6 Easy Tips to Lose Body Fat During the Holidays
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| Taken 12-1-2011 |
As we all know, the Holiday season is probably the most difficult to keep body fat off, but where there is a will, there is a way! Here are 6 quick and easy tips to lose body fat this holiday season. By the way, these easy tips can be used year round, but there are factors that come up during the holiday season, that make these tips a bit more poignant.
Tip #1
Stay hydrated! The colder whether tends to hide the sensation and or symptoms of dehydration. Remember that staying properly hydrated helps to keep your body functioning properly, that includes your metabolic processes that help to burn body fat for energy.
Tip # 2
Chew gum while cooking. Cooking big family meals for the holidays is a tradition for most, but with that comes snacking and picking at the food while it’s being prepared. Chewing gum will keep you from picking at the food, and will keep those extra mystery calories and body fat off of you.
Tip # 3
Drink coffee with your meals. This is one of my super tips! It’s easier to do when the weather turns cold. It works great to keep you from overeating!
Tip #4
Don’t postpone workouts! Weather conditions, holiday shopping, and family visits can get in the way of your workouts. But, remember that fat burning, metabolic boosting workouts, don’t need to be very long. My workouts last 30-35 minutes on average, yet they produce better results than low intensity 1-2 hour traditional cardio workouts.
If you’re doing my 12 day Fat X Program, and can’t do a specific workout because of logistical reasons, fit in one or more of the workouts from the free Fat Burning Workout Bonus Series, until you can get back to the FX 12.
Tip #5
Eat before shopping! Don’t get caught up at the mall or shopping center hungry. Temptation to eat junk food will be all around, and in essence, you’re putting yourself in a position to fail. By fail, I mean, eating and adding junk calories to your diet. Remember that it’s easier to keep those calories and body fat off, then it is to burn those calories and lose the body fat once it’s on.
Tip # 6
Follow the Fat X Diet principles! Even at big family dinners, you can still set up your plate the Fat X way. Meaning stack your plate with nutritious foods first.
These 6 tips are pretty easy to follow, if you want to kick up your body’s fat burning ability, implement all of them and watch your body fat level drop, even through the tough to stay fit holiday season.
If you have any questions about the Fat X Program, diet, exercise, and or setting up your workouts, feel free to email me, or post those questions on the Fat X 101 Facebook page. Good luck on your fat burning, weight loss (fat loss) and fitness journey!
Tips for me, Tips for You. Fa La La La La.
Happy Friday Kittens!! How was your week? It’s been a little crazy here YAWWWNNNN right, you are so over hearing me say that! 
hehe Well, I’m back. We accomplished a boatload of work this week and I can finally relax a little bit today. In fact, I just got myself a Fish Sandwich at McDonald’s. NOM NOM. A nice little indulgence meal on a Friday evening. I love Fish Sandwiches.
I digress.
My blog title today is “Tips for me, Tips for you”. At FitFluential, we are working together to promote all throughout the month of December, tips from all of us (and by all of us I mean our FitFluential Ambassadors— but some of these are fitness fanatics like me, some are trainers, nutritionists, fitness celebrities, authors, you name it!) on how to embrace this concept of START NOW. This isn’t about New Year’s Resolutions–let’s get out of that mindset and START NOW.
I’m going to divide some of my tips- tips that I am incorporating FOR MYSELF too (I’m not saying I’m the expert! Learning along with you!) throughout multiple blog posts, so this is the first. And….our FitFluential partner, GNC (#client), is helping us spread the “Live Well Now” love as we all share tips on getting healthy step by step……thinking of this as a lifestyle NOT a “diet” or 2 week workout plan.
RIGHT?? RIGHT.
Does this not look like an amazing dinner? Yes it does. And let me tell you, it is not that difficult to make salmon at home. I have been HORRIBLE about eating a balanced diet the past month or so. HORRIBLE. Why? Putting work first. Then I’m rushing into my kitchen or a drive through and eating some that’s ‘ok’ but not great.
TIP: Fit in more protein.
