Fall is HERE!! And although I live in the super hot south and temps are still in the 90's, I am holding out for one day when I can wear sweaters, skinny jeans and cute boots! One day soon, I HOPE! Along with cute outfits fall can also mean goodies galore with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching! What are you going to do to keep up your workout routine? I know that we all hear that it's okay to hide the 'fluff' behind the sweaters, but in all reality.. do you really want to do that? I didn't think so. Don't sabotage all of the hard work and dedication that you've put in over the summer to allow yourself to let it all go!
Here are a few tips to keep yourself moving during the cold months and all through the holiday season!
1. Keep up your workout routine! Is it cold when your alarm goes off? YES! Is it dark when your alarm goes off? Yep! Does that mean you should hit snooze 5 times before you HAVE to get up? NO WAY! It means that you suck it up, roll over, put your feet on the floor and get UP!
A TIP: Lay all of your clothes out the night before so you literally won't even have time to think about your workout. You can get up, get dressed, put your shoes on and head out to your living room, garage, basement or wherever you do your workouts! You can also already have your workout area prepped and ready to go! If you do a DVD, have the disc in the DVD player or computer the night before too so all that you have to do is literally turn it on and PUSH PLAY!
Do you need a workout program? Ask me about how I can help you! I would LOVE work with YOU!
2. MEAL PLAN, MEAL PLAN, MEAL PLAN! It is the KEY to success! When you already know what you are going to eat for the day then it takes most of the guess work out of it! Prepare everything on Sunday nights (or whatever day of the week works best for you) and hang that weekly meal plan on your fridge, in your car, in the pantry.. anywhere that you need to see it if you are tempted to cheat or get off track! Plan your one cheat meal a week and go all out for that, but in between... stick with it! You don't want to start getting layers of 'fluff' over that six pack you created, right? And you will feel so icky and it is much harder to get re-motivated after you've gained weight than it is to stay motivated while you are working hard!
3. Put the candy in the freezer and leave it alone! The Halloween candy will be bombarding our house in a month. Let's not allow it to win! And we are all human, I know that... so choose a number of pieces of candy that you will allow yourself to eat without guilt. So, what is your number? 2? 3? 4? Pick your number and then once you eat that many pieces of candy. YOU'RE DONE! Freeze the rest or give it away. Don't allow it to haunt you. Remember, food doesn't have control over you! Let it go!
4. How many cookies are you going to eat at Christmas time? Use the same strategy as in number 3. Choose a number. Say 12? 15? Cookies over the holiday season. Write it down and cross off each number as you eat a cookie! This way you will have to think about what you are eating! Do you love your mom's sugar cookies? Well, make sure that you save a few of those cookies for hers! Don't waste them on a store bought cookie that isn't really even that good! This will just make you more accountable for your actions!
5. Flavored coffee! It is a staple around my house. When I am craving something sweet, I choose some yummy coffee and brew it! It is so yummy and especially on those cool fall nights it hits the spot! I am obsessed with Dunkin' Donuts flavored coffee. It's super yummy and hits the spot every time!
6. Here is a recipe just because it's fall and butternut squash is in season!
Butternut Squash Soup
Total Time: 1 hr.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
5½ cups low-sodium, organic vegetable broth
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, stem discarded, divided use
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
6 tsp. nonfat plain yogurt
Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until translucent.
2. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute, or until tender.
3. Add squash, broth, and red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; gently boil, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until squash is soft. Remove from heat. 4. Place soup in a blender or food processor, in 4 or more batches, if necessary; cover with lid and kitchen towel. Blend until smooth.
5. Return soup to sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until soup is hot.
6. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Ladle soup into 6 serving bowls. Garnish each with 1 tsp. yogurt, and sprinkle all with remaining 2 tsp. thyme
Total Time: 1 hr.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
5½ cups low-sodium, organic vegetable broth
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped, stem discarded, divided use
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
6 tsp. nonfat plain yogurt
Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until translucent.
2. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute, or until tender.
3. Add squash, broth, and red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; gently boil, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until squash is soft. Remove from heat. 4. Place soup in a blender or food processor, in 4 or more batches, if necessary; cover with lid and kitchen towel. Blend until smooth.
5. Return soup to sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until soup is hot.
6. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Ladle soup into 6 serving bowls. Garnish each with 1 tsp. yogurt, and sprinkle all with remaining 2 tsp. thyme
7. Fall is all about fun fashion too! Like I mentioned before, I'm obsessed with cute boots and sweaters! Here is a pic of the next outfit I'm buying! Thought I would share! You will all want to be in shape to look adorbs in your awesome outfits!! Stay on track and love yourself!
