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Winter Fluff

Winter fluff.  I’m not talking about the white stuff, but rather the extra pounds one tends to gain during the winter season.  Of course, this was normal living in Minnesota.  Activity waned for me as the weather got colder outdoor.   Fortunately, over-sized sweaters were the perfect way to cover up any extra weight.

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Unfortunately, living in South Florida our winter consists of dips into the 40s.  Most of the winter is comfortably warm and bikini season in unending.  There’s rarely sweater weather here, so there’s no covering up any extra winter fluff.  On the flip side, the weather here is perfect.  Consequently, we can enjoy the great outdoors year round.   Not surprisingly, running is a lot more pleasant when the temperatures are in the 70s not the high 90s.  Running in triple digit heat indices, as you can imagine, is not nearly as much fun as it sounds.

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The only the combination of lack of sweater weather and winter fluff are troublesome is around the holidays. Who wants to behave and eat well with all the holiday parties and dinners?  Thanks, but no thanks!  So how does on survive the holidays without putting on the fluff?  I’m glad you asked.  The key is moderation and exercise.  Sadly, diet is 80% of the equation with exercises only making up 20%.   This means you cannot completely correct all your food indiscretions with exercise.

Where does this leave you?  Comprising.  If you’re at a party, enjoy the food, but skip seconds.  If you’re drinking, opt for a drink (like a vodka soda) that is low in calories.  My drink of choice is a peach pear LaCroix with a shot of Peach Ciroc on the ice.  Its refreshing, its light and its low calorie.  Plus, Circoc is very smooth.  In addition, add in some extra workouts as this will help mitigate some of the extra calories.

In honor of the start of the holiday season, let’s kick it back to 2001 with Pink’s Get the Party Started

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Jus Cleanse Bandwagon

I admit it, after much consternation I jumped on the Jus cleanse bandwagon.  After struggling to lose both the Norway and Hurricane Irma weight, I figured why not try it.  I researched several cleanses.  I quickly realized that I would need a cleanse with more than just juice if i was going to be successful.  Fortunately, I found a cleanse on Groupon from a reputable company with tons of good reviews.  It was reassuring to see numerous people write that they didn’t feel hungry or fatigued while on the cleanse.

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Consequently, I bought a 3 day cleanse from Jus By Julie.  The cleanse itself was came with nine juice and nine soups.  The juices were Sweet Spin Juice (kale, spinach, pineapple, rice milk and mango), Spicy Pomegranate (think master cleanse with pomegranate), and Berry Chia.   I enjoyed each of the juices including the Spicy Pomegranate.  These juices are blended not cold pressed, so there is considerable pulp in some of them.  I don’t mind pulp, but if you’re not a pulp person these juices probably aren’t for you.

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In addition to the juices, the cleanse came with 9 different soups.  There’s too many to name here, but some of my favorites were: split pea, carrot ginger, red lentil, coconut pumpkin bisque and the detox broth.  Each of the soups, like the juices, is vegan, gluten free, kosher, non-GMO and dairy free.  If you have sensitivities to any of the aforementioned items, this cleanse will be perfect for you.  While the soups have no dairy, gluten or animal products, what they do have is a lot of good flavor.  I was honestly impressed with the quality and flavor of all nine of the soups.

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Was I hungry on the cleanse?  Absolutely, but I’m always hungry.  I could eat sixty four Thanksgiving dinners still be hungry.   At the end of each night, I was hungry, but I wasn’t dying from hunger.  In fact, I had expected to be much hungrier at the end of the day.  From a calories perspective, it wasn’t super low calorie, which is good.   I felt it kept my calories at a safe level without being too high or too low.  Unquestionably, the most surprising aspect of the cleanse was how I felt on the cleanse.  Surprisingly,  the cleanse left me feeling energetic and amazing.  While teaching Zumba on the cleanse, I felt great and full of energy.  This was a truly pleasant surprise.

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Confession time.  The cleanse directions state that  you’ are to give up solid foods and coffee creamer while on the program.  I have no problem with the food, but admittedly I couldn’t give up my Dunkin.  Nonetheless, the cleanse was still effective for me even as I continued to drink my cream laden coffee.   I know there’s a cacophony of differing opinions on cleanses, which makes it difficult to truly evaluate their worth.    However, at the end of the three days, I was down four pounds and feeling fantastic.  It is definitely something I will buy again and something I’d recommend trying.

