Tag Archives: Healthy Holidays

Defeat Seasonal Stress by Setting Realistic Expectations

Catherine Holecko is the Guide to Family Fitness at About.com and suggests Harry Connick Jr. for all your holiday karaoke needs and workout playlists.

I absolutely love the winter holidays and everything that goes along with them, but as my kids grow and life gets busier and more complicated, I’ve noticed my stress level rising each November. Since we have no family nearby, we travel for Thanksgiving every year, and Christmas every other year—which, I swear, has to be the top holiday stressor ever. So this year, I’m formalizing a plan to make the season merrier. It starts with thinking clearly about what matters to me and my husband and kids.

1. We need a tree. I need a live (well, cut) Christmas tree even if we are not going to be home for Christmas. Yes, it’s a pain to wrestle into the stand, to clean up after, to keep watered, and to dispose of. But nothing can take the place of the sight and scent of a real tree. My daughter has already asked me if we’ll have a tree this year even though we won’t be home on Christmas Day, so I know it’s something she cares a lot about too. Plus, choosing and decorating the tree is an important family activity, something we all insist on doing together, while singing carols like some kind of television commercial or cheesy sitcom.

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Posted on November 28, 2023 by GuestBlogger

8 Tips to Healthier Holidays

Christine Koh is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, the designer behind Posh Peacock, and writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse. She
lives in the Boston area with her husband Jonathan and daughters Laurel (7 years) and Violet (8 months). She tweets about it all at @bostonmamas.

The holidays are, characteristically, a challenging time of year for many. Emotions often run high (e.g., due to missing loved ones or interfacing with family members with whom there is friction) and there are physical challenges as well — the abundance of sweet treats challenges even the most disciplined, and busy schedules and overwhelming to-do lists can shift self care to the back burner. In my opinion, it’s thus even more important to step back and reflect on your actions around this time of year. Here are eight things I recommend doing to enjoy a healthier holiday season – both mentally and physically.

1. Bring and/or serve alternative treats. One Christmas, my sister-in-law
brought healthier snacks as a hostess gift for my mother – items such as a prettily arranged dried fruit platter and yogurt covered pretzels instead of yet another tray of cookies or bowl of candy. And everyone gravitated towards these offerings because they provided a welcome respite to the super sweet treats! Consider healthy alternative treats as either a hostess gift or if you are looking to put out snacks at your own holiday gathering.

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Posted on November 25, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Shop Hard, Eat Smart this Black Friday with The Fresh Diet

Looking for a holiday gift that gives back? Then you might be interested in The Fresh Diet and the gourmet meals and snacks they deliver right to your door. Founded in 2005 by a Le Courdon Bleu trained chef, this Florida-based company creates mouthwatering dishes for its clients to help them eat better without sacrificing taste.

Each dish is based on a balance of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% “good” fats; however, clients have total control over what dishes make it onto their own daily menu. Once clients decide what foods they want to incorporate into their day, The Fresh Diet’s team of chefs whip up their daily set of meals and deliver it fresh. In fact, this  meal planning service  prides itself in never serving frozen, freeze-dried, or vacuum packed meals. This means you can expect great taste every time a meal shows up on your doorstep.

If that’s not enough, nutrition professionals are available to help clients with more specific nutrition needs. In fact, they will work with you to develop dishes that meet your unique needs and still satisfy your hunger.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Kati

Create Your Own Holiday Traditions

By Cynthia Crowsen from It All Changes

Growing up, Thanksgiving traditions were food, food, and more food. My grandmother’s formal dining table held everything you could imagine; olives in many flavors, several types of stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, home made gravy and the turkey.

We were stuffed like the turkey after seconds and even thirds. After a few hours to let the food digest we had dessert of several homemade pies and cultural favorites.

Food and family are fantastic but there was nothing healthy about it. The one meal could last a week and tryptophan comas prevented any exercise from happening. It was tradition but not one I was looking to keep.

I met my Hunni soon after I lost almost 100 pounds. The traditional family Thanksgiving didn’t appeal to me…I wanted some changes. Our first year dating we decided to make our own traditions full of health and good food.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by GuestBlogger

How To Prevent and Stop a Binge This Holiday Season

It’s so easy to overdo it during holiday events. Family gatherings often include obscene amounts of food in all their richest forms. It may be that you simply want to sample all the special dishes that you have not had since last year. It may be that it just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole or it doesn’t feel like Christmas without the eggnog. It may be that you have eaten too many sweets and feel like something salty will help you feel better, or you catch yourself alternating between salty and sweet. It may be that you are mindlessly grazing on all the finger foods while catching up with family members. You may even be getting encouragement to eat more from well meaning family members. Any of those things and more can encourage you to eat too much.

For some the danger is simply eating more than intended or indulging in a food item that you have removed from your diet. When you are trying to lose weight, counting calories often becomes extremely important. When you are trying to get healthier, there are often certain foods that are best to avoid. Overindulging during the holidays can delay reaching our goals. For others the danger goes beyond simply over eating and could be considered a binge. While special foods are often part of the enjoyment of the holiday season, feeling uncomfortable from eating to much is never enjoyable.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Holidays Actually Create More Time to Workout

By Melisa Wells from Suburban Scrawl

I’ve been a group fitness instructor for nearly eight years now, and until recently it’s never been difficult for me to “find the time” to exercise. I get paid to teach classes on a schedule and although every class I teach doesn’t provide the best workout for me personally, it’s still scheduled time for me to move. A couple of years ago, I was up to teaching nine classes each week and I felt really great. Gradually though, due to the economy and changes in club scheduling, I started losing classes and now teach only one—a cycling class—each week.

