Holiday Season Have You Feeling Overwhelmed?

How many of you have or are currently feeling OVERWHELMED with the holiday season. This is the first year ever that I have not had my Christmas decorations all up the day after thanksgiving. I just haven't been able to. I am finally just taking my time, not stressing and just trying to do a little at a time. I am done feeling overwhelmed with things in my life. And really overwhelmed just means that there are too many things going on, at the same time. I don't want to be stressed. I don't want to feel inadequate. I don't want to just lose my marbles this holiday season. And it has actually been quite freeing. Matt just asked me last night, "When can we have the dinning room cleaned up?" I said, "I'm not done decorating yet." "Babe, it is Dec 16..." I just gave him my "shut up I will get to it when I am good and ready to" stare. I love him. But I also know that I have to take care of me. And I just don't want a whole lot of stress and drama in my life right now!

If you are feeling overwhelmed with your workout, your eating, fitting all this into your life during the holidays. Sit down and take a look at everything that is going on in your life. Have you agreed to go to not 1 but 3 cookie exchanges or holiday parties this season? Are you having guests over and feel overwhelmed with the idea of cleaning your house? Are you running out of time to get everything perfect for Christmas?

If you are feeling overwhelmed with workouts, think about what you have going into your workouts. The Time you are working out. Or look at your schedule. Find a time that works for you because when you start to doubt yourself with workouts excuses come flying in and it is hard to say no to them and easy to stop!

It is ok to say "no" to holiday parties. I did. I backed out of two at the last minute because I just couldn't do it. 

My house will be as clean as I can get it before my parents get here. Thankfully Matt is picking up the slack more to help me but I just don't have the energy to do it all anymore.

Christmas will never be perfect. I still might not get all the decorations up. But I will have a rocking Christmas because I will see my boys faces and excitement they have towards everything they are getting from us and family. It is ok to put your family first and maybe back off on some things to keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

Do what you can. You do not have to be perfect. You just need to enjoy life, live it and make memories! And heck if you decide to ditch the ornaments on your Christmas tree, you might even remember that more than the year you decked your house out with a million lights! Keep it simple. Keep it smart!

You are in charge of your life and how it is. Don't let the season be the reason to give up on you. You are worth more than that and the season is worth more than a few decorations or parties. It doesn't have to be perfect, it is about making memories. Remember the season and remember your why!

7 Reasons To Drink More Water

2. WATER, WATER, And MORE WATER! Growing up in Arizona it was practically branded in our heads to drink lots of water. Especially when exercising outside. The risk for heat stroke and exhaustion was HUGE. But I know I still didn't drink enough water growing up. And often nowadays, too many people are not drinking enough water. Think about your day. Do you start your day off first thing with a glass of water, or coffee? (right when you wake up, drink 12 oz of water to get your system hydrated and waking up!) 
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2. So here are 7 reason why to add at least half your body weight in ounces of water a day to your daily life. 
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2. 1) Weight loss- Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn’t have any calories. But it’s also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen. 

• 2) Heart healthy- Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.

• 3) Energy- Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired — even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated — and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

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• 4) Headache cure- Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it’s simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.

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• 5) Healthy skin- Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won’t happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin. And I notice that my lips aren't as chapped when I am drinking water regularly. 

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• 6) Digestive problems- Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).

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• 7) Cleansing- Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. Add a little fresh squeeze lemon in your water to help. 

And I hear all the time, "I don't like the taste of water. It is too bland. Too boring." Well, then add some fresh or frozen fruit to it and let it sit for a couple of hours or over night. It will help NATURALLY flavor water. No squeeze bottles, or powder to flavor water, Even though those only have 5 calories, they sure have a lot of extra "stuff" you don't need in your body. Stick with natural whole foods! 

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How Do You Know If You Have A Gluten Allergy

Well, I think my battle with gluten is finally over. This past weekend I went out with some gals. I had a great weekend and ate out. I thought I made some smart choices. Didn't get anything too crazy, (like I would have years ago) but I am day 2 into tummy troubles, and bloating. It is not fun.

Here is what I ate:

Saturday lunch- Jerk Chicken quesadillas with mango salsa, I ate 2 of the 4 slices.
Saturday Dinner-Club Pita with side of grilled veggies- had ham in it and that might be where most of my problem is combined with the gluten.
Sunday Breakfast-vegan cinnamon rolls
Sunday Lunch-Chicken Kabobs, salad, rice, and 1.5 slices of Naan. (I ate the whole thing. It was amazing!)

My problem,  I ate some sort of gluten at every meal. And it was just too much for my body to handle and be able to process. I think I got the message body! Ease up on the gluten. And save it, if I really have to have it, for special occasions. But not on a regular basis. :( So sad. But it will be a good thing in the end for my body because I just function better when I reduce the amount of gluten I eat on a daily basis.

How do you know if you have a gluten intolerance? 

First step, you can talk to your doctor about getting tested. But there are some signs to watch out for and if you feel like you have these signs you can talk with your doctor.

• Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and even constipation.
• Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten.
• Inflammation or swelling in your joins, fingers, knees and hips
• dizziness or a feeling of being off balance
• Bumps or "Chicken skin" on the back of your arms

Gluten is in so many things these days even down to being in some extracts. It is so hard to completely eliminate it from your every day life, unless you have Celiacs Disease where you HAVE TO CUT IT OUT. One of the best ways to help figure out if you do have a gluten allergy is to eliminate as much gluten from your diet as possible. Don't eat processed foods, boxed foods, pre-packaged meals, freezer meals. And eat whole fruits and grains. Oatmeal, over toast in the morning. Quinoa, rice or zoodles instead of pasta. Eating plenty of veggies and fruits that have fiber in them to help your body be regular. 

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December AB Challenge Variation

Want to change it up again with more ab workouts for this month! Check out this workout routine! Lose those love handles or upper muffin as I call it!

Celebrate The Little Victories

Celebrate the little victories which are leading you to HUGE RESULTS! This is why it is so important to take a monthly picture and measurements because the scale is a BIG FAT LIAR! The other day I went into Kohl's because I needed jeans. BADLY! I have been wearing my maternity jeans because, well, they weren't worn in the inner thigh. They still fit, but the pair I have left have been falling off my hips and hanging too low and most of my shirts weren't long enough to cover the nude colored belly elastic thingy that covers your whole belly (do you know what I'm talking about?)

Anyhew, I am going out this weekend for a girls weekend and didn't want to sport maternity jeans. I automatically went to plus sized area. And grabbed a curvy bootcut. Totally thought I picked up an 18 because there is no way I can fit in a 16. I put them on and it was tight. I ain't gonna lie. And I had muffin top from my upper belly area, above my belly button. I hate that area by the way! I sat in the dressing room freaking out, because a) I have been working my rear end off to get fit. Even Matt said my butt was literally smaller! b) I didn't want to still be pushing out of an 18. 

After a few minutes of wallowing in my sadness I looked at the tag and it said 16! WHAT! My sadness went to AMAZEMENT! I not only was able to pull up a 16 past my thighs, I was able to zip and button them without much difficulty. Just my upper bell hanging out a bit. I can not believe it! 

At some point in your journey you will have a killer awesome moment just like that, that makes all the sweat, tears and squashing those pesky excuses totally worth it! 

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