6 Holiday Survival Strategies

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Hello Holiday Party People!

Now, as much as I love this time of the year, we are faced with huge obstacles.  Comfort food, sugary drink concoctions, cookie baking parties (I already had to talk two clients down off the cookie dough ledge!), high-glycemic white foods, and of course, the “food pusher” who brings it all to you.  You know who I’m talking about.  That person who shoves the dessert plate in your face and won’t leave until you’ve tried at least 3 different varieties of the same sugary concoction.

Yikes! Don't let this be you!

Since we are sitting right smack in the middle of the holiday season, I thought I’d share a few ideas with you for 6 Holiday Strategies you can implement right now to make sure you have the tools necessary to stay on track this holiday season despite the parties, food, shopping, and stress.  So kick back, relax, and take a few moments for yourself!

  • If you’re going to drink… Look, you know I’m all about helping you reach your health, fitness, and weight loss goals.  So my normal answer to this would be “Just Say No!”  But alas, it’s the holidays and what you need is a survival guide…not perfection.  So if you are going to drink, stay away from creamy and sugary drinks.  Your best option is red wine.  Your next best option is a high end white alcohol, like Grey Goose.  Stick with 1 (no more than 2) glasses, and drink 1-2 glasses of water for each glass of alcohol.
  • Go Nuts!  Go Bananas! Keeping some nuts and a piece of fruit in your purse/brief case/car, could save you from actually going bananas and overdoing it at your next meal.  Think about it.  You’re out and about shopping all day long, then it’s off to pick up the kids, run another errand, and then the next thing you know you’re STARVING.  You’re going to do 1 of 2 things here.  1:  You’ll go for the quick fix (aka:  Starbucks and pastry) to tie you over before dinner, or 2: you’ll try to “be strong” and SKIP your snack, only to find yourself famished by dinner and then eating everything in site.  Both of these scenarios could be totally eliminated if you simply PLAN AHEAD and pack an apple and some almonds.  There it is.  Done.  And now you can get on with your afternoon.
  • Set your goals right now and focus! Look. we all know that when you have clear and precise goals in mind, then all the other stuff just goes away.  What do you want for yourself this holiday season?  Is it to look smashing at that special party, or actually make it through the season without feeling like you’re in a food coma the entire month?  Imagine NOT waiting until January 1st to get focused.
  • 3 Polite Bites might be the answer. I was just in Orlando for a business meeting with other amazing fitness business owners all over the country and my tell-it-like-it-is super-coaches.  We all went to dinner and at the end our server brought out these great little desserts.  There were at least 12 of them, but all were in very small little shot glasses, and all equaling about “3 polite bites”.  So I had some.  I enjoyed the evening, the meal, the company, and even the dessert without going overboard.  Another scenario:  When Aunt Ester is pushing the fruit log down your throat because it seems to make her happy, simply give it “3 polite bites” and be on your way.  Aunt Ester is happy and you didn’t blow it on a fruit log.
  • Pay attention to how hungry or not hungry you are. This might the trick of the century.  I actually wrote a blog about this very important concept this past summer after going back home for a visit and finding myself at two different family reunions in a 36 hour period.  But here’s the gist, most of us don’t pay attention to the very basic instinct inside of us that tells us when we are hungry and then when we are full.  Often times we eat when we are not hungry, over eat past satiation, and then 30 minutes later when we’re rolling away from the table, we wonder why we just didn’t put the fork down sooner!  Start to measure yourself on a scale of 1-10.  5 means you’re neither hungry nor full.  4,3,2 means you are becoming more and more hungry (hint:  try to NOT get below a 3 or 2, which can lead to eating the entire fridge!).  And even more importantly, notice if you are a 6, 7, or 8.  If you’ve hit these numbers of “fullness” then don’t eat!  Just wait until you get hungry again.  More details can be found here.
  • If all else fails… at least plan on doing some serious damage control and “course correction” in January.  Not that I’m trying to do a shameless plug here, but the truth is I see it every year.  And because I am becoming a more savvy fitness professional, I’ve designed programs that will focus on CHANGING YOUR HABITS for the New Year, instead of focusing on the random end result.  Our 3rd annual “Your Best Body & Life Challenge” starts Saturday, January 7th.  It’s an 8-week challenge that includes fitness, nutrition, accountability, community lectures, and a HUGE award ceremony at the end.  Not to mention it’s had life altering results for the hundreds of Silicon Valley Residents who have participated.  Register at AudraBaker.com  or BeFitBootCamps.com  It all starts January 7th.  See you out there!