Suddenly it became necessary for me to “find the time” to exercise. I have been taking Zumba classes and recently restarted Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred at home. I’m starting to feel good again, but Thanksgiving looms.

I have nothing against the holiday, really. Thanksgiving is full of family togetherness. Unfortunately, it’s also full of food, which seems to go without saying, but when you’re the type of person who is trying to get back into fighting shape, the thought of a food-focused holiday is a little stressful.

It’s okay though: I have a plan.

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Posted on November 21, 2023 by GuestBlogger

5 Tips for Sticking to Weight Watchers During the Holidays

By Kalisa Hyman from I’ll Be the One in Heels

Kalisa on her anniversary in May

When I went to Toronto in May for my anniversary, the scenery in my photographs was lovely. I was less happy about the way I looked in them.

That’s when I finally decided to do something about my weight. Inspired by a friend who had lost over 40 pounds on Weight Watchers, I went online and checked out their PointsPlus program. It looked like something that might work for me, because I’m such a picky eater. I don’t like salads. I don’t like grilled chicken. I like my veggies with lots of butter and bacon and breadcrumbs. At least on the WW program, I could select what food I wanted to eat. That offered the only hope of something I would stick to.

The program was great – the online version provided me all the tools I needed to assess the Points value of everything I ate. It even gave me Points values for exercise. And there was a mobile version so I was never at a loss for information. I found it very easy to stick with healthy eating and to keep my meals within the allotted daily Points.

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Posted on November 16, 2023 by GuestBlogger

How to Ask Your Family For Help With Your Holiday Diet

Holidays are hectic and everyone walks in with certain expectations and hopes. People have prepared food in anticipation of sharing it with loved ones. Others may be wanting everything to be just like it was the year before. At the dinner table or even at the family gathering may not be the best time to tell your family about your food plan or to ask for their help in sticking to your weight loss goals.

To avoid emotional reactions from your loved ones, you may want to share this information several weeks in advance to give them time to work through any disappointment they may be feeling or to plan healthier options for the entire family. With large families like mine, it is difficult to get everyone in the same room or make sure everyone is hearing important announcements. There are times that it is most helpful to have individual conversations with the majority of family members; however, there are also times when sending a kind of newsletter may be the most effective and non intimidating way to share your goals with family members.

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Posted on November 16, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Healthy Holiday Gift Guides Feature $1800 in Prizes and Our Favorite Gear

holiday box wrapped in gold and red paper

Giveaway Promotion Ended Dec. 2024

 

We know, we know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but many of our readers are sure to be thinking about buying gifts already. Since the summer, we’ve been keeping lists of our favorite health and fitness products, so that we could share the best of the year’s offerings in our holiday gift guides. We have gifts for the gym lover in your life, the foodie, the runner and yoga practitioner. We also have a special kids gift guide, full of fun present ideas that will encourage active play and healthy eating. No matter who you’re shopping for, we have healthy ideas that suit a range of budgets.

We’re especially excited to announce that each of these gift guides also features a prize pack, with some of the best prizes we’ve ever had the opportunity to give away. In total, we’re giving away more than $1800 in prizes this year! Check out the contest details at the end of each guide to find out how to win.

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Posted on November 16, 2023 by Margaret

A Full Feast of Turkey Trots to Get You Moving Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is full of traditions. The turkey, the pie, the stuffing, and the stuffing of bellies are all synonymous with Thanksgiving. Thankfully a growing tradition of Thanksgiving Day foot races is sweeping the country. More and more feasters are burning those calories before the tryptophan takes over and they become overfed couch dwellers for the afternoon.

Here are some of the best turkey day races the nation has to offer. Start a new tradition with your family and get a run in before you gobble.

1. 116th Annual YMCA Turkey Trot Buffalo, NY
Be a part of American history with this race. This is the oldest continually running footrace in North America, it’s even older than the Boston Marathon.
The 8K race brings more than 14,000 runners out in the brisk morning air. Each runner is asked to bring 2 cans of non-perishable food, making it a huge charity opportunity as well. What a way to celebrate the holiday!

2. Manchester Road Race. Manchester, Connecticut
The Manchester Road Race began in 1927 with just twelve runners. Today the 4.748 mile race welcomes over 15,000 runners and walkers. This race is celebrating its 75th anniversary and continues to see elite runners, professionals, and Olympians every year. The race also welcomes amateurs all the way down to their “mall walker” category. This long standing race is accustom to seeing running superstars like nine-time champ Amby Burfoot toe the line. The historic course and the supportive crowds are what have kept this race in business for so many years.

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Posted on November 13, 2023 by Lacy

Healthy Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes That will Satisfy Everyone at Your Table

While Thanksgiving can be a challenging day of the year for all dieters, it’s especially difficult for vegetarians and vegans who abstain from eating turkey. There is no shortage of vegetable dishes at most Thanksgiving tables, but the meal often revolves around turkey as a main course.

While the vegetarian diet is diverse and exciting, there are certain parts of the Thanksgiving meal that can be challenging to navigate on a meat-free diet.

Meat-Free Main Dishes
This year, whether you are eating a vegetarian diet, vegan diet or simply want to cut down your consumption of animal products, you can easily swap the turkey out of your Thanksgiving dinner without sacrificing tradition. While offering meat substitute like “Tofurkey” is one option, many home cooks prefer to take advantage of fresh seasonal produce and hearty grain salads.

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Posted on November 11, 2023 by Maris