.THE most wonderful time of the year.

Chistmas cards, baking, gift making, gift buying, gift wishing, celebrating the Season, sick baby, listening to Christmas music 24/7. I'm just busy soaking in every minute of this time of year. I love it.

I will be back soon.

BUT, I can't leave you without a shot of little nutbrown hare and me. Yes, he is our little nut.

Thanksgiving

We had the opportunity to go to St. George for Thanksgiving with the Hatch family and I wasn’t about to pass it up. I love St. George for many reasons, but my #1 has to be the weather. It’s just perfect.  I appreciate it so much more now, especially because Milwaukee has less than ideal weather this time of year. With that being said, we enjoyed a beautiful 63 degree Thanksgiving day and were even able to eat outside.

In the 6 Thanksgivings that Joel and I have had together, we’ve only spent the last two years with family because Joel always has to work the Friday and Saturday after {and even this year Joel was without fam} so we have stayed in Milwaukee.  Needless to say, it was great being with family but it didn’t feel quite right being away from Joel on Thanksgiving.

Although we missed Joel, we didn’t sulk in our sorrow. :) Carson was able to play with his cousins and warm up {kind of} to other people. He especially loved his POPS, my dad.  And, I was able to catch up with my Dad and Jo, Grandma, siblings and SIL’s, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Man oh man, I miss having family nearby.

 

The ‘real’ reason for the trip was to celebrate my Dad and Jo’s 20th wedding anniversary, which we did on Friday. We had family pictures and then a little party that night where Jo presented this awesome slide show she put together of the past 20 years. Oh the memories!

{pictures of the anniversary party to come}

Fitness Friday

If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution.

The most common triggers for overeating:

1. Skipping meals and snacking. Your body seems to work like a pendulum, where if you eat enough food in a meal it will hold you over until the next meal, but if you skip a meal your body will overcompensate and you will actually end up eating far more the next meal than you would have. This is why skipping meals is so detrimental to weight loss.

2. Lack of sleep. If you are tired you tend to lose self control and  will end up eating things that you should not just for a bit of a blood sugar jump.

3. Large Portions. Portion control is the biggest change that most people can make in their diet to lose weight. If you figure out how many calories that you need in a day, and divide it by six to make three meals and three snacks, you will find that your portions should probably be a lot smaller than you are currently eating. Try using a smaller plate and just eat until you are satisfied, instead of following  your mother’s rule of eating ‘everything on your plate.”

4. Heavy, HEAVY foods.  Bagels.Greasy or fried foods. Pastries. Just some examples of foods that are very heavy in calories and low in nutrients. They are also low in water content and high in carbohydrates. 

5. TV commercials or food aromas.  Have  you ever been at home  watching  TV and you see a McDonalds commercial and crave their french fries? Or driving down the freeway and  you see a billboard for your favorite dessert and instantly become hungry? Or better yet, walking into the mall and smell PF Changs and you go eat rather than shop? Ok, maybe that last one is just me :).  But fast food places and restaurants KNOW all to well how to get us to eat, yes, even when we aren’t really hungry.

6. Not enough Fiber. Fiber and roughage is always good for filling you up. It also helps keep your digestive system regular. A bowl of all bran, an apple, or a Fiber One bar are good examples of fiber-filled snacks.

7. Artificial Sweeteners. Aspartame and saccharin are examples of artificial sweeteners that will cause you to over indulge in a food because it is low calories. But wait! What about the fat? Just because a food is low in sugar does not mean that it is not low in calories!

8. Stress/Emotions. Many people resort to overeating during times of stress and when they’re emotional. Take a look at when you overeat the most. Is it when the children misbehave? after a stressful workday? after a break-up or argument? This habit can add thousands of calories into our week (Remember 3,500 calories = a pound of body fat). If you know you are apt to eat in stressful times, you should fill your fridge with crunchy veggies like carrots and celery so that you have a low calorie snack to eat in those tough times. Also getting to the root of the problem and dealing with it, along with adding  exercise into your schedule will help keep your attitude in check.

9. Comfort. Remember when you had a bad break-up? What did your girlfriends want to do? Take you out for ice cream, right? Over the years, food has evolved from a need to thrive into a need to survive our most difficult times. Instead of eating for comfort, call a friend for support, go exercise, or find another activity that gives you IMMEDIATE gratification.

10. Dehydration. Sometimes we feel hungry when all our body really needs is a glass of water. Dehydration is often mistaken for hunger. It’s estimated that 75% of Americans go through life chronically dehydrated. Before you grab a handful of chips or other snack, try having a glass of water and see if that calms your hunger down. Water can help calm hunger and help you overeat less.

Advent

I have been stuck at home the last few days with a sick baby. So, what’s a girl to do? A festive project:

The best part? Joel even said it was blog worthy.

10 Months

Carson has been so fun this past month. He is no longer a baby and is well on his way to toddler-hood. I am so NOT ready for it but at the same time I love watching him grow and learn. I can tell he understands some of what I say and it is so fun to feel like we can communicate just a little bit.

He started saying “Dada”, loves climbing/standing on things, loves to play with/in the newspaper, loves books, waived for the first time on the airplane to a complete stranger, has 7 teeth, and is so so so active. He definitely gives me a run for my money.

    

BYUofU

 

                              Credit: My clever BIL

By the way, COUGARS WON! Too bad for you Utes...

Fitness Friday

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know I have much to be grateful for and among the many things on my list, my health is close to the top.

I hope you are grateful for you health, too. I believe that if you are truly grateful for something, you will take good care of it and nurture it. I also believe that enjoying good health is a choice we can all make. Sometimes it is not an easy choice, as it takes effort to be healthy. It is not always fun. In fact, sometimes it flat out sucks. But, making choices that will add years to your life or give you more energy to run around with your kids and grandkids, or getting the body you have always wanted is worth it in the long run. I promise.

So, when you wake up tomorrow, choose to be active. Choose to cherish your health. Choose to fuel your body with food that will help you perform your best.

Be grateful.