 

My gift to you:  Your very own downloadable guide is here!

In the comments below the video, let me know some of your own strategies that work for you
or what success you’ve had using the strategies I’ve outlined.

 

Thank you, as always, for reading and watching!

Much Love,

Audra

 

 

 

 

Healthy Vacation?

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It’s been a blast hanging out with my family grabbing some much needed connection, sunshine, and sleep…. All of which fed my body and soul more than any food could ever do.

So on this 30-day quest to clean up the diet and put more energy into your health, remember that it’s not just about the foods you’re eating or that yummy morning detox cocktail you’re drinking.

Chill Out

Stress plays a bigger role than you might realize.  And believe it or not… but stressing out over your food choices and exercise regime just adds insult to injury.  While you are in this 30-day period of detoxification, make sure it includes people that bring you joy, activities that help you relax, and enough sleep to allows your body to take it all in and heal.

Nap anyone? Nothing compares to a little R&R to get your head on straight, and gain endless energy.

 

Hanging with the fam on one of my favorite beaches on earth...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise.

I always have the best intentions to do a regular exercise regime while away, but it rarely happens.  But I think what ends up happening is better than any perfectly timed and calculated scenario…. I enjoy my vacation and make sure to be active.

Case in point…

My first day included naps.  Lots of them.  : )  There was no exercise in sight and it was exactly what I needed.

Day Two:  Out at the beach while my brother hung out with his very cool (and insanely huge) dog Dale, I decided to take off for a fast walk that turned into a jog, that turned into a nice run, that ended with a round of Tabata sprints.  It was awesome.

Hitting the beach for a little jog followed by Tabata Sprints

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day three was all about (attempting) to hit the waves.  I’m still a novice surfer, but just the mere effort required to paddle out past the breakers, attempting to catch a wave, crashing, and then doing it all over again is out-of-this-world fun and yes…EXHAUSTING!

Paddling out past the breakers... I wish I had a great surfing pic... but I pretty much bailed everytime before a picture could be snapped. : ) You at least can't say I'm not determined!

Too bad the pic wasn't snapped a short second later... then you could have seen me *CRASH*!!! (which was pretty much the common theme to my day)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knowing I’ll be sitting on a plane for a long time tonight, I’ll be hitting a few yoga poses and hopefully (if I can convince my mom) one more fun beach run with a few Tabata drills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food

I had a blast videotaping and snapping shots of all the amazing life giving foods we shared together as a family.  My sister in law, Lyn  has been following my blog for a while and both she and my brother enjoy healthy, simple,and  delicious foods.  She’ll be the first to tell you that finding peace and happiness in her life put her on a path to discovering a more life-giving way to eat, easily shedding unwanted weight.  My mom is in the same boat choosing a healthy lifestyle filled with real food and consistent exercise.  She’s been a member of one of my favorite boot camps run by Brad and Cynthia Linder in my hometown, Coppell TX.  I think she’s healthier now in her late 50′s than she was in her 30′s!  Go Mom!

 

So what I’m trying to say here was that being surrounded by like-minded people made it real easy to make great food choices.

This was seriously THE BEST chicken soup I've ever had... Organic Chicken PACKED with tons of veggies, even kale!

Lunch at my new favorite deli, Lovey's: sauteed organic veggies topped with organic turkey burger patty. And I never would have thought I'd find Kombucha in Wilmington NC!

 

 

Lyn made this fabulous egg and veggie scramble mixed with leftover gyro meat and asparagus. Such a great way to start off the morning!

Hanging with my mom and bro at one of my favorite beach restaurants. I ordered the Vegeta-Bowl... a huge salad with tons of veggies, topped with seared tuna... So delicious!

Boat loads of fresh veggies with seared tuna, dressing on the side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share below YOUR vacation experiences…
Is it a free-for-all food fest or do you have strategies
you use while on vacation?

Be Fit End Of Summer BBQ PARTY!

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RSVP HERE!
bbq banner

Be Fit Boot Camps

3rd ANNUAL

END-OF-SUMMER

BBQ PARTY!

Saturday, September 24th, 12:00pm

Hello Party People!!!

It’s no surprise that I get all bummed out about this time of the year because I love summer so much.  So I’ve come up with THE BEST medicine that always cures my post-summer blues:  Here’s what the medicine looks like:

  • A relaxed, fun BBQ party at Vasona Park (near the boat dock)
  • A fun potluck where we can all share our food and company
  • Hanging out with our Be Fit Members and their friends and family (who happen to be the coolest people on earth!)
  • Creating community and connection
  • Stand Up Paddleboard fun 
  • Volleyball 
  • Whatever games Katie and Chloie conjure up
  • Chillin’ and just enjoying each-other’s company on a beautiful indian summer day… does life get any better?

