For those of us trying to watch our weight, the holidays can be tough. We find ourselves surrounded by snacks and sweets, and though we know we should eat only in moderation, emotions associated with the holiday season can blow all self-discipline out the window. If we’re sad, stressed, or frustrated, it’s easy to think, “I deserve this,” or simply, “Who cares?”
Jillian Michaels has written a great — and short — article on “4 Ways to Make Yourself Feel Better Other Than Eating. You’ll learn some ideas to help yourself soothe those emotions in ways that don’t involve food and won’t make you hate yourself the next time you look in the mirror
(you shouldn’t be hating yourself, anyway, but that’s another blog post). We all need a little TLC once in a while, and I think she’s got some ideas worth reading.
I will add one other outlet for your pent-up emotional energy that Jillian didn’t mention: exercise. I know — weird that Jillian Michaels didn’t mention exercise, but she’s so well-known now that perhaps that’s just a given.
Nonetheless — get out there and do something when those emotions have got you down (or ready to scream). I went for a run with my daughter yesterday, and boy, I felt good afterward. I felt like I’d given it my all, but actually had some energy post-running. A little while later, we drove to the mall, and the mellowness kicked in on the way there. Not a blah, depressed mellowness, but a good, peaceful feeling. It occurred to me later that it was from running. (My daughter even said, “What’s wrong with you?” I had to convince her I really was fine — just mellow!)
Yes, I know the holidays are almost over, but New Year’s Eve is still on the docket, as is New Year’s Day. If you have more get-togethers planned, take a look at Jillian’s article and remember there are other ways to soothe a sad or cranky soul than by eating.
I’ve been thinking about excuses lately. I’ve personally been very good at making lots of them, thinking up plenty of reasons over the years as to why I couldn’t get in shape, eat healthy, etc. But ever since I made the choice to change my life, I’ve been blowing some of those excuses out of the water. I’d like to share them with you.
“I can’t exercise because I have this or that physical problem.” When I was 19, I had knee surgery for a cartilage problem in my left knee. I also have it in my other knee, and both can still be very noisy when take I the stairs or kneel . As far as exercise, the crackling sound makes doing lunges quite comical. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, and with fibromyalgia about 10 years ago. The cherry on top of all of this: I also suffer from one or two migraines a month. So what did I do? I stopped listening to myself whine about my knees (they’ve both gotten stronger, thanks to working out), I rarely notice my fibromyalgia anymore, and when the migraines hit, I lay low and allow my body to rest. When the pain lessens, I’m back to my workouts. What’s your excuse? Everyone can do something.
“I’m too tired to make healthy meals for my family.” This excuse can be scrubbed out with a little planning and effort. Do what I did: Motivate yourself by reading about all the ways healthy eating can benefit your family, and how junk food harms their bodies. You’ll find yourself more motivated to make meals that are good for all of you.
“I’m too tired…period.” If you have a physical condition that is causing fatigue, please check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. If you’re otherwise healthy, you may be surprised to know that exercise – hard work that it can be – will actually give you more energy and help you to sleep better at night. I’m living proof. I have more energy now (previously sapped by my fibromyalgia and poor health habits) than I’ve ever had in my life. I feel great! Also, make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
“I don’t have the time/I’m too busy.” You’ve probably heard the phrase, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It’s true. If you let the trivial busyness of the day take over, hoping to fit in a workout somewhere along the line, it won’t happen. Make it a priority. If you use a planner, schedule it as an appointment.
“I’ll start exercising when my life calms down … I’m under too much stress right now.” My doctor once told me, “If you don’t let the stress out, it will find its own way out.” Ominous words, but very true. Stress left unchecked can cause a host of health issues. Exercise, therefore, is an excellent stress-reliever. During one weekend that was hard for our family, my daughter Erica and I both felt the need to get outside and just walk. We went around our block at a good pace twice (joined for a portion of it by our neighbor’s black lab), joked around a little, and felt pretty good by the time we got home. Was the stress and worry over a particular situation (my husband’s health) totally gone? No, but we both felt better able to manage it. So, really, when it comes to exercise, there’s no time like the present.
Here’s a simple thing to do: Take a few moments to think about the excuses you’ve been making when it comes to getting in shape, then write those excuses down. Next, think of a rebuttal for each excuse, and write that down, too. For example, if you wrote, “I don’t have time to exercise,” you can counter that with: “I can fit in a brisk, 15-minute walk every day.” If walking isn’t your thing, try the 10-minute workouts on ExerciseTV.tv, or through your cable TV provider (I do the workouts that I find on Exercise TV through the Sports and Fitness Channel on Comcast’s OnDemand).
