Day 2 of Our Challenge - Butter

Today’s challenge, we will eliminate butter from our diet. If you are like me & enjoy toast with butter in the morning, well it’s time to change.

To replace butter in savory dishes, use olive oil and to replace butter in baking, use apple sauce or prune puree. Please try to avoid (Light spread margarines, diet margarine, whipped butter, tub or squeeze bottle, or sprays like I can’t believe it’s not butter) these alternatives are even worse for you than natural butter.

As for a healthy yummy alternative to top your toast with, use raw honey, natural peanut butter (no hydrogenated oils), almond butter, avocado, or you can enjoy your toast dry. If you are familiar with Middle Eastern cooking you will notice we tend to use olive oil instead of butter on our bread – good alternative, just don’t overdo it and use too much olive oil.

Remember everything we start, we will continue throughout the next 25 days we are just building on good actions, leading to great habits!  I hope you did your 2 pushups today!

"Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny." Tryon Edwards

The 25 Days of Christmas Challenge

Like in any training program you begin to gradually add to your workouts, nutrition, endurance and training. In the next 25 days we will gradually eliminate bad foods from our diets, build core strength and increase resistance & endurance. With gradual improvements we will beat the holiday weight gain & feel great brining in the New Year.

I want your full commitment!

Today is our first day of our 25 days to Christmas & a new you in 2012

Every day I will either add a very simple exercise or eliminate a bad food from our diet. I will also give you a replacement to the unhealthy food we are eliminating.  Simple steps will bring us to great results:

As for day one we will

1.       Eliminate Ice Cream & Frozen yogurt and or replacing it with a homemade healthy fruit Popsicle, (please see recipe below) or a store bought fruit Popsicle.

Also today we will start our push up routine. Every day you will do one push up adding one more a day. If you can’t do a pushups correctly or comfortably drop to your knees and do them that way. 

My Easy Healthy Popsicle

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberry or  raspberry yogurt (or you can combine frozen fruit  about 2 cups with 1 small Greek yogurt & 1.5 Tbls honey)
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1.5 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• Optional- for some extra nutrition you can add ½ cup spinach of kale

Directions

• In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Fill popsicle molds; insert sticks & freeze.  If you don’t have Popsicle molds you can use smoothie freezer cups.

Happy Holidays

The holidays are here, we all tend to go a bit overboard during holiday meals. Try to take control this year & feel great about yourself in doing so. Here are a few easy tips to stay fit and not put on excess weight during the holidays.

1.    1. Plan your workout J you’ll feel better eating your holiday meals after that workout.

2.    2. Eat slowly, try to converse and take your time at the table, this way you’ll realize you are full without stuffing yourself.

3.   3.  Bring one or two dishes that you have cooked to the table – this way you’ll at least know what’s all in what you have prepared.

4.   4.Portion Control.  Try to fill your plate once with all you would like to eat, look at your dish and examine if you have gone overboard.

5.    5. Encourage your friends & family to be active. Go on a group walk/run. Head out to a yoga class, or go out skiing. Try a fun activity including everyone this way you have not spent your time away from family and friend while exercising.

6.   6. Don’t weigh yourself. Stressing out a pound or two is not going to help.

7.  7. Most Importantly…. DRINK WATER & Have FUN!