DETAILS:

  • Noon to ?
  • We’ll be at the picnic tables near the boat launch at Vasona Park
  • We will be hitting Costco and providing:  Hamburgers, Turkey Burgers, Veggie Burgers, Buns, all the fixins, non-alcoholic drinks, and probably some other junk food (Sean’s going shopping, so no telling what we’ll end up with!)
  • If you can, please bring a dish to share 
  • Fun Games
  • Volleyball court 
  • Stand Up Paddleboarding (we are not offering a class, but we will have them out there for anyone who wants to play)
  • Bring your family and friends

Seriously, I would really like to see every single one of you there, even if you haven’t been to bootcamp lately (Having to take time off of bootcamp is NO excuse to miss the party!)  The truth is, I am so grateful to have you in my life, and this butt-kickin, body shaping, endorphin raising bootcamp wouldn’t exist without you and we want to celebrate your coolness!!!

So I say that’s the reason to celebrate!

We need a SOLID head count ASAP so we can hit Costco and plan accordingly.  So…check your calendars, cancel whatever else you had planned, and fill out the RSVP form above to let us know you’re coming with your family and your friends (or solo… it’s all good… we can be solo together!)

See you there!

Happy Sunday Chicken Apple Sausage and Slaw

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Words just can’t describe… Crazy Freaking Good (or maybe I just need a bigger vocabulary….)

Either way… you should totally make this dish and dig in. : )  I’ve adapted this recipe a million times from many different recipes, and can’t remember it’s origin, so if it looks familiar to you… speak up and I’ll give credit where credit is due. : )

 

Chicken Apple Sausage:

  • 2 pounds of ground chicken, turkey, or a combo of both (go for organic)
  • 8-10 TBL Chicken Broth
  • 8-10 TBL Apple Juice
  • 1 apple chopped up
  • 1 onion chopped up
  • a few cloves of garlic pressed (I use a ton…. love garlic!)
  • Blend of spices 1tsp each: Garlic Powder, Minced Onion, Cinnamon, and Cayenne to taste.

Mix it all up and cook it in a skillet with a little coconut oil.

Chicken "sausages" cooking in a little coconut oil

Apple Slaw:

  • 1/2 small head of white cabbage sliced thinly
  • 1/4 small head of purple cabbage sliced thinly (and if you suck at cutting cabbage like I do… buy it in a bag and save yourself some grief : ))
  • 2 apples chopped up

The above should give you a BIG BOWL cabbage… enough for at least 6-8 servings.

  • Juice of 2 lemons (1/4 cup-ish?)
  • Same amount of Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (I like  Bragg’s)
  • Blend of spices 1tsp each:  Garlic Powder, Cinnamon, Mustard Powder
  • Possibly salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up!  The longer it sits and marinates, the better (always more yummy the 2nd and 3rd day!)  Before eating, chop up a heap of green onions and cilantro and mix it all up.

My Happy Sunday Night Dinner...

Did you try it?  Whatcha think? Let me know below!

Eating Out and Staying (or getting) Thin- Part 1

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To say I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off might be an understatement.

While this summer has been a blast, it’s been perhaps my most chaotic I’ve ever experienced.  And then throw in a move to San Francisco (smaller place, but triple the rent…..)  now you’ve got a recipe for falling off the wagon.

In the midst of the craziness, and not having a functioning kitchen, cooking pretty much went out the window.  Luckily, I’m a big fan of eating out at restaurants where I can actually find healthy food.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done all summer long.  Minus the 1 or 2 FroYo’s (okay… more like 1 or 2 a week…but who’s counting?), I found some great restaurants and a whole bunch of tips and tricks I’d like to share with you.  During the next blog I’ll dig into restaurants…

But first: The tips and tricks…

Hungry?  Lets Pig Out!

If you’re ravishing hungry… it don’t really matter… you’re going to eat the house and ask for extra cheese on top and you know it.  So first things first, don’t let yourself get that freaking hungry.  I wrote a great article about measuring your hunger and fullness levels here… make sure to check it out.  But for now realize that getting too hungry is a recipe for disaster.

Do your research.  

Pick all your favorite restaurants, and few  close to your home and your work.  Get online, download the menu and make your decisions BEFORE you get there!  When you already have a plan of action in your head, set and ready to rock… it’s amazing how easy it becomes to stick with your choices.  I’ll be sharing all my favorite restaurants in part two of this article.

