The THIRD Day of Fitness...TRADITIONS!

On the THIRD day of fitness, FitMePink Blog gave to me...TRADITIONS in my family!

What is it about traditions, especially around the holidays, that make them so important to us? I remember getting married, and being a little worried when Christmas came around. What if the husband didn't like the idea of pajamas on Christmas Eve? Or what if he hated our Christmas morning breakfast casserole? Or what if he wasn't okay with spending every holiday with my family? Somehow our lives have merged just fine, and I'm even okay with spending an occasional Christmas Eve with my awesome in-laws!

As a child, I remember looking forward to each of our holiday traditions. But looking back, it wasn't necessarily the fulfillment of each ritual that brought value to Christmas. It was the stability and trust I gained from each activity. When a certain thing happened year in and year out, I had something to rely on. Everything else in life changes, but certain things around the holidays should never change! They give each individual a sense of belonging, trust, and identity!

I grew up in California, but all of our extended family lived in Utah. More often than not, Christmas was actually spent away from our own home. But that didn't matter! Regardless of where we were, my family made a point of carrying out all the necessary traditions!

This year is the first year as a parent that I actually have a child old enough to sort of understand what's going on! While this has definitely made Christmas shopping trickier, I've thought a lot about the importance of establishing some traditions for my own family. Most will probably continue from my husband's and my families. But I'm hoping to start some of my own as well!

Some things I've tried haven't gone over so well this year, but hopefully as we continue, they'll catch on. For example, I truly believe that Christmas is a time to teach our kids to be giving and generous. Unfortunately this year, my son has cried every time we've purchased a present for a child other than him. At our church, for example, we chose an item off a "giving tree" to purchase for a family in need. We have no idea who the "Transformer Toy" will go to, but my son is NOT happy about it. He was also the only child at the party who cried after sitting on Santa's lap because he didn't get to tell him ALL the presents on his list. As a 3 1/2 year old, Christmas is still a time of selfish wanting, but as the years pass, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's hope for the wanting heart of his!

I definitely believe there are ways to incorporate healthy living into the holidays, but I don't think it's the time to stress over it! And for the record, it's a myth that the average person gains 10 pounds over the holidays! It's more like 1 pound...easily lost with healthy living once the New Year begins!

So here's a can-definitely-be-modified-to-create-a-healthier-version Christmas morning casserole. To me, Christmas morning just isn't Christmas morning without it!

1 lb. sausage (Jimmy Dean Regular) feel free to substitute turkey sausage

8 slices of bread (remove crust, cut into cubes) I use whole wheat

6 large eggs

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

2 1/2 cups milk

2 cups sharp milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can milk (c. of mushroom soup can)

Brown sausage, drain well.

Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Sprinkle bread on bottom.

Sprinkle sausage over bread.

Whip 6 large eggs, then add 3/4 tsp. mustard and 2 1/2 cups of milk.

Pour egg mixture over the bread and sausage.

Grate 2 cups sharp cheese, and sprinkle over the top.

Refrigerate over-night.

Pour 1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1/2 can of milk over entire dish.

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting it.

YUM! Eat while sitting in your new jammies opened the night before.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Memorial Day and Summer BBQ's

Weekends are hard enough (when it comes to food) when a holiday isn't attached! For me, memorial day marks the beginning of one of my favorite times of year: BARBECUE SEASON! BBQ is synonymous with summer. Love it! But with the re-emergence of potato salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, and lots and lots of saucy (read: high sugar, lots of calorie) condiments into our diets, you don't have to throw your hard work out the window. Here are a few things to think about:

• Fill up on fruits and veggies! YAY, my favorites are finally in season! (And this year I planted a square foot garden...more on that later...the EASIEST, CUTEST garden ever! I can't wait for the harvest!)
• Go easy on the condiments. You don't need as much mayo-ketchup-chippy-dip as you think!
• If you're grilling, why not cook veggie kabobs? YUM!
• Turn down the AC. Believe it or not, you eat less when you're slightly hot! Try a slightly uncomfortable 78 degrees instead of 72.
  
• Portion control. When I go to a family BBQ, I usually need a second plate to hold all my food. Do I really need to fill half a plate with potato salad? Probably not.
  
• Exercise! Take advantage of all that summer has to offer...WAY more opportunities for fitness. I'll need it to balance out my caloric intake! Yikes!

We're doing yard work today (meaning keeping my kids from picking the freshly planted flowers). I'm hoping to burn enough calories to justify a hamburger or two. What are your Memorial Day plans? Have fun, and take a moment or two to remember those who have worked so hard to preserve the freedoms we enjoy! God Bless America!

Traveling Fitness

My family decided to take a road trip to visit some family. This was supposed to be a vacation. It still has potential, but is hard to classify as such when the 12-hour journey begins with a 13-month old vomiting all over the place. But we made it, everyone slept through the night, the vomit appears to have ceased, so the vacation can officially begin!

This morning, I did a quick workout in the hotel room, with no equipment. Here's what I did...