It’s easy to get a romanticized notion of the holidays. Everything – from greeting cards to novels to holiday movies – tells us how wonderful and perfect the Christmas season should be. For many people, however, it’s far from being wonderful and perfect. Problems like financial stress or the loss of a loved one can put a severe damper on what should be a joyful time.
If you’ve experienced Christmases like this but want this year to be different, here are some things you can do to bring back the joy.
• Give of yourself. If you’re down, this is the last thing you’ll feel like doing, but nothing can pull you out of the doldrums like giving to others. You know what skills you have; how can you use them to benefit someone less fortunate? Maybe you’re short on time (and skills, perhaps). If so, you can donate money to your favorite charities, give non-perishable food to your local food bank, or give clothes your kids have outgrown to local foster groups. Look beyond your town — and even your country — and consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International.
• Throw a Christmas caroling party. Invite some friends and family over for snacks, hot cider, and a musical walk through the neighborhood. It’ll be a lot of fun – not only for your group, but for your neighbors, as well.
• Put up outdoor Christmas lights. It’s a peaceful, beautiful, and sometimes humorous way to spread cheer to those driving by.
• Spend time with your family just playing games, talking, or watching holiday TV shows. Find out when the old Christmas specials are on and watch them together.
• Bundle up the family, toss ‘em in the car, and drive around to look at Christmas lights. Some neighborhoods have contests to see who can decorate the best for Christmas – these are the ones you’ll want to tour. Don’t forget to play Christmas music while driving, and have some hot cider (or cocoa) when you get home.
• Send out Christmas cards. Drink hot chocolate and play Christmas music while signing the cards and addressing the envelopes.
• Bake cookies – lots of them. Take extras to your neighbors or any shut-ins that you know.
• Eat as healthy as possible. Maybe it’s not the best timing for this one — right after the “bake cookies” suggestion — but please take it to heart. When we’re down, most of us want to eat, and women, more than men, tend to reach for sweets. Sugar may make us feel comforted and even happy at first, but the “crash” soon follows, and we end up feeling worse than before.
• Go see a current holiday movie or catch a local theater group’s rendition of “A Christmas Carol” (or the new Disney 3-D animated version starring Jim Carrey).
• Attend a musical Christmas production at a local church. It could also be a great way to make some new friends.
• Remember the real reason for the season: Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself and came to us as a baby to save us from our sins. Read the Christmas story in Luke 1-2:39 aloud to your family…or just to yourself. Thank Him for His gift of salvation.
If you’re lacking joy this Christmas season, I hope these suggestions bring back the glimmer of hope and happiness for you. Merry Christmas!
Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief for CrazyBusy Mama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives.
The holidays go by in a crinkly blur, and you’re left standing in the middle of wadded-up wrapping paper and worn-out decorations, scratching your head and asking:
“What in the heck just happened?”
Most of us, I think, go into the holiday season that way — we just let it happen. I’ve found, though, that the holidays I’ve enjoyed the most have been the ones I’ve taken time to plan. When I write down my Thanksgiving menu and the ingredients I need, meal prep is easier and the day is more enjoyable. Sending out Christmas cards isn’t so difficult if I make a list beforehand of who we’ll be sending them to. Having the cards, envelopes, pictures and stamps together in one box or basket that I can carry around with me (to fill them out wherever and whenever the mood strikes) is helpful, too.
Another wise practice is to keep all of your Christmas decorations in one place. My family and I broke that cardinal rule this year. I found two plastic totes in our utility room full of Christmas things (mostly my snowman collection), and various other things were in what I call our “Christmas Trunk.” It’s an old steamer trunk at the foot of our bed. Most years, it’s no big deal getting into the trunk: just flip the latches and lift the lid. But earlier this year, it was forced into double duty as a TV stand. The TV is an older one that is too heavy for me to lift on my own, so my sons helped with that.
After the totes and trunk had been gone through, along with a cupboard in our laundry/utility room, I found out why being unorganized can bite you in the rear: Our Advent wreath is missing. And because Sunday was the first Sunday of the Advent season, we weren’t able to begin our celebration, which includes candle lighting, the singing of carols or hymns, and reading Bible verses and a Christmas story or two.