But I don’t wanna eat healthy at a restaurant!

Okay Party People… decide what your goals are right now.  I can’t tell you how many people use going out to eat as an excuse to have a food party ALL THE TIME.  If you are going to tell me your goals are to lose/maintain your weight, but you refuse to at least attempt to order a decently healthy meal, then your goals must not be that important to you.

I hear it all the time:  “I can’t eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant without eating a basket of chips and a frozen margarita before my meal”.  Are you kidding me?  I think that’s probably the biggest problem right there.  We think going out to eat always has to equate to a  party…. “eating whatever we want and how much we want of it”.  And then you call me frustrated that you can’t lose weight.  (I love you… but you drive me crazy sometimes…. )

Just hear me out:  If you want to lose some weight (or maintain your size), you don’t have to give up eating out, you just have to make smarter choices!  Let going out to eat be about the people you are with, the atmosphere, and sticking to your goals.  And you might even be shocked when that seemingly “boring grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side” ends up tasting like heaven!  Woo Hoo!  You enjoyed eating out with great people AND your meal was still delicious!  It’s amazing what happens when you put your attention on the good!

If it’s going to be a free-for-all-food-party… a little goes a long way.

All of the above assumes that you are actually wanting to make “healthier” choices while going out to eat.  If every time you go out to eat, you feel it needs to be a free-for-all….hey…. more power to you.  But one thing I’ve adopted that might serve you too… is when I’m going out to eat and I know it’s going to be a free-for-all, I plan accordingly all day and also the next day by consuming a lot less food.  By doing this, I’ve essentially staggered my calories out and at the end of the week, everything should all pan out on the scale.  Or, you can do what I did for my birthday dinner… eat whatever you want, but don’t overdo it.  Here’s what my B-day dinner consisted of:

  • one glass of champagne (generally not a fan… but this stuff was good!)
  • one glass of red wine
  • Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone
  • Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (almost like it was swimming in Clam chowder soup…so good!)
  • Bone Marrow with salsa Verde (this is by far my new favorite!!!)
  • Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon  (Oh yeah, baby!  Happy Birthday to me!)
  • Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt
  • Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (words can’t describe….)

Okay… if you take all that in… that looks like a FREAKING TON OF FOOD.  But… here’s what it really looked like:

  • one glass of champagne (finished 1/2…. I just can’t get into champagne)
  • one glass of red wine (finished it all and wished I had more : ))
  • Warm Deviled eggs topped with bacon and aged Provolone (had one… which is like 1/2 an egg, equivalent to one decent sized bite, or two very small, polite bites)
  • Baked Oysters covered in bread crumbs and cheese (had one…same size as deviled egg)
  • Bone Marrow with salsa Verde  (had one small piece of toast topped with marrow…again, 2 “polite bites”)
  • Burger with caramelized onion, cheddar, and bacon  (cut it in half, ate 1/4, shared the other 1/4 with friends, and took the 1/2 I didn’t eat home to sit and rot in my fridge…finally threw away this weekend : ))
  • Chocolate Creme Pie with cocoa nibs and sea salt (1 bite)
  • Upside down peach crisp with bourbon ice cream and brown butter caramel sauce (I would be lying if I said 2 polite bites… I know I gobbled up at least 4-5 bites of this heavenly yumminess!)

I was able to enjoy a slew of really amazing food, none of which really fit into my Clean and Lean Protocol, but I still was able to maintain my weight, AND enjoy an amazing evening out with my friends.  And sometimes, that’s the healthiest thing you could do… relax a little and enjoy a great evening out with friends and family.  Being mindful of your atmosphere, friends, and food, and fully grateful that we even get to do these cool things in the first place!

Now, truth be told, I’ve found some great restaurants serving healthy foods and it’s been a life savor this summer, but I’m REALLY ready to clean it up again, start cooking, and jump into my favorite way of eating, which follows my Clean and Lean Protocol.  It detoxes my body, stabilizes my blood sugar, increases my energy, and makes me feel great.  And although I’ve done great job of maintaining my weight this summer, I bet I’ll drop a few pounds going through the Clean and Lean… great!

Plus, now that I have an almost functioning kitchen, I spent the whole day cooking up a few different concoctions to prepare for my week.  I almost forgot how grounding, nurturing, and calming it can be to , to cook life-giving foods.  Check out my newest favorite:  Chicken Apple Sausage with Apple Slaw.  O.M.G.  Too bad those restaurants can’t cook as good as me. : )

What tips or tricks do you have up YOUR SLEEVE when it comes to eating out?  Share below!!!

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