Welcome back to my 2011 Shedding Through the Season Guide! 

Ready for Week 3?

The week before Christmas = busy, busy, busy, so let’s try extra hard to stay on track this week.

If you missed the first two installments, here they are:

  • Shedding Through the Season:  Week 1
  • Shedding Through the Season:  Week 2

Reminder:  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

  • Protein Pancakes
  • Plain Chobani yogurt with a Kashi product of your choice mixed in.  Lately I’ve been into the Autumn Wheat and Cinnamon Harvest!
  • Whole wheat or multi-grain English muffin with almond butter

Lunch Suggestions

  • Salad greens with grilled chicken, chick peas, red kidney beans, and some other veggies of your choice + a low cal dressing.
  • Sliced avocado and olive oil with a sprinkle of pepper on multi-grain bread, with an apple on the side
  • Grilled goat cheese sandwich with fig and honey

Dinner Suggestions

Snack Suggestions

  • 1 serving of red grapes
  • Wasa crackers with low-fat cottage cheese
  • A hard-boiled egg!

FITNESS

Condensed But Intense Holiday Blast – Week 3

What You Need:  Just yourself!
Time:  Approximately 15 minutes

This is a great way to squeeze in a workout that gets your heart rate up and lets you sweat when you don’t have a lot of time.  This can also be done in the comfort of your own home to cut travel to and from the gym.  Do about 45 seconds through of each move, and if you have time this can be repeated through for a second or third circuit – totaling 15, 30, or 45 minutes depending on your needs.

  • Warmup:  March in place, march wide, jog in place
  • Regular Squats
  • Jump Squats
  • Side to side jump squats
  • Ski Lunge Taps
  • Lunge pulses – right leg
  • Lunge pulses – left leg
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Burpees
  • Pushups
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Crunches
  • Bicycles
  • Cooldown:  Stretching

TIPS

This week’s survival tips!

  • Still have shopping to do?  Head to the mall during very early or very late hours.  This way you have a better chance at avoiding your fellow last-minute shoppers in the midst of crowds and can do more in less time.
  • Hosting the party?  Delegate to your visitors.  Don’t be afraid to ask your guests to bring something along.  A few extra desserts or side dishes that someone else can bring just means less dishes for you to prepare, as well as less cleanup!  Also, delegate to your family, children, spouse, roommates, etc.  You cannot possibly do all the cleaning and preparation on your own.
  • Be realistic on what to expect.  There is no such thing as the perfect family out there, but there IS such thing as being able to have control over your own holiday and yourself.  Be realistic and know that someone’s feelings are bound to get hurt, someone is bound to get in an argument, and something messy is bound to spill on your rug.  However, if things do get out of control, you can say no and stand your ground.  For those with difficult situations and dysfunctional families – and unfortunately the truth of the matter is that there are plenty out there – people don’t change just because it’s Christmas Day.  Stay true to your boundaries and be grateful for the things you do have, but know it’s okay to leave if things get out of hand.

Question of the Day:  How have you been surviving?  Are you finding my Shedding Through the Season Guide helpful?