Healthy New Year to All!

So you made it through the "food" holidays, congratulations! Hopefully you made it through without tipping the scale too much. It can be hard to go to all the gatherings and endure the pressure to partake in decadent foods and drinks and not have a little gain. The important thing is to not let a little gain become discouraging. Instead of getting down about it, let it motivate you! Put in some extra time doing cardio, make sure you are lifting weights too. New Years is just a couple days away. Now that you don't have Aunt Bethany telling you to have another plate of cat food jell-o, you can make it through this last celebration without adding any notches to the belt. First, get in some cardio during the day New Year's Eve. Try a HIIT exercise to get a super calorie bump, especially if you are short on time. Spend the day eating healthy high protein, low carb (and good carb!) meals and make sure you are eating every 3 hours. Not eating all day and then splurging at a party causes your body to go into starvation mode and to store all the food you do eat as fat instead of feeding your metabolism and burning the calories as energy. Drink LOTS of water all day!! I can't stress this enough, WATER IS YOUR FRIEND! Also, take a healthy snack to any celebration you may be attending. I like to make sure I have some good protein powder and baby carrots with me to eat so I don't go crazy on finger foods and sweets. And last, if you are going to drink, have a glass of water in between glasses of alcohol and try to stay away from sugary drinks. Make your Happy New Year a Healthy New Year, your body will thank you for it!

Eat Your Veggies or Get no Dessert Kids!

I have gone through two different weight loss transformations. The first, I gained some serious ground toward getting toward my weight goal. The second, I nailed it. Going through the transformations was not easy, but I had accountability with my trainer to keep me on track. The hardest part has been maintenance. I have had to be accountable to only myself and that takes so much more will power. I have found the secret to staying away from cravings and not going crazy on junk food is as simple as eating my vegetables. Yes, I know, they are not the greatest when it comes to taste, especially when they are eaten without sauces or dips however, they work! Just a cup of veggies with each meal, even snacks, keeps me on track. I have turned to Pinterest to get new ideas for preparing my veggies and keep from getting bored. I use canned, frozen and fresh. And when I fill up on high fiber, tummy filling veggies, I find that when I do have something a little more decadent, I eat a smaller portion size instead of going crazy. So make sure you are eating your veggies, your waistline will thank you.