5 tips to stay fit during the Holidays

Yes you read that correctly.

I (and half of the world) tend to flush down the toilet our healthy eating habits when it’s Christmas time and in the last five years I have learned that is way more enjoyable to start the year with 1-2 extra lb. than 10. Not to mention the famous New Year’s resolution of «I am going to lose ___ pounds».

By no means I am a specialist on nutrition or I am telling you that this is the way to go but these five tips have helped me to keep on track during the stressful and (yummy) Holidays.

1. Give yourself two cheat meals a week. Don’t ruin your healthy eating by focusing on «oh Christmas is just once a year». Yes it is only once a year but you don’t have to spend 31 days over-eating. Negotiate two meals a week where you can have a green light with your favorite foods.
2. Don’t skip the gym. Since you are going to be in the festive mood please by all means don’t skip the gym. It is good for you and it will boost those happy happy happy endorphins. If you are not a gym person then keep active.
3. If you get invited to lunch, dinner or coffee with friends or family have a smaller portion of everything this way you taste all the good food but half the calories.
4. Keep track of your alcohol intake. I personally don’t drink that much, but when I do I tend to go for the fruity, sugary drinks. (Yes, I know…) So try to keep track of the empty calories here and there.
5. Keep your body hydrated. Water is your number one friend these Holidays (and the rest of your life too).

Hope this helps 🙂

How I prepare for Christmas

I normally get in the Holiday spirit around the end of November but this year it took me a while to feel the vibe. I started decorating my home on December 5th and after that I added one or two accents every week. In our last home I couldn’t decorate much because it was so small that I really didn’t want to saturate the place.

I used our mini tree from last year but this time I added a small stool so it now looks bigger. I also bought some pillows and added a little fun to our fridge door.

Today I’m still working (from home) and I am feeling Christmas more than before. It is a lovely cozy feeling…

 

Holiday feeling

Our tree is tiny just like our home. It’s kind of funny how small it is. (If Nina was here it would be the perfect tree for her). It was really easy decorating this tree, not to mention very fast too. This year I wanted to add some white to the tree and my little snowmen look absolutely cute.

I have to tell you I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in the festive mood for Christmas…but who am I kidding…I am always in that mood.

Here a little tour to our Christmas impromptu decor.

 

 

Gift idea: brownie mix in a jar

When I saw this the other day I immediately knew what I would give as a homemade gift for a friend. He loves good food (well, who doesn’t?) and rarely has time to cook, so I though this would be a lovely and original idea for his birthday present. Plus I know I will be making some of these for holiday season.

I followed this recipe and I have to confess I had to test it before I handed it out: it was heaven. Jimmy loved the brownies and I am planning on making some more to store in the freezer for our future sweet cravings.

This post falls into the Culinary Tuesdays category but I am going to go ahead and post it too in the OCD Thursdays because it is also a DIY gift idea.

Layer carefully your ingredients so they look pretty (mine look kinda weird, but I made the effort)

Don’t forget to add a little tag with the instructions and the rest of the ingredients to add when making the brownies. I bought my paper and tags at Tiger.