We all know the importance of getting more protein right? I know we do. When I think back about some of what I’ve eaten during a day, although I’m in my caloric range usually, it’s like 85% carbs and not all zucchini ok??? Bad Naughty Kelly. Owns her own fitness company and eats like a dipwad. NOT anymore!
This is going to combine two other tips, but what the heck. I’m going to focus on getting protein in every meal, on eating REGULARLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY and on trying new recipes or protein shake variations.
I will use my new Cooking Light Crockpot Recipe book for great recipes (hello soup weather) and PINTEREST HELLO!! (#ADDICTION) (I put the link there because their website has amazing recipes too, free!) And I will use protein shakes for 1-2 meals a day. GNC has introduced me to their new AMP Protein Powder, and I use the vanilla for protein pancakes and Zucchini Protein Bread. NOM NOM.
I did a search on Pinterest for protein shakes and ran smack dab into (I swear, I wasn’t planning this) one of our FitFluential Ambassador’s older posts. Click the page above to see her blog and the recipe! Also if you want an invitation to Pinterest- leave me your email in the comments and I will get you one! ADDICTING!!!
I’m going to make more FISH and also try new recipes from new sources like this one I saw on Oxygen Magazine for Sweet and Smokey Turkey Chili.
I like healthy foods. I like working out. I haven’t been making time enough for either of them lately— it’s my #1 weakness right now~ letting work come first. FORGET THAT!
Here is today’s Ramble-On-A-Thon for your nap:
I’m still loving my kickboxing but I’d be lying if I said I was not SOOO looking forward to doing some Kettlebells, some upper body workouts, some TRX……Sniff Sniff. Patience Kelly. Patience.
Gotta Run.
Question- Do you like Eggnog? I do. DANGIT!!! I DO!
Green Solutions to Acne: Try These Simple Tips
Keeping your skin clear and free fro acne is no rocket science. Try these simple tips to see a visible difference in your skin condition.
Don’t overcleanse and overscrub. Too much pressure may lead to more pimples as your skin gets irritated and inflamed with constant mechanical pressure. Don’t use at-home microdermabrasion or peels more frequently than once a week.
Avoid benzoyl peroxide acne medications that can dehydrate your skin, increase free radical damage and lead to premature aging. This popular anti-acne chemical is a proven strong irritant and allergen and instead of healing acne can actually increase the inflammation.
Don’t attempt to dry out your blemishes with toothpaste or other drying solutions. Really dry top layers of skin can trap impurities and bacteria under skin making the acne worse.
Don’t pile makeup on your acne blemishes. Wear a concealer where needed. Use oil-blotting papers to absorb the excess shine during the day.
Don’t pick at your face. Keep your hands off the pimple until it’s ready to be extracted and never attempt to pop up a tender red blemish. If you have time, try one of the procedures described in the previous chapter, and apply a topical antibacterial product containing salicylic acid or tea tree oil.
Taking care of your acne-prone skin doesn’t end in your bathroom. Take a daily dose of vitamins and antioxidants with additional alpha lipoic acid and omega 3 fatty acid supplements. Don’t skimp on water. Drink 7-8 glasses of mineral or filtered water a day. Don’t replace water by carbonated sugary drinks and coffee. Remember your skin is the largest organ of your body and is the first to become dehydrated. Avoiding or at least diminishing iodides in your diet can aggravate your acne. Iodides occur in seafood, kelp products (seaweed), beef liver, soy sauce, turkey and asparagus.
Maintaining a proper diet, exercise routine and managing stress are all important elements in your acne skin care challenge. Once month spend a day or two cleansing your inner space to support your liver and eliminate waste matter that can contribute to the poor state of your skin.
You should also avoid acne triggers, such as humidity and heat. In summer or when in hot climates make sure you drink a lot of water and have a refreshing facial mist to cool down your skin. Don’t tan. Aside from being the number one cause of skin cancer and pre-mature aging sun also increases your skin’s oiliness resulting in more pimples. Remember that sunburns, hot wax depilation, peels, and strong chemicals can irritate your skin and lead to acne. Close-shave razors increase the risk of developing ingrown hairs, which can also increase inflammation.