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Where can you buy it?  The best option is via Groupon as it sells it for $59 plus shipping vs. the list price of $125 on Jus By Julie’s website.  They ship the juices and soup to you frozen at a cost of $20.  Jus By Juile packs their products into a Styrofoam cooler with a generous amount of ice packs.  I was impressed that the cleanse survived being delivered to sunny South Florida in the early October heat.

Groupon: click here
Jus by Julie: click here

 

 

Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links of this site are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earning a commission if you click through and purchase.

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The Trouble With Travel

The trouble with travel is hockey is trying to maintain healthy eating habits when the majority of your weeknights are spent at the rink and your weekends are spent driving across the state to other rinks.  Hockey season doesn’t have to be a diet killer if you’re well prepared.  Just like you would take the time to prep our meals for the work week, you have to take the time to prep your snacks  and meals for the road.

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After hundreds of miles on the road, the ease and quickness of fast food is alluring.  If, however, you’ve planned ahead and prepped your snacks and meals for the road, it is easy to drive by or skip out on the fast food.  Removing the temptation and not wanting to waste food will go a long way to keeping you on the diet wagon.

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Here are some great ideas for healthy snacks and easy meals for the road.

  • Almonds
  • Peanuts
  • Stringed Cheese
  • Apples or apple slices
  • Peanut butter or almond butter
  • Oranges – clementine’s are perfect for road trips as they are very easy to peel
  • Berries
  • Grapes
  • Popcorn
  • Baby carrots
  • Protein Shakes
  • Protein bars
  • Granola bars
  • Yogurt
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Celery sticks

If you carpool with other families, be sure your snacks align with any food allergies that may be present in your carpool group.

These snacks are easy, convenient, healthy and relatively inexpensive especially when compared to the cost of eating at a restaurant every trip.  For tips on how to indulge in an adult beverage or two without calling your waistline, see my tasty, but light on calories recommendations here.

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Finding Balance

We all have an Achilles heel that can trip us up as we pursue our fitness and health goals.  Sometimes, it is only a minor slip up that causes our healthy habits to start to taper off.  If you’re like me, a cheat meal can easily converts into a cheat week.

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So how do we stay the course without driving ourselves nutty?

  • Allow yourself latitude to miss a workout or eat a treat. It’s okay to not be perfect.
  • Don’t cut out whole food groups completely. Ditching carbs is certainly effective, but not practical long term.
  • Don’t give up everything you like. I can give up almost everything, but don’t make me give up or change my coffee!
  • Have a battle buddy.  Together you can keep each other on track and disciplined.
  • Sign up for a race or event, so you have a milestone to work towards.
  • Practice yoga, it will reduce stress (and stress hormones) and help you avoid injury by keeping you flexible.

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These are just a few tips you can use to taper off your unhealthy habits and convert them into healthy habits and on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

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A Harsh Reality of Adulting

One of the cruelest realities of adulting, by far, is portion control. Who knew that as a women as soon as you turned 25, your metabolism would start slowing to a crawl? That burger you could eat once eat without even thinking about soon gives you pause. The large plate of spaghetti you once ate, turned into a medium plate, at 30 it turned into a small plate and at 35 it turned into a plate of carbless noodles. Doesn’t that sound appetizing?
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Seriously consider the portions you get at a restaurant. Some our 2-4 times the recommended serving size. Depending on the day and the discipline level, this may work for you. As one meal could turn into 3-4 meals that wouldn’t entirely kill your waistline. On a bad day, it could undo weeks of disciplined eating and hard work at the gym.

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If you look at your diet and you’ve cut a lot of the junk out but still aren’t losing weight, take a look at your portions. Many of us eat pretty healthy, but portion control can trip you up. Even if you only eat healthy fats like almonds or avocados to excess, the end result will be the same. You’ll gain weight as your calorie intake exceeds the calorie intake. One of the best ways I have found to counter this is by tracking what I eat and holding myself accountable. My kitchen scale, measuring spoons and cups are my best friends in maintaining healthy portions.