Welcome back to my 2011 Shedding Through the Season Guide!
Hope you guys are ready for Week 2. If you missed Week 1, here it is. Just a reminder that each of these weekly posts will include weekly “condensed but intense” workouts, healthy meal and snack ideas, and three holiday survival tips. The goal of this guide is to help keep you all healthy and happy through the holidays, avoid stress, avoid holiday weight gain, make time for exercise, and boost energy!!
FOOD
Breakfast Suggestions
- Oatmeal with sliced banana, cinnamon, and a scoop of Teddie’s unsalted peanut butter
- Breakfast sandwich – Eggs, reduced fat cheddar cheese, tomato, and onion on a whole wheat sandwich thin
- Low-fat cottage cheese with pineapple
Lunch Suggestions
- Lower-fat Chicken Salad
- Tuna & salsa. Yes, tuna and salsa. Don’t mix with mayo or anything else, just those two together. Probably not enough to fill you up for lunch, so pair with a piece of fruit.
- Whole wheat wrap with hummus, radishes, sliced carrots, and avocado. And a Chobani yogurt on the side.
Dinner Suggestions
- Lean Lettuce Wraps
- Feta Chicken with Vegetables
- Shrimp stir-fry with spices and veggies of your choice!
Snack Suggestions
- Fresh veggies of your choice with hummus. Lately I’ve been really into broccoli with hummus or carrots with hummus!
- 1 serving of blackberries
- Air-popped popcorn. Instead of butter, sprinkle with cinnamon for some extra flavor.
FITNESS
Condensed But Intense Holiday Blast – Week 2
What You Need: Cardio Machine (Treadmill, Elliptical, Bike – or somewhere to run), and an exercise band
Time: Approximately 30-35 minutes
CARDIO: 15 minutes
- Minutes 0-2: Warmup
- Minutes 2-4: Moderate
- Minutes 4-8: Tabata (20 second sprint, 10 second recovery intervals – repeat 8 times for 4 minutes)
- Minutes 8-10: Moderate recovery pace
- Minutes 10-14: Tabata (20 second sprint, 10 second recovery intervals – repeat 8 times for 4 minutes)
- Minute 15: Cooldown
STRENGTH: 15-20 minutes
- Bicep Curl + Squat: Place band under feet, hold band at each end. Squat and curl on the way up. 3 sets of 10.
- 30 seconds of burpees
- Seated Row: Place band around feet (legs straight out in front of you). Pull band back for a seated row. 3 sets of 10.
- 30 seconds of mountain climbers
- Pushup with resistance: Position the band across your shoulder blades with tight resistance, each end tucked under a hand. Go for 10-12 reps, twice.
- 30 seconds of side to side hops
- Curtsy lunge and lift: Hold one end of band in hand, other end is under the front foot of the curtsy lunge. Lunge, then draw elbow up first, then extend the arm all the way, then come up. Go for 10-12 reps, twice.
- 30 seconds of jumping jacks
- Plank Series (no band): Hold regular plank for 30 seconds, flip right into a side plank for 15 seconds, back to 30 seconds of regular, other side plank for 15, and finish with 30 of regular.
TIPS
This week’s survival tips!
- Spread things out. Holiday card writing, gift wrapping, baking – it all seems like a ton of fun until you sit down and actually do it. Every year I get excited to write my holiday cards and then by the end of card 3, I find myself groaning “Do I really still have 22 to go?!” Spread it out. Do 5 cards a night for a week. Wrap 3 gifts a night. And plan your baking and cooking accordingly!
- Fight holiday fatigue: Get enough sleep, stay hydrated, stay warm, and wash your hands often!
- Be smart with your money. It’s a tough season for those trying to remain financially stable! Use coupons, don’t buy the most expensive presents “just because,” and realize that sometimes homemade presents go a long way. Set a budget – before you just wander into a store without a plan where you will be more likely to make unnecessary purchases, decide how much you are going to spend on each person on your list. Try and pay with cash to avoid a huge post-season bill, avoid the urge to buy more once you’ve crossed someone off your list, and try to cut down a bit by suggesting fun things like a scarf exchange, Yankee Swap, or Secret Santa instead.
Question of the Day: How have you been surviving!?
Well, I seem to have lost the health piece already, my son is sick and I am as well! But spreading it out has helped a lot…cards were done early in Dec., as well as all online ordering (photo calendars). I am cutting way back on my bags of baked goods this year, and supplementing them with cheap goodies from Trader Joe’s so I am not as overwhelmed with the baking!