Have a Skinny Holiday!!!! Tips and Tricks :)

The holiday season is here!!! 

Joel and I are, for the first time ever, participating in Black Friday craziness.

More on that later. 

I know that as the winter and holiday season approaches, we tend to eat a bit more and work out a bit less...and over time, we gain 6,7,8,9 pounds. 

Depending, of course, what kind of mom/husband/wife you have. 

I don't know about you, but this is what I want to look like in January: 

 

 

(Thank you Pinterest for the Fitspiration!!! Follow me HERE.)

These girls are all super hott but not because they are SKINNY! They are FIT and STRONG.

Now that is sexy :) 

Every year, before the holiday season begins, I make a list of fitness goals that I stick to to help me get through the holidays without gaining pounds. This is, of course, no easy task, especially since Joel works at a church and everyone brings him delicious sweet things to bring home and lay out on the kitchen counter for all of the world to see.

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But here is an incredible, almost unbelievable fact:

Last year I actually LOST two pounds over the three month holiday season.

And, if you are wondering, I didn't deprive myself, and I didn't say no to cookies. 

Here is a practical list of tips that I followed that will not only help you maintain your current weight over the holidays, but will help you LOSE it once and for all:  

Please note that this is only what I have learned from personal experience! I am not a professional dietitian. 

1. Sweat once a day. 

20 minutes on the elliptical is better than nothing.

Go for a 30 minute jog. If you live in So Cal, you can't use the weather as an excuse to stay on the couch. 

If you can't leave your house, here are some youtube channels that have 

great follow-along workouts:

Pop Pilates

Sarah Fit 

 

Body Rock TV 

Also, exercise is one of the ONLY WAYS to naturally bring sugar levels down, as your muscles will use the sugar as fuel for your workout! See this Live Strong Article , it explains it really well :)

****NOTE****

 IF YOU WANT TO BURN A TON OF CALORIES IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, OPT FOR HIGH INTERVAL TRAINING CIRCUITS . 

 

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  Below are some links to a few great HIIT workouts (click on the links): 

Shape.com HIIT Workout

Oxygen Magazine HIIT

And here is a great follow along HIIT video:

Pop HIIT 

 

Now, with these awesome links, you have no excuse not to sweat at LEAST once a day. Even if your workout is only the ten minutes before you get in the shower, that short workout can speed up your metabolism so that you can eat more food without gaining inches. (The Pop HIIT is really short, too, so I KNOW you can find time to do it).

And who doesn't want that???

  

2. Drink tons, and tons, and tons, of water.

Holiday food is usually loaded with salt and sugar, two substances that can make you dehydrated, which will make you retain water and gain water weight (eww gross).  I try to drink a gallon of water a day (about 128 ounces) when I know I will be consuming large amounts of sugar/salt, and it helps SO MUCH! You know that gross bloated feeling you get when you over eat? Drinking tons of water will prevent/help that!!

3. Drink warm lemon water (with real lemon squeezes!) in the afternoon.  

According to Live Strong (gosh I love that website!), this lovely beverage will cleanse your system, aid in digestion, and stimulate your liver. Even better, is GREEN TEA WITH LEMON! The caffeine and antioxidants in the tea will give your metabolism an extra boost.

4. Simply don't overdue it.
Have a cookie, and stop after one, okay two, okay three ;)

If you drink alcohol, set a limit, don't exceed it. Alcohol is SO fattening and will actually slow your metabolism down! Very, very bad.

5. Enjoy the holidays outside the realm of food.

 Walk through twinkling neighborhoods. 

Go to parties.

Volunteer for a charity and serve your community.

Make ornaments with friends. 

Watch a Christmas movie. 

Read the Christmas Story. 

Decorate your house. 

Go to church. 

Drive to the mountains (or, if you have snow in your backyard) and have a snowball fight. 

Paint your nails a sparkly red or green or gold. 

 Shop for presents. 

Write an encouraging card. 

The list can be endless!!! Start to make memories around activities instead of around a table/counter consuming an excessive amount of sugar :) 

Comment below and share YOUR favorite Christmas activities and your skinny tips and tricks!

 <3 Beth