The search for the wreath will continue tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t culminate with me buying a new one, because that’s when I’ll find the one that’s missing (it always works that way). And then I’ll have two.
If you’re like me and tend to let the holidays happen to you rather than the other way around, here are a few links to help you reign in some otherwise crazy days:
1. If you’re hosting a Christmas party or family get-together, Party411‘s Christmas Party Planning Guide will give you lots of ideas and help you feel at least a little bit sane. It’s a fun site to go through, so be ready to print out ideas you like — or at least have a notepad ready to write them down.
2. The interior decorating channel at About.com has a fantastic, short and simple article on how to plan for Christmas. I’m not going to recommend any other “get organized” list to you. This one’s pretty much perfect. Why? It’s the KISS principle: Keep it Simple, Sweetheart (or as I learned it years ago: Keep it Simple, Stupid…which isn’t very nice). This article tells you a few great ways to simplify without getting too complicated. I don’t know about you, but if I have too many things on my list, my brain shuts down and I start playing games on my computer. Yes, I did just admit that.
3. Once you’ve decided what you need to plan for, write it down.
There are many ways to keep track of your list (or lists) electronically (such as in a note to yourself on your iPhone, et al), but I really like the good, old-fashioned write-it-down method, and I prefer to do that in a planner. The Busy Body Book is my all-time favorite planner. Each week is broken into five columns, which gives you five boxes to write in for each day. These columns can be used for anything: different family members (good for seeing what each child has going on that week at one glance), or use them to organize household tasks, work-related activities, or even…yes…the holidays. It’s very inexpensive and I think you’ll love it as much as I do.
So, if you haven’t already figured it out, the best holiday stress-reliever is…planning. Delegating follows at a very close second — please don’t think you have to do it all yourself.
Do you plan or delegate to lessen the stress of the holidays? I’d love to hear your strategies!
Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and come join the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook page by clicking here.
It’s said that Cleopatra used cucumber juice to preserve her skin. Cucumbers are wonderful in salads, but what exactly is it that makes them worthy of being added to our facial care repertoire?
It’s simply this: Cucumbers contain anti-inflammatory properties that help shrink swollen tissues. Among their many nutrients, the two that we’re interested in are ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and caffeic acid. These help to reduce inflammation and soothe irritated skin.
To give some relief to the area around your eyes, lie down and place two slices over your eyes for about 10-20 minutes. Later, the rest of the cucumber may be peeled and pureed to make a facial mask. Wash off after 10-15 minutes, pat dry, and apply moisturizer.
Highly Recommended: Naturally Skinsational: Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes“Quite possibly the most important book on the subject, Naturally Skinsational: Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes by skincare expert Sue Dolan provides readers a comprehensive and holistic approach to the maintenance of the body’s largest organ. That’s right, skin. With harmful environmental factors and the inevitable process of aging, women fight an uphill battle. Now, readers have a choice other than expensive over-the-counter products and cosmetic procedures such as face-lifts and derma-abrasion. In twelve easy chapters, such as ‘Skin Essentials’ and ‘Facial Steam Recipes,’ the author leaves nothing to chance. Using the healing properties of herbs, fruits, and other natural ingredients, she offers a simple approach to skincare. Whether one is combating age spots, crow’s feet, or a wide range of other skincare concerns, this do-it-yourself skin maintenance recipe book serves as a veritable bible to keeping one’s skin as fit and beautiful as possible. Defy nature, by using it!” (Amazon)
It’s like tradition for me: Every holiday season I order groceries online at least once, sometimes twice. There have been various reasons for doing this, but the biggest and best if getting to skip the crowds.
The store I order from 90% of the time is Safeway. It seems like I’m always getting a coupon in the mail for free delivery, so I’m thinking I may start utilizing their services more. I’ve never had a bad experience with delivery from Safeway.com (you’ll also see links below for Genuardis and Vons, who are in the Safeway “family”).
Give them a try! It’ll save you at least one headache this season.
If you’ve read my post on the ExerciseTV blog about my hard-to-believe holiday plans, you know those plans include making healthy versions of the “usual” holiday dishes, starting with Thanksgiving. I’m talking about marshmallow-covered sweet potato casserole, peanut butter fudge, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Each and every one will be getting a makeover.
Also, as you’ll see in the post I mentioned above, my daughter and I are following a health challenge to maintain our weight and gain not even one pound during the holiday season. Yikes, right? More on that in a later post!
