Holiday Diet & Fitness: Simplified

Image from Pinterest

Holiday season has crept up on us and it's a short one this year. I honestly don't even have my tree up yet. I've been in and out of town, busy playing dance mom during Nutcracker season, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life continues on. There are a lot of you out there that may have gained a little during this season (including myself-holiday carbs have added holiday bloat) and you may want to make excuses or put off shedding the weight. My answer: DON'T. It's so easy to give yourself a free pass, because you can hide it under winter layers, because you still have Christmas and New Year's parties to go to, etc. It's much easier to stay ahead of it all by maintaining or even (gasp!) upping the intensity of your workouts. I know your time is limited. You can workout anywhere and make yourself shake and burn. With Pinterest, YouTube, and all of the websites out there you can surely find one to work in15 minutes. My advice? Do it first thing in the morning before your day gets in the way and you have the chance to make excuses on why you don't have time. During lunch, work in a walk instead of staying inside (as a plus, you may get some vitamin D if the sun is out and that will help to fight off the flu, too!). 

As for me, I'm working in extra intense bursts of strength training all throughout my day, even if it is for just a minute or two. Little by little, a little means a lot. Every little bit gets you closer to your goals, so even if it's just a minute make it count and do some push ups, air squats, lunges, core work, etc. 

And remember, you control what is on your plate and how much you eat of it. Take less than you think you are going to eat. We all get big eyes at holiday parties, especially buffet style. Don't forget to eat an extra dense meal, high in fiber (like steamed veggies), to keep your appetite at bay before you step out. Chase each cocktail and/or plate of food with 8 oz. of water to keep things in moderation & balance. And you just may come out alive. :)

Eating Clean on a Budget

One of the biggest complaints I hear is that eating healthy is too expensive. I beg to disagree. I shop at the Farmer's Market every week for grass-fed, organic, antibiotic-free beef; free-range, grain-fed chicken & eggs; fresh, in season, organic fruits & veggies; organic cheeses & butter; organic spices without artificial food dyes or fillers; non-GMO grains, herbs, and spices; goat's milk; and a ton of other things. You really don't need more than that, as far as food prep goes. I even buy great knives from the Amish co-op! The trick, I think, is to meal plan so you are using all of your ingredients and nothing goes to waste. It's a little more European than American in approach to food. But it works fabulously for your budget & your waistline. I love roaming around getting inspiration from all of the beautiful, fresh ingredients and being outside! It's so much more natural, don't you think? Here's my latest bounty from today's trip to the market.

Lemongrass, Key Lime, mint, fennel, tomatoes, rainbow chard, chives, cilantro, green onion, basil, and goat's milk. All for less than $20. Now does that sound unreasonable to you? I'll post the meals I prep with these ingredients this week. Happy meal prepping! 

An old graphic from the USDA. Old wisdom that still rings true today. I often heard this saying from my depression era grandparents: "Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without.". How many of us do this today? Food for thought! ;)

The "8" Rules

{I'll expand upon each of these in separate articles.}

Rest {hibernate}

Sleep between the hours of 10 pm and 6 pm. The hours slept before 12 are the most important. When you stay awake late, especially after 12 you will become a more efficient fat storer (increasing fat storage by 30-40%). Also, you will tend to get hungry and eat to stay awake-FOOD IS FUEL and your body  needs it stay awake (energy). The food eaten at this time will primarily work itself into fat stores. Drink water instead, if you find yourself up at late hours. This is one of the few times I will encourage you to make yourself go hungry. There is no biological reason you need to eat to stay awake, unless you are a college student or a caveman. 

*8 hours of sleep, especially before 12. 

Drink Water {hydrate} 

Keep a glass of water everywhere-in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, studio, office, purse. Every time you pass by take a few sips-or the whole glass-and refill it for the next time you pass. Start your day with a full glass of water before anything else and end with one before bed.

*8-10 glasses of water all throughout your day, not all at once, for proper hydration. 

The Rule of Half {moderate}

1. Look at your plate.
2. Eat half.
3. Rest, talk, drink.

*Repeat if hungry, up to 2 times

This will give your brain and stomach time to communicate-hunger receptors. You'll avoid overeating, since you are eating more slowly, and you'll never eat the whole plate. This accomplishes mindfulness, pacing, and portion control all at once-3 key factors in eating. I don't care if the last bite left on your plate is literally 1 bite, or large crumbs. Train yourself NOT to be a member of the clean plate club. 

