4 Tips to Prevent Holiday PLUMPING!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is just 2 days away?! 

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4 Tips to Prevent YOU from Plumping up this Thanksgiving! 

1. Don't Skip Morning Meals! By making sure to eat a healthy breakfast.... (think: egg & veggie scramble, yogurt with some nuts and fruit) you won't be STARVING when turkey carving time approaches! Skip the carbs at breakfast since LORD KNOWS there will be enough of them to go around later, and give yourself a good protein base to start the day. 

2. Work up a Sweat! Even if it just means a 30 minute workout in the basement of Aunt Susie's (we both know you have FREE access to quite a few over at Beachbody's website ) or participating in your town's Turkey Trot... get moving! Nobody's gettin down to the eating today until the afternoon, so you have PLENTY of time to get the blood pumping! This will help with digestion later, flush out whatever you might have indulged in the night before, and help you have a clean slate for the day ahead! 

3. Decide on Your Indulgences Ahead of Time! If you KNOW you can't go another day without Grandma's pecan pie-- great! Plan to have a slice! ...but then maybe let that decision help you pass on the mediocre mashed potatoes or the not-so-hot-anymore sweet potato pie. When you know which of the heavier items is really important to your Holiday Cheer, it helps you move past the other choices more easily! 

4. DRINK WATER! ...at least every other glass! Better yet-- pick a number of drink you're going to have a stick to it. Nobody's wants to be the drunk cousin that passes out before pie is served, so don't let your enthusiasm for a heartily stocked bar get in the way of enjoying the whole day! Alternating drinks with water will not only help you booze a little less, but will help flush out all the extra salt that's sure to be present in the day's meal AND help you feel more full and better equipped to pass on second helpings! 

Bonus tips: 

- sit next to a healthy relative and peer pressure your way into making better choices ;) 

- don't sit within arm's reach of any snack bowl when you're sitting around and chatting... that way you can't mindlessly chomp!

- go easy on yourself! Pick your indulgences, enjoy the day, and move on! GUILT FREE! Got it?! 

Need a last minute recipe to throw together before you head out to your Thanksgiving Dinner?! 

Try out this Fudge! ...super easy and super delicious! 

What you'll need: coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cocoa powder

Find the full recipe HERE

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As Black Friday and Christmas Shopping Season quickly approach... are you looking for some ways to pad your wallet this December?!

Maybe now is the time to think about joining my team as a health and wellness coach! 

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What kind of difference could an extra $500 mean for YOUR FAMILY'S Christmas this year?! 

I will guide you every step of the way so that YOU can earn yourself an extra holiday bonus AND for every $500 you earn, I'll reward you even further with a $25 Amazon Gift card! 

Training with the #1 team in the network ((ours!)) begins December 4th! ...are you ready to make this the best Christmas Season yet?!

Apply for a spot on our team HERE

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

ps. don't forget about our Holiday Survival Guide Group that will be kicking off right after Thanksgiving! 

​Apply for a spot HERE, or RSVP to the event on Facebook HERE

SO- You're thinking of trying out INTERMITTENT FASTING?! Awesome!

There seems to be a recent flood of people interested in the "intermittent fasting" approach to a healthy, balanced nutrition plan... and, as with any new plan that comes around, there are a lot of questions about it!

About 2 years ago I started to really explore how to become a fat burning machine as opposed to a carb fueled monster, and I today I want to set out a little bit of what I learned in the process for you!

Hopefully you can learn a little bit from the resources that I'll share with you here, and have a better understanding of what to expect if YOU decide to experiment with it yourself :)

The most important piece for you to understand about intermittent fasting is that it is NOT a quick fix solution to your weight loss goals. 
If you are looking for a way to drop weight FAST, this post isn't for you. This approach isn't for you.
If you're looking for a way to truly optimize your health for LIFE, then keep reading.

There are many ways to become more fat adapted, and intermittent fasting is just one potential piece to that puzzle. You MUST listen to your body as you begin to experiment. What works for one person may not work for you, and what might work great for you might not work for someone else.
Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others.
Your genetics, hormones, current habits, and so many other lifestyle factors all come together when it comes to your journey to becoming your best self. These are all major players that require time, energy, and patience to reprogram themselves in order to function at their best.

Intermittent fasting, while INCREDIBLE in so many ways, will take time for your body to adjust to fully and will not necessarily give you dramatic results in 2 weeks. Your body is complex. BE PATIENT and STAY THE COURSE. Deal? 


Okay. SO.... when I decided to take the plunge, I lightly documented my journey as far as the WHY I decided to dive into IF, HOW I approached condensing my eating window, and WHAT some of the expected and unexpected side effects were as I progressed through my first month with it. I've put them together in a little list here for you to check out!

1. You can find my WHY as well as the podcasts that I listened to that tipped me over the edge into the IF world by checking out my original blog post about it here: Sometimes the Status Quo Just Doesn't Suit You Anymore: How I'm Changing my Entire Approach to Healthy Eating

2. You can find my 1st week's response and how I felt physically, emotionally, and some unexpected (yet apparently very common) side effects that cropped up as my body adjusted, here: A Tardy Update on My New Nutrition!

3. At 2 weeks into being fully committed to the IF window, the initial side effects were fading and I noticed that my hangry carb monster was seeming to have vanished! How were the rest of my results?... check it out, here: Week 2 Update: No News is Good News... for now

4. My 4th and final entry demonstrated how truly fascinating my results were becoming, and how DESPITE "real life" getting in the way a little bit, I was still seeing the most encouraging response that I'd seen in a long time... read more, here: There Was a Change A-Comin... and then I Let Life Get in the Way (Weeks 3-5)

The documenting of my experiment ended over a year ago, but continuing with intermittent fasting as a part of my approach to nutrition moving forward was permanent (...well... until I got pregnant this Spring and everything flew out the window. Like. Seriously out the window-- Truths About the First Trimester that *Apparently* No One Tells You)

I proceeded to have the best, healthiest, most fulfilling running season on the books. I ran a half marathon and a couple full marathons during this year of practicing IF with ZERO intestinal distress, no injuries, and feeling more energized and clear headed than ever before. 

My sleep schedule was SOLID and I woke up refreshed every single day. 

I never had a moment of hangry-ness, and experienced more stable blood sugar levels than ever before in my life. 

I was less fluffy, leaner, and felt more like my BEST self than I had felt in a long time!

I even went so far as doing 10-12 mile fasted runs during my training season and feeling great! 

So, if you were to ask me if I think you should give IF a try for yourself, my answer would HAVE TO BE a resounding YES! 

As long as you also: listen to your body, keep your blinders on to others, and are willing to be patient as you fundamentally shift the way in which your body has been functioning (probably for decades).

I am here and always happy to chat with you individually if you have questions or curiosities about this! Obviously there is much more to it all than is documented in these posts, but let's be real... not everyone has time for that :) 

Hit me up if you wanna chat! Use the contact bar on this page, or email me at bestselfproductions@gmail.com

Happy Fasting! 

-B