Most importantly, hone your organic consumer skills by reading ingredient lists and avoiding potentially toxic chemicals that may affect your hormonal balance and result in more acne. If you eliminate hormone-disrupting chemicals early you may avoid many devastating health disorders later in life.
Nutrition After A Diet. A Few Tips.
How not to gain weight after the diet? This question bedevils every woman thrown off the pesky extra pounds. Because a successful weight loss – is only half the battle, now you need to keep the achieved results. Unfortunately, not everyone can do it.
This happens because people are often not accustomed to reduce caloric intake gradually, and some time sitting on a strict diet, waiting for when this is over and he will finally be able to eat. Of course, if after a diet, he will immediately pounce on the food – all disappeared pounds will be back. In addition, it should be understood that thin and slender people need fewer calories than full ones. And after the diet you need to eat less.
This does not mean a diet till the death; it just means a sensible approach to nutrition after a diet. The second common mistake – is neglect of physical activity and sports in general. To maintain weight after the diet is difficult, but without the sport – even more difficult. Going in for sports, you’ll spend more energy on burning calories, you will build muscle mass, which also allows the body not to accrete fat and speed up the metabolism.
First, get out of the diet gradually. After any diet do not immediately gang up on unhealthy and fatty foods. Think about how to eat after the diet, look and learn how to prepare delicious and low-calorie dishes using fruits, vegetables and lean protein.
Exercises. If you are not fond of a gym – go to aerobics, pool. Dance, ballet, jogging – you can always find something on your liking. Physical activity not only helps keep your figure slim, but will get more out of life.
Get rid of psychological dependence on meal. Find passion or hobby. In life there are always more interesting ways to have fun, relax or entertain.
Follow these three unpretentious rules, and, most importantly, love yourself. And you’ll never have a question about how not to gain weight after a diet.
Fortunately we live in the world of digital technologies which provide us with a truly unique way to find anything we need or solve a problem. Those who are worrying about their weight, might want to review this HCG Drops site. Sure it would be right to find out some info about HCG Diet as well before trying them.
Food has significant meaning for our bodies that’s why it might be useful to pass Food Allergy Tests to find out if you can eat everything or not.
Related posts:
Tips for Getting Kids to Eat
The way I approached feeding my kids was largely based on my experience as a kid. I disliked peas. I really disliked them, but I could get them down. I could never understand why my brother would want to ruin perfectly good mashed potatoes by mixing peas in with them, but he did.
I hated lima beans. I really hated them, and I could not get them down. They would make me gag. It seems like we had them a lot, though we probably didn’t. My parents tried numerous times, but I think eventually they gave up on getting me to eat them.
I remember that feeling of being unable to swallow something even though that would mean getting it out of your mouth and off your taste buds. When you truly hate a food, your body seems to reject the idea of swallowing it. That’s why I had compassion for my second oldest who felt that way about peas.
He is by far my pickiest eater, and I did try to get him to eat things when he was little. I did make him try peas, but after watching him hold them in his mouth for a very long time being unable to swallow, I relented. I knew how he felt.
My boys are now 20, almost 18, and 15. Over the years some things have never changed (like #2 disliking peas), but other things have changed. For a long time they didn’t like soup. When I tried it again, probably a few years later, they loved it.
My picky eater got less picky, then seemed to get picky again. All of them were picky about different things at different times. Kids are always growing and changing, and many times so are their tastes.
Since I’m mentioning my picky eater, I should say that he is also the biggest food lover of the three. He may be particular, but he gets more excited about good food than anyone else in the family.
I’m not proposing that I have all the answers to feeding kids, nor that what I did was the only right way, but looking back I don’t have any regrets, and I continue to handle this topic in the same way now as I did when they were little.
Tips for Getting Kids to Eat
- Recognize that every person (child or adult) has different tastes and different bodies. Just because you like something, don’t expect someone else to.
- Don’t go too easy on them. Sometimes kids have no good reason for not trying something and requiring that they eat a little bit of certain foods can help them learn that they are judging prematurely.