Following is a list of each dish as it used to be (a torpedo of fat aimed straight for the hips), and what it will become (delicious and nutritious):
Sweet potato casserole, previously made with eggs, spices, brown sugar, and topped with marshmallows and canned pineapple, will now be sweetened with turbinado sugar (“sugar in the raw”), with a crispy streusel topping.
Mashed potatoes will no longer be made from baking potatoes (or, as was the case on some Thanksgivings, from a box). This year, my “mashed potatoes” will actually be made from red potatoes, cauliflower (that’s right), and roasted garlic.
As far as the gravy is concerned, I used to make it by whisking together turkey broth, water, and a couple of MSG-laden packets of turkey gravy. No monosodium glutamate on our turkey day table this year! We’ll have gravy, but it’ll be made in a more nutritious way.
Our usual homemade whole berry cranberry sauce will be sweetened with turbinado sugar this year instead of white sugar (hint: the addition of frozen blueberries makes it even sweeter).
Green bean casserole…now that will be a tough one. I’ll either use the low-fat version of cream of mushroom soup in it, or may just replace the casserole with a healthier veggie dish. I’ll let you know.
Peanut butter fudge is also stumping me, I’ll admit. I’ve made it for years from a stick or two of real butter, what seemed to be a ton of sugar, peanut butter (of course), and a jar of marshmallow cream. You know — and I know — that for someone who’s trying to get and/or stay healthy, that’s a dangerous thing to have sitting around. I’ll either make a healthier version (perhaps with turbinado sugar) or I’ll just make less, considering how my 17 year-old son begged me not to ditch the fudge this year.
And, last but never least: Pumpkin pie. I’m really pretty excited about this one. While shopping in the natural foods section of my favorite store last week, I found a can of organic pumpkin pie filling! Who’da thunk it? Organic pumpkin pie filling? I grinned from ear to ear when I held that can for the first time. It contains nothing but pumpkin, organic cane juice, and spices. I just have to add eggs and a crust. I bought a second can today because I’d love to try making some pumpkin pie biscotti with it.
The turkey, as usual, will be roasted inside a Reynolds Oven Bag. I’ve cooked it in one of those for the past 10 years (at least), and it’s been perfect every time.
I am really excited about the changes I’ll be making to our Thanksgiving menu! I plan on posting recipes all next week for you to try, so you can have a healthy (but tasty) Thanksgiving, too.
Weeks ago, my three year-old informed me that she wanted to be Snow White for Halloween. I found a great little Snow White costume in a catalog that I planned to order for her…then promptly forgot to. Turns out that was a good thing, as this week I found out that who she really wants to be on Saturday night is Cinderella.
When she told me that — and I realized I only had days to get a costume — my heart rate immediately began pounding. I remembered the stress of years past, rummaging through the “leftovers” at the party store the day before Halloween, wondering if one of my kids would mind being something like Bugs Bunny instead of Spiderman (no one would be able to see them inside the costume, anyway, I reasoned).
And so, I decided two days ago that I would “grin and bear it” and make the trek to the party store. I pictured a stress-filled day as we traveled to each location of this store in our area, trying to find a Cinderella costume that wasn’t four sizes too big or missing one glove (I’m thinking my three year-old is a little young to be doing a Michael Jackson tribute…).
Thankfully, I remembered before we left the house that I could try the local consignment shop. It was fairly new, but the old (and now closed) kids’ consignment store in the area always had costumes at this time of year. Long story short, I stopped by this new store (“The Treasure Box” in Maple Valley, WA, if you’re in the area), and was shown a “Belle” gown by the owner…but no Cinderella dress. The Belle gown was my daughter’s size and only $4.99, so I ended up buying it, anyway. Then the heavens parted: The store’s owner told me she might be able to sell her daughter’s Cinderella dress if she no longer wants it, and she would call me that night to let me know for sure.
I picked it up yesterday…for just $9.99. (The hem needs a little bit of repairing, but for something that will be worn to a few neighbors’ houses and then be tossed in the “dress up” bin, I’m not complaining.)
That, of course, is the perfect lead-in to my quick, frugal, and fun Halloween ideas…
Skip the big party stores when buying costumes for your kids. Consignment shops and thrift stores abound…you’re bound to find something that will work great as a costume, and you’ll be spending just a fraction of what you would have buying new. If you need a last-minute costume and want to make it yourself, Moolonomy.com has a list of 25 Frugal Halloween Costume ideas. I particularly like “gum on a shoe.”
