8 Tips for Surviving the Holiday Craziness and Celebrations!

  8 Tips for Surviving the Holiday Craziness and Celebrations!

 You can do it! You can get through the holiday season stronger, healthier and determined to start the New Year right.  All you have to do is focus on the 8 Holiday tips each week, exercise, and talk positive to yourself.  In addition to the goals, try to incorporate 2-3 additional 20 minute cardio blasts to your week. It could be mall walking while holiday shopping, riding your bike to get the holiday party’s groceries, or jogging to and from Power Fitness PDX instead of driving.

Tip 1: Drink 10 8-oz. cups of water per day. If you can do this, it will help you feel cleansed, fuller, and content.
Tip 2: Eat a small meal every 2-3 hours and try to have a small meal before going to a holiday party. Print up the Clean Eating list and bring it to the grocery store.  Nutritious rich foods help balance the celebrations.   You will arrive to the party satisfied, and not eager to eat the entire platter of mini quiche.

Tip 3: Start keeping a journal log of what you are eating throughout the day.  If you notice you’re snacking between 4-5 p.m., why not make the snack a serving of vegetables with hummus, Half Greek Yogurt with 10 almonds and protein powder. It will help satisfy the urge to munch at the tough time of day.

Tip 4: When holiday shopping, wear a pedometer. It may seem silly, but nobody will see it under your sweater or shirt.  Park in the farthest spot possible, and do 3 laps in the mall or around the block  before hitting the stores you need.  Try to reach at least 10,000 steps by the time you’re done shopping and head home.

Tip 5:  If you can, leave at least a 2-hour window of an empty stomach prior to bedtime. Also drink two glasses of water before nodding off.

Tip 6: When you have a huge celebration you’re headed to, plan your drinks accordingly.  Alternate between sparkling water and wine.  Limit the fruit juices, caffeine and the cocktails. The added sugars cause headaches, weight gain and dehydration.

Tip 7: When wrapping gifts do one set of push ups, squats, dips, burpees or jumping jacks in between each finished package.  1 set = 15-20 reps.

Tip 8: Utilize your families Zoo memberships and go to Zoo Lights at least once each week. Your kids will enjoy the activity and lights, and you’ll feel invigorated after getting a hilly walk and being in the crisp air.

Ice Skating in Union Square -12.17.11

Bike riding to check out Holiday Lights -12.18.11

Enjoy the time with your family and have fun! The holidays come once each year, and if you plan accordingly, you’ll enjoy them without adjusting to a roomier size come New Years. Cheers!

When not chasing after her two little girls or teaching fitness classes, Erin Kreitz Shirey is the CEO/Master Trainer/Running Man Laugh filled Coach and Owner of Power Fitness PDX.  An award winning trainer recently named 2011 Most Motivational Personal Trainer by Alameda Magazine, and currently the Top 10 Finalist for PFP Personal Triner of the Year, she has written for various athletic publications, been a contributing editor on the hit morning show, Better, and has fitness DVD’s arriving late 2011.  Erin has a BS in Kinesiology, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Fit to Deliver Pre and Postnatal Certified trainer and Sports Nutrition Certified. Visit Erin and learn more about her trainings at www.powerfitnesspdx.com

have you given yourself time?

Time is what every Mom craves... extra time in the day. But if you had extra time, would you use it to cram in more work or more play? Would you allow yourself to sit back and relax or would you hop online and finish another project? Imagine if the day was 25 hours instead of 24... an extra 60 minutes... sounds like bliss to me but it also sounds like a potential waterfall of wasted time. How you ask? Because often when we are given something that we crave and it becomes part of our routine, we don't embrace it with the same energy anymore. Example:

- A friend who is used to managing and controlling her families daily life down to the minute shares that her husband was doing more cooking to help out, so she could have more "play time" with her kids that didn't involve errands. At first she was excited beyond belief and then it started to ware on her. She shared she got agitated with the meals not being healthy enough, or couldn't completely relax when playing with her kids since she felt she should be cleaning/writing a brief/helping with homework. All she wanted was more "easy time", yet she couldn't handle not being in control. We talked about it a bit, and what steps she could take to relish the time verses complain about what is/isn't being done. What would you suggest?

My suggestions were:
*Create a project just your kids and you are involved in. It could be creating a train set, making handmade
valentines, writing a short book together...or a myriad of other activities that involve letting go.
*Take a bike ride with your kids to the park and play tag. Then play wallball or hopscotch.
*Walk to the library to find some chapter books you can read with your kids. Often when you start reading you get lost in time.... and can relax. Take the book to the park and read it laying on grass.

I am actually finding time in little pockets throughout the day. When I find that time, I feel a sense of excitement and joy bubbling through. I realized that if you have at least 15 minutes you can really get "lost to relax". I am now almost done with a book started a few days ago, have gone to bed earlier, played endless games of Polly Pocket, and enjoyed tea while Makenzie was reading Harry Potter to me.

Mind you, do I feel that I need more time in the days? You bet; sometimes I do, but I have learned to switch around my time and make it the most quality time possible. My phone is turned off and computer not checked for these pockets and the feeling of relaxing and relishing in the current moments overflows.

Now step back. evaluate your day. Are you checking/playing/fiddling on your phone all day long?? Put it down for at least an hour. Even when working, if able to focus on your task at hand verses hearing a vibrate and ring you will be more productive and efficient.

Try it, see how it goes. And when you find the extra 15 minutes here or there, embrace it since you don't get it back...

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]