- Don’t be too hard on them. Forcing your kid to eat food he hates will not develop a positive attitude toward food or meal times.
- Keep it light. It’s not worth making a huge deal over it. Come up with a game or a challenge.
- Let them know it’s okay to dislike some foods. Try new foods together as a family and discuss what you like and dislike about the food.
- Get the kids involved in cooking. Let them pick out foods at the store and help you cook it. They are much more likely to eat food they have had a hand in preparing.
- Serve them food prepared in different ways. They might like raw carrots but not cooked. They might like a food in a casserole that they don’t like by itself.
- Give them options. If my picky eater doesn’t like the vegetable I’ve prepared, he is allowed to have a salad or other vegetable of his choice that he can get for himself.
- Keep trying. What they don’t like today, they might like tomorrow, or next month, or next year.
Should You Workout With Those You Work With? 5 Tips for Exercising With Coworkers
This would be an example of what not to wear. Naked is not good but Hannibal Lecter couture is way worse.
Judging from advice columnists and The Apprentice, working with your coworkers is tricky enough (Who knew clipping your toenails in your cube is the modern-day equivalent of lancing your Black Plague boils over the community well?) but add a little skin, sweat and spandex to the formula and working out with them is a whole new social minefield. I’ll be honest, the last time I worked out with an official coworker (i.e. someone who is over 4 feet tall and doesn’t store Legos in his or her underpants) was over a decade ago. That “friendly” game of “basketball” pretty much ensured none of us would ever be friends nor play basketball again.
So when Reader Meghan brought up this question in the comments (like… a month ago? Sorry it’s taken me so long, girl!), my first thought was, “It’s awkward enough being nose-to-tail with the Gym Buddies and I already know their entire gynecological histories; I can’t imagine having to give a status report to that sweaty heinie.” But Meghan’s question is a great one because a) she’s a lawyer (or in law school, not sure) and lawyers always ask great questions and b) be it lunch-hour power walks or in-office yoga classes, lots of professionals are finding themselves in this situation. I’m definitely no expert but I came up with a few tips for navigating the gym with your coworkers and I hope you all will chime in and help Meghan out too!
1. Wear clothes. Tonight as I splashed in the kiddie pool at the Y with Jelly Bean, I contemplated the fact that the same (cuuuuute retro) swim dress that made me the most covered-up woman in the pool would make me look like a poorly-accessorized hooker at the grocery store. When it comes to modesty, context is everything and when in doubt cover it up. Yes you may be more comfortable running in just a sports bra and shorts but if you’re running on the treadmill next to the CEO, throw a t-shirt over the top. Full-coverage undies are a given.
2. Stay professional. Singing “Pour some sugar on me…” along with your iPod may inspire you to lift heavier but your coworkers probably don’t want to know about your deep love for 80′s hair bands. (Or maybe they do and will secretly videotape you and post it on Facebook?) This also includes no weird grunting when you lift, not spitting in the drinking fountain and never using a Shake Weight. Not that you’d do that stuff anyhow, right?
3. Keep business in the office. Down Dog is really not the position you want to be in when you ask for your next promotion. At the very least, make that pitch from Goddess Pose. Seriously though, most people are in the gym to workout not to talk shop so save the questions or commentary until afterward (and by after, I mean after you’re showered and dressed – nobody likes the naked locker room chatterer).
4. Resist the temptation to gossip. Office gossip is a Pandora’s box as it is but mix in exercise endorphins and the rumor mill can get going faster than the treadmill you’re jogging on. I have a theory that the less clothing you are wearing the more likely you are to spill your guts. (No? Just me?)
5. Have a sense of humor. I can tell you from personal experience that the gym has a high potential for embarrassment (my most current humiliation was bending over to pick up my sweat towel and running face first into the mirror that was right in front of me – I hit so hard I literally bounced my head off it). Between all the slapstick, the farting and moves either named after or resembling sex acts, the only way to get through it is to just laugh. This doesn’t mean you should make inappropriate jokes but if you do something dumb, a well-timed laugh and shoulder shrug go a long way in fixing it.
