanksgiving! Plus, the Cowboys play every year…double win 🙂 I am all about moderation and finding away to keep up your fitness routine while not missing out on the holiday fun and cheer!!
i definitely agree with letting yourself have treats – if you don’t you might just loose it and go on a binge! Plus the holidays are for relaxing, not stressing out! haha well we try to not stress out…
Thanksgiving is usually pretty difficult for me, although I do love the holiday. However, I normally work at my restaurant, which has about three healthy things on the menu. Not to mention that I also have to stare at delicious baked goods all day. Maybe if I can keep these tips in mind, I can survive all the holidays coming up!!
I am most looking forward to my mom’s cooking and being in the kitchen surrounded by family. I love her corn souffle and doughy, onion rolls (I die). For keeping healthy during the holidays, I love going on walks after meals as I feel it really helps to prevent sleepiness and feeling too full. Plus, we get to see all of the pretty decorations on people’s houses!
Buckeyes are my absolute favorite – I don’t think there’s a better combination in the world than chocolate and peanut butter.
The way I stay on track is SMALLER PORTIONS.. especially on desserts. I don’t need a whole slice of pie to let me know what it tastes like.. one or two bites of something is definitely enough. I REALLY have been enjoying workout DVDs as well… just started getting into them. I love Bob Harper’s Pure Burn Super Strength DVD and Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred. They both have short workout options and Bob’s even has an hour long weight lifting option – very challenging!
I can’t wait for Thanksgiving either! Oy, the food! It’s a sight to behold and cranberry sauce is one of my faves too! I made my own last year, which was just cranberries and a little apple juice simmered away. The other thing that I love about Thanksgiving is that besides the eating, it is just about hanging out with family. No presents, no pressure, just each other. We always play cards and chat and most of us grab at couch at some point for a nap. Ultimate relaxation!
Normally I would be pumped for my grandma’s cutout cookies, but they’ve got the gluten. Which just means I’ll be loading up on more mashed potatoes with cheese! During the holiday season, I also try to make sure to eat healthfully before going over to my family’s for the holidays – I especially love a big omelet with lots of fruit.
My favorite holiday treat is my Mamaw’s cranberry, walnut cookies (the pure flavor of fall)! So excited to see her and my sweet Papa as they return from that delightful Montana weather back to good ol’ hot Texas!:)
My sister is a pastry chef, so dessert is always delicious in my house! We eat at my Mom’s house, and I always decline to take any leftovers home with me. That way, its a one night splurge of a dinner rather than a two or three day feast.
Anything stuffing related 🙂 Holidays are all about balance, so go ahead and indulge!
best way to stay on track? think to myself, “how will i feel in 10 minutes after eating this?” and “will there be another chance to eat this other than now?”
I’m most looking forward to pecan pies. The trick I have is to make them bite size in muffin tins, that way I can eat one and get my fix without going to town on a whole slice. And hey, even a second one doesn’t throw me too far off track! I also try to go on walks with my family. My boyfriend and I will go on a run or do a workout in the morning, eat a hearty breakfast, and then relax for the day. A workout is already in, metabolism revving, and surprisingly just that keeps me more on track than if I don’t workout at all. I know I have a responsibility to myself to have fun, but it keeps it in the front of my mind that the holidays are about family – not the food I’m eating.
I can’t wait for fresh cranberry relish and pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving is the best.
i’m looking forward to mashed sweet potatoes and some type of stuffing at thanksgiving, and sugar cookies at christmas! my tip is to still keep my up my workouts as long as i have the time…and i like to do a turkey trot 5k every year as well!
Pretty standard tips.
I always look forward to turkey and my grandmother’s homemade stuffing the most.
I am looking forward to all of the yummy holiday dinners and the potlucks with friends and family. I love trying what others bring. Nothing is off limits and I will control my portions the best that I can. A little taste of everything will do. I also want to establish a really strong and healthy routine now so that when nom nom time comes, I’ll be ok and not feel guilty that I spurged a couple times.
Any kind of pie except pecan and key lime. And s’mores. I don’t know if s’mores are a holiday food per se, but I can’t wait to roast a few marshmallows when it gets cold enough to light the fireplace.
Even though it is from the previous post, girl can you Zumba! I’m a former dancer as well and I wish the class times at my gym didn’t conflict with my work/class schedule. Hopefully that will change in the spring. As a student, my time home is really special so I enjoy every moment of cooking and sitting around our large Thanksgiving table. The house smells amazing and I get to spend it with people I love. Plus, my dad’s homemade chestnut stuffing isn’t bad either : ) I love Shape! and was just thinking I should really invest in a stability ball for my in-apartment workouts.
I love your macaroons!
Love the giveaway! I can’t wait for peanut butter balls and stuffing 🙂 My stay fit tip for the holidays is to commit to doing one thing daily that you don’t already do, for example walk 1 mile a day or do 10 push ups a day. I’m pretty good about working out regularly so this little extra helps counteract the extra junk food I eat.
this would be a sweet giveaway to win!!
my idea for a title:
Never stop November
🙂
I’m most looking forward to “out-of-the-oven” Pumpkin pie *Gluten-free*! 🙂 I also love turkey and brussel sprouts! YUM! I can’t believe November is already here.
To stay on track, I would say don’t skip your workouts (if possible) and if you have to, bring a portable DVD with you and still keep active. If all else fails….”moderation, moderation , moderation!”
hope all is well G!
Hugs.
I am most looking forward to pumpkin pie, with a little homed apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream on the side! ;). If I know I am going to indulge during the holidays I eat a light breakfast and try to get some exercise in to balance it out!
ahh im definitely looking forward to thanksgiving food too !!
My favorite thing to eat during the holidays is homemade apple pie. To minimize the caloric damage, I usually have a little taste of everything and try not to go overboard on any one food.
I always look forward to sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving — my mother in law makes it with a TON of brown sugar and marshmallows and it is definitely a highlight of my entire year. No lie.
Homemade pumpkin pie and a yummy caramel apple cider from Starbucks 🙂
I’m looking forward to my grandma’s corn casserole at Thanksgiving, and for Christmas I’m excited about the fudge my dad makes!
During the holidays, I don’t worry about eating because I’ve never been one to be very over-indulgent. One thing I do, though, is avoid the appetizers. I don’t fill up on those because those aren’t the star of the meal – the turkey or ham plus all the sides is what deserves my full attention!
Call me crazy but I love Thanksgiving leftovers. There’s something about the turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce on a roll the day after that I love. I try to run or go to boot camp at least twice a week during the holidays.
I am most looking forward too my dad’s homemade stuffing, it is seriously the best thing ever! Also looking forward to making my own cranberry-pear sauce, I highly dislike cranberry out of a can and it has SO much sugar. My recipes has REAL cranberries, pears, nutmeg, and cinnamon instead of sugar. YUM! I stay on track by not having EVERYTHING on the table, and only the things I really want, and also going on a morning run so I can feel better about eatng a slice to pie :).
Mmm I’m excited for Egg Nog and apple pies! My tip for staying on track is to not give in to wearing the loose pants… wear the jeans with the button and you don’t give yourself too much more room.
I love the holidays and I love food. The best way for me to have control of myself is to be the one doing the cooking. That way I know how the food was prepared!
I’m most looking forward to juicy turkey. It was just me and my husband last Thanksgiving so we didn’t bother with a turkey, and now I am salivating thinking about leftover turkey sandwiches this year. As far as keeping the healthy habits in check, I let myself eat whatever I want during special family meals, but besides that, I now know (although it took many years) that all of the extra sugar, alcohol, and carbs aren’t worth how I’ll feel at the end of the night or the next morning. Great giveaway!