Lunges: 2 sets of 50 on each leg

Push-ups: 3 sets of 30

Wall-squats: Hold on wall for 2 minutes. Press arms against wall, and do bicep curl with no weights...the entire time (about 150 reps)

Tricep Dips: 3 sets of 20

Plank: Hold for 90 seconds

Stretch!

Total Workout? 20 minutes! Mood? 1,000,000 times better than when I went to bed last night.

How do you fit in your workout while traveling?

The SECOND Day of Fitness....all about SCHEDULING!

***Remember to check back daily between now and Christmas for more fitness tips! We will be announcing the winners of our recipe contest at the end of the TWELVE DAYS OF FITNESS! Woo hoo!***

I'm often asked how I find time to work-out during the busy holiday season. It seems that as Christmas draws nearer, everyone's calendars fill up...including mine. If it's not a holiday party, it's a trip to the mall for a last-minute gift. Every minute is scheduled. So why not schedule your work out? I do the VERY best when I know ahead of time exactly when I'll be working out, and what I'll be doing. When my life gets really hectic, I write my workouts on the calendar!

Monday: 8 am--run on the treadmill
Tuesday: 5:45 am--cycling
Wednesday: 9 am--LIFT class
Thursday: 7 am--Turbo Jam/workout video
Friday: 3 pm--stretch/Yoga

Whatever you want to accomplish--write it down! Write it on a post-it note if you have to! Just write it somewhere! When I know ahead of time what I'm going to be doing, it's SOOOOOOOOOO much easier just to do it!

Next year I'm also going to try this--get a nice 3-ring binder to organize ALL your holiday stuff. You know, the kind that makes you giddy in a back-to-school sort of way. Have a section for receipts, a section for gifts--who you're giving to/what you're giving, a section for recipes, a schedule of events, and a section for FITNESS! You may keep a food log, a workout schedule/log, etc. Organize your life in such a way that you have room for fitness!

And finally...another recipe! This one is super festive, and great for entertaining (as long as your company likes fish...)!

Submitted by Kandis...Tarragon-Rubbed Salmon with Nectarine Salsa (YUM!)

2 Tbsp chopped red onion
2 large ripe nectarines--chopped
1 small red pepper--chopped
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp dried tarragon
1 pieces salmon fillet (6 oz. each)
(This recipe is for outdoor grilling, but you can also cook fish on griddle inside on medium-high heat--4 minutes on each side--or until fish is opaque.)

Grease clean grill grate and prepare grill for covered, direct grilling on medium. Meanwhile, in a cup, place chopped red onion; cover with cold water and let sit for 10 minutes (This will take some of the sharpness out of the raw onion.) In medium bowl, stir together remaining salsa ingredients: nectarines, red pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and 1/4 tsp salt--set aside.
In a small bowl, combine tarragon, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper. Brush salmon with oil and rub with tarragon mixture to coat both sides.
Place salmon on hot grill, cover and grill 8-10 minutes or until it turns opaque, turning over once. Transfer to platter.
Drain onion well and stir into salsa. Serve salsa over salmon.

Enjoy!

See you tomorrow! And let us know what YOUR holiday survival tips are!

Halloween Survival Guide

Well, it's here. The day every year that we love and dread. The day we lose the eat-your-dinner-before-you-get-any-treats battle with our kids, because well, they've already been eating candy all. day. long.

It's also the day we beat ourselves up for eating too much dang candy. I'm totally speaking for myself here. I'm pretty sure I'll be going through my toddler's trick-or-treat bag and sneaking as many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups into my pockets as I can. Or I'll give each little goblin a nasty sucker while I jam 5 Twix Bars in my mouth.

I know myself. I have a major weakness--chocolate! Add peanut butter, and I'm like Pavlov's dogs...my mouth waters at the very thought. So guess what? I'm totally giving myself permission to indulge. And if you want it, I'm giving you permission, too. That way, we won't be beating ourselves up over every little lick of candy, bite of sugar cookie, dab of frosting. It's OK.

I've never been an official "dieter." I tried the South Beach Diet for a few weeks. It drove me crazy! I craved things I'd never even eaten before...just because I couldn't have them. So I try not to obsess over food. Especially on days where I'd be setting myself up for failure. Like Halloween, for example. I'm generally a healthy eater, but I allow for indulgences (probably more often than I should admit). Halloween is one of the occasions where I just know I'm going to eat candy.

But guess what? I haven't bought any yet. I will go to the store tomorrow AM to stock up. And probably on candy I don't like. [Well, I like it all, but am less tempted by fruity varieties.] Suckers, gum balls, life savers, etc. Like I said--chocolate is my weakness. I'm banking on my own little trick-or-treater-dressed-as-Mickey-Mouse bringing me home what I really want.

So I will have chocolate, but not all day long. And I won't eat three pieces of candy each time the doorbell rings...cuz I won't really like the kind we give out. I will work out in the morning. I will eat some of my MIL's homemade goodness that is her Chili to help stave off major cravings. But I will indulge. And it probably won't be pretty. But I'm OK with that. For tomorrow.

Other survival ideas include giving away non-food items. Tattoo stickers. Pencils. Sugar-free Gum. Why is the focus of so many celebrations on the food anyway?

What are your Halloween/holiday survival tips? You know what to do. Leave a comment!