What do you guys think – should you workout with your coworkers? If so, how do you manage it? Do you have any ground rules?
6 Tips How to Choose Organic Beauty Products
Choosing organic beauty means a lot for your skin and the environment
Just because the moisturizer is all-natural or organic doesn’t mean that it has been blended in a country kitchen. Here is one simple rule on picking the right beauty product, organic or not. Take a good look at the product box or bottle. According to the new legislation, product labels must list all the ingredients regardless of their quantity. If a skincare brands claims to be natural, organic or both but fails to list their ingredients on the website, treat such brand with caution. It means they may have something to hide.
Ideally, organic ingredients (often marked with an asterisk referring to the certification they passed) would be listed near the beginning of the ingredient list. If you are savvy enough, you would also spot ingredients you should stay away from, as they may irritate your skin causing acne or triggering rosacea.
A good organic skincare product should be free from petrochemicals, sulfates, synthetic fragrance additives, propylene glycol, triethanolamine, diethanolamine, and parabens. However, sometimes even if you stumble upon a relatively safe and properly formulated product, there’s always something that can go wrong, and the search continues. Still, there are certain ways to minimize the money and time waste.
Always request a sample. Of course, most pharmacies don’t carry sample sizes of $10 cleansers. To avoid disappointment, check the ingredients for possible irritants such as lemon oil, orange oil, grapefruit oil, or menthol, as well as the harmful chemicals listed above. If you consider buying a skincare item from a department store, don’t be shy to request a sample. Many private pharmacies will decant a small amount of a cleanser or a moisturizer in a clear jar.
Always return the product that irritates your skin. This way, you will unclutter your beauty routine as well as indicate the cosmetic company (in a very remote way) that there’s something wrong with their product. If the drugstore refuses to refund, ask for the address of the company’s headquarters or a local rep and return the product with an explanation.
Read unbiased reviews on skincare boards and in product listings. In most cases, the product that caused 75% of reviewers to break out will break you out, too. Same refers to redness, stinging or flakiness.
Read the label carefully. Watch out for commonly used skin irritating ingredients that do little to minimize your wrinkles yet can wreak havoc on your skin. You can find a list of harmful ingredients in alphabetical order in the appendix of this book. Print it out and carry it with you when you go shopping. You may also use the handy Shopping List feature at ewg.org—simply enter the features you expect from the product.
Opt for natural preservatives in your skincare. There are many gentle preservatives used in organic skincare products that prolong shelve life but do not disrupt your health: grapefruit seed extract, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, tocopherol (vitamin E), tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
Keep in mind that when you switch to all-natural skincare your skin may start misbehaving. This is because many natural beauty products contain multitasking essential oils that work as spot treatments, anti-aging agents, and preservatives. Unless you become extremely allergic to one particular ingredient, even if you cough, sneeze and wipe away tears, don’t quit unless absolutely critical. In a couple of days your skin will adjust itself.
Fat Loss Increasing Tips
One of the things I remind my private clients and my FX Boot Camp participants is that fat loss follows fitness. What I mean by this tip is that it is easier to burn fat a.k.a achieve weight loss (fat loss),a better looking, toned and athletic body if you’re actually physically fit, or by increasing your personal fitness level. These aren’t fancy tips, but they’re very important in achieving your weight loss (fat loss) goals.
Many of the fad weight loss diets, and fad workout programs fail long term because they forget that fitness and health should come first. When you concentrate on becoming healthier and more fit, the natural side effect is that your body will naturally look healthier, more toned, fit and athletic. Becoming healthier and more fit is the basis of the Fat X Diet and the Fat X Program.
It is important to remember that just because you start a diet and you lose weight, that alone doesn’t mean you’re healthier. In fact, you can be doing things to hurt your health, which in the long run can make it difficult to become fit and lose body fat. What are those things that can cause weight loss but are unhealthy? Well, for starters, you can be losing lean body tissue (muscle), which will slow down your metabolism. A slow metabolism makes it easier for your body to store calories as body fat.