*1/8 left on your plate.

Print this out and post on your fridge. Keep a copy on you in your purse or at your office. Retrain your brain how you should eat, sleep, and drink (or hibern8, hydr8, and moder8).  

Summer Tomato Salad

This is a super easy dish you can make ahead or in a pinch. I love keeping plenty of tomatoes and basil on hand during the summer. A winter tomato just doesn't pass muster-disappointing at best. Make sure to keep parmesan, romano, and asiago on hand also-I like to buy a block and grate it fresh myself. This way I know what it contains (no sawdust!), and it tastes infinitely better. This can serve as a salad before dinner, a side for any dish, or as a great snack. I love fresh, summer tomatoes. Their ripe flesh is so deep red in color and the smell and taste are intoxicating. Add a little basil, italian cheeses, and high quality sea salt and you have the perfect little dish! This tastes great with a little buttery chardonnay. I love Cuvaison Chardonnay. And yes, I drink wine. 1-2 moderate size glasses a day. 

• 1 large ripe tomato
• 1-2 oz shaved parmesan, grated romano & asiago (prep a lot ahead of time, that way it's always ready!)
• 1-2 fresh basil leaves
• A pinch of high quality sea salt
• Optional: Crushed red pepper for a kick

1. Cut up the tomato and arrange on plate
2. Sprinkle cheese, basil, salt, and pepper on top
3. Enjoy!

Eating with Momma

So, the older I have gotten the more it has become apparent that my mom has saved me a lot of trouble in life. Most importantly, in eating patterns and approach to food. People always think I must diet like crazy or want to know what diet I follow. I don't. Period. As I've stated before, Diet is a four letter word (this is my mantra-among others like: If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy). I L-O-V-E FOOD. I eat deliciously, indulgently, without restriction, with moderation. Confused? So are most. 

I've noticed that most people have trouble with moderation. Not just with food, but with pretty much everything. We are a society of extremists: I'll do it all the way or not at all. Instead of moderating, they would rather cut it out or avoid it like a disease, or purge endlessly on it. I cannot for the life of me understand this. Moderation and balance are key for almost everything, but never so important in life as food. 

When I was growing up, we were taught portion control in a very sneaky way. Honestly, I don't know if my mother realized she was doing it either. I noticed my grandmother was the same way and I'm sure that her mother did the same and so on and so forth. Let me give you an example. When we were allowed a mid-day snack after school, we were to take the bag of chips (because there was only one at a time!) from the pantry. We then poured out a handful of chips on a napkin or plate. We then wrapped the bag of chips back up and put it back into the pantry. Then, we could sit down at the table and eat our chips. We were NEVER allowed to sit down with the bag on the table or, MY GOD!, eat from the bag (dirty, gross). We had to sit down and enjoy our small portion of salty potatoes, and it made us eat slowly because we wanted to savor every last bite, since there were no seconds-ever. Even later in the day, if we wanted chips, mom would say, "You already had chips. Eat something else. Or go drink some water (we always had a glass of water on the table)." It made us into very mindful eaters-really thinking about the food we were eating. To this day, my sister and I still eat this way-portioned out, sitting down, eating mindfully. And we have never had to worry about our weight, it has always been kept in check. 

Don't get me wrong, this drove us nuts when we were growing up. And we definitely didn't eat this way when we were over at other people's houses. But it is what we've reflexively gone back to, especially as mothers. Because it works. And all of our children are very athletic and active, with bodies to match. There is no extra weight on any of them. I feel that this is an accomplishment when so many are struggling with weight battles with themselves and their children. Childhood is the time that eating patterns are set. We can do our children a huge favor if we adhere to healthy patterns and can then teach it to our children in words and action. 

So think about it. How did you grow up, with relation to food? What were your parents like?  What did they teach you? You may have to reprogram yourself and redevelop a healthier relationship with food. 

More on this later, just a little food for thought!

This is from Karen Le Billon of French Kids Eat Everything. Nutrition and our relationship to food starts in childhood. This is so important for parents to "get". Read this book!