In the weeks before Halloween (remember this for next year), start clipping coupons for candy, or buy it early when it’s on sale. Stores notoriously raise prices on candy right before Halloween. If you’re stuck buying candy at the last minute, buy an off-brand, as they’re usually cheaper.
Throwing a last minute party? Now I definitely recommend hitting the stores (party or otherwise). But go the day before Halloween, or on the day itself: This is when you’ll begin finding some, if not all, of their Halloween decorations and goodies on sale. If you don’t mind being unprepared until the day of the party, this is the way to go. For more money-saving party ideas, read Tawra Kellam’s list at Recipestoday.com.
To Keep the Rest of the Holiday Season a Frugal One, I Recommend:
In these tough economic times, your holiday celebrations don’t have to suffer. Tracey, who was called “the Martha Stewart of the cheapskate set” by The Chicago Tribune, will show you how to have an elegant and fun holiday season anyway.
If you think you’re too busy to work out, think again. ExerciseTV offers some great, quick workouts you can do in under 30 minutes right from home. Some are even shorter than that, enabling you to tone your legs, abs, etc., in just 10 minutes a day. To see how easy it is to get your workouts in, try the following exercises for your arms, courtesy of Chris Freytag and ExerciseTV:
Check back here often for more fun and quick exercise videos from ExerciseTV.
Speaking of ExericiseTV, you are looking at their newest blogger (me, that is — not Chris Freytag)! I’ll be posting weekly on the ExerciseTV blog. More details coming soon!
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RECOMMENDED WORKOUT
If you liked the above workout, you’ll love this DVD from Chris Freytag and Prevention Magazine:
The program’s energizing cardio workouts and results-oriented toning routines can help you lose weight, firm up, flatten your belly, improve your health, and slim your hips and thighs. Just choose your goal and Prevention’s Personal Training will create daily workouts designed to help you achieve the results you want. Or you can mix and match 9 separate workouts to create a personalized routine that meets your needs. Get ready for your best body ever! (Amazon)
Did you know that it’s not unusual for boys to begin reading at a later age than girls? It doesn’t happen 100% of the time, but can be a source of concern if you find your son struggling in reading.
One of my sons was a “later reader,” not really grabbing a hold of it until he was about 8 years old. We went ’round and ’round plenty of times, until I finally realized one day that continuing to treat reading like a battle ground would just do more harm than good.
My “eureka!” moment occurred the day I came across a really great idea – something that gave his reading abilities the momentum they needed: I bought him a subscription to Sports Illustrated for Kids.
When the first issue arrived, he was so excited. “Mommy, will you read this to me?”
“Nope; it’s yours. If you want to know what the articles say, you’ll have to read them yourself.”
It worked like magic! He began reading to himself, with just a little help from me, from that day on.
eat only in moderation, emotions associated with the holiday season can blow all self-discipline out the window. If we’re sad, stressed, or frustrated, it’s easy to think, “I deserve this,” or simply, “Who cares?”
“What in the heck just happened?”
culminate with me buying a new one, because that’s when I’ll find the one that’s missing (it always works that way). And then I’ll have two.
Also, as you’ll see in the post I mentioned above, my daughter and I are following a health challenge to maintain our weight and gain not even one pound during the holiday season. Yikes, right? More on that in a later post!
And, last but never least: Pumpkin pie. I’m really pretty excited about this one. While shopping in the natural foods section of my favorite store last week, I found a can of organic pumpkin pie filling! Who’da thunk it? Organic pumpkin pie filling? I grinned from ear to ear when I held that can for the first time. It contains nothing but pumpkin, organic cane juice, and spices. I just have to add eggs and a crust. I bought a second can today because I’d love to try making some pumpkin pie biscotti with it. 
I am really excited about the changes I’ll be making to our Thanksgiving menu! I plan on posting recipes all next week for you to try, so you can have a healthy (but tasty) Thanksgiving, too.
When she told me that — and I realized I only had days to get a costume — my heart rate immediately began pounding. I remembered the stress of years past, rummaging through the “leftovers” at the party store the day before Halloween, wondering if one of my kids would mind being something like Bugs Bunny instead of Spiderman (no one would be able to see them inside the costume, anyway, I reasoned).