If you go on one of these fad diets, you can also be depriving your body of essential nutrients which can cause low energy levels along with other health issues. If you’re not feeling good, and you’re energy levels are down, what are the chances you’re going to get a productive fitness boosting workout in? And what’s the point of looking at the numbers on the scale drop, if you’re still flabby and now feel crappy as well.
The point of all this is that you should strive to become healthier. Don’t worry about the numbers on a scale. Get more fit and increase you’re fitness level by tracking your workouts and stats during these workouts. Those numbers will tell the truth about how healthy and fit your are. They will also tell the truth about how fit and healthy your are becoming. Fat loss will follow fitness!
To recap, there are two tips here to improve fat loss. Tip number one is to become healthier and more fit. Tip number two is to track your workout numbers and stats as in the Fat X Program so that you stay on track to becoming healthier, more fit and or increasing your fitness level.
More Fat Burning Diet Secrets and Tips Revealed
The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on my Bonus Fat Burning Workout videos, but this week I decided to go more into some diet secret tips and tricks. Diet and more specifically the pre-workout meal in a fat burning diet is often overlooked. I decided to tackle this issue first.
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The No-Laps Pool Workout [Plus more workout tips, parenting articles and photoshoot outtakes!]
Some of you saw this pic when I Facebook/Tweeted it and were wondering what the Gym Buddies and I were doing at the bottom of the pool (and some of you also wondered how I have lived this long and not learned how to be underwater without plugging my nose – in my defense, in all the other pics I’m NOT plugging my nose but they turned out blurry so you’ll just have to take my word for it.) and now I can finally tell you about our Shape Magazine swimsuit photo shoot! (Never thought I’d be typing those words! Don’t worry we’re not standing thigh high in the water wearing bikinis and a fake tan.)
Lap swimming is one of the most intense workouts there is but if you can’t swim laps or you’re like me and just hate it (it feels like controlled drowning!), you can still get a great total body workout in the pool this summer. Anything you can do on land, you can do in the pool but the resistance from the water makes it that much harder. Chris Kost, who in his 20 years of aquatics experience working with pro athletes like baseballer Joe Mauer says, “Most people think of aquatics as just for gray hairs but you can do boot camps, power x and other high intensity classes that incorporate everything from therabands to kettlebells in the water.” Try using some of these moves as part of an existing routine or make up your own circuit. Either way you’ll get a great workout – no lap swimming required. To read the rest of the article on Shape.com (and see how much fun we had with the underwater camera) follow the jump…
If you didn’t catch my fitness series on Workout Junkie, check out my posts Workouts for People With No Money, Workouts For People With No Equipment, Workouts For People With No Time and Workouts For People With No Childcare.
For Redbook this week, I wrote articles on “Mom Debate: Do You Spend Too Much Time on your Smartphone When You’re With Your Kids?” (So do I win the award for longest post title ever??), My 8 Worst Parenting Mistakes (According to my kids) (If you read just one of my articles today, read this one – hilarious!) and “One Mom Confesses To Not Liking Her Own Child: Did she cross the line?” (this one I still feel really conflicted about – super sad.)
And if you want to know why Forever 21 gives me a guilt complex, check out my book review of Lost In Translation for the BlogHer Book Club.
And most importantly: the outtakes from our underwater photoshoot!
Turns out the laws of physics will not be thwarted and so to prevent us from floating to the surface while snapping those underwater shots, another Gym Buddy had to hold us down. Here, Krista is holding Allison under the water while (5-months pregnant!) Daria models and her son watches.
Daria on the bottom side of “the otter roll” – she obviously learned how not to plug her nose!
I am laughing hysterically for some reason – because Krista told me I look like a hyperactive 5-year-old? Because someone took an underwater shot of me picking my swimsuit wedgie (aHEM!)? Because the old folk’s pool class right next to us was playing oldies?? The whole hour was one long laugh fest.
Krista and Allison had way too much fun with the underwater camera!
Daria takes a snuggle break with her son – you can see where he gets his gorgeous grin!
Allison is too cool for school. Or the pool.
What happens when you take a picture half in the water and half out. You can see why we didn’t do any more this way!