Top 5 Ways to Feel Energized During the Holidays and Beyond

"Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!" 

Don't get me wrong I love the holidays, but they can be a little exhausting! And many of us find ourselves landing in January flat out on our backs with a terrible cold or just plain worn out...but what if this year could be different?.... How would it feel to start 2013 rested, energized and still fitting into your skinny jeans (or whatever jeans you like to wear)!

Here are my Top 5 Tips for feeling energized during the holiday season and beyond:

1. Set an alarm clock for bed
Yup that's right, not to wake up, but for going to bed! And when it goes off, finish what you are doing and start winding down for bed, because otherwise, if you're anything like me, you"ll find yourself red eyed at 
12 am doing some ridiculous task that COULD be done tomorrow!

2. Start a bed time ritual.
Maybe it's a cup of your favorite tea or a peek at a magazine you've been wanting to read, something to take your mind off of your "to do " list.

3. Dust off your crock pot (or buy one).
It may take a little prep time but there's nothing better than opening the door to your house after a long day of shopping and smelling a great soup or stew just waiting to been eaten!

4. Breathe.
That's it...breathe, take a long deep soothing breath when you're speeding through that parking lot trying to get a parking space or when someone cuts you off in line or when your child has just pulled at your last nerve (that's why God makes them so cute).

5. Be grateful.
When you just feel like you can't wrap one more gift or bake one more batch of cookies, try shifting your mindset, even just for a minute to being grateful for all you have and the loved ones in your life.

Born To Run

I've been running since I was 11 years old, I'm 34, that's 23 years! Sure there were some injuries, some time off, but running was always there for me.  It was something I did and still do when I'm happy, sad, fast, slow, feeling strong, feeling weak, it's something I do to feel like myself again! Four to five months after giving birth in Dec 2011 to our beautiful daughter Norah, I got the itch to run. I was feeling "off", like something was missing, so I went to the thing that has always brought me back to myself and I simply laced up my sneakers and put one foot in front of the other, not knowing what was going to happen with my postpartum body.....

Well, it was a little rocky, I hadn't run in almost a year and that first run looked a lot more like a walk than a run (it also felt like someone had punched me in the lungs), but as soon as I was done, I knew I did the right thing. I got "that feeling", what the heck is "that feeling", oh, ya, it was ME! I felt like I had stepped back into my body, I felt exhausted and strong at the same time! That was about 5-6 weeks ago and I have been running 4 times a week ever since and I am slowly building up my body and my milage, (our treadmill broke on week 4, but that's another story for another blog).

So maybe your thing that makes you feel like YOU, isn't running and that's fine, maybe it's music or dance or walking, whatever it is find time for yourself, you're worth it!

Post Run Recipe:


Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie:
Serves 1

1 banana, peeled
1 TBS all natural peanut butter
1/2-1 cup of almond or cow's milk
1 TBS ground flax seed meal
3-4 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to the blend and combine until smooth, enjoy!

What's In a Label?

Reading food labels can be more than confusing, it can make your HEAD SPIN! So I'm going to make it really easy and break it down for you so the next time you hit the grocery store you can out smart those savvy marketing tricks!

Organic: 100% organic means the product is free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and hormones. So when you are shopping at a regular grocery store you'll see a label that says 'USDA certified organic' on all organic products. The only 'catch' with organic is when you go to a farmers market or CSA (community supported agriculture farm). It's VERY expensive for the small farmer to be 'certified organic' by the USDA, so get to know and trust your local farmers at theses farmers markets this summer, a lot of them grow their food using organic practices they just can't afford to use the official label, that doesn't mean the food isn't perfectly fine. Just be polite, most farmers love what they do and would be happy to tell you about how the grow what they are selling! Remember organic is healthy for you, but buying local is important to.

Natural: Unfortunately, this is the most over used label out there. At this point seeing 'natural' on the label means nothing by today's standards. It has been used and abused, so while some of the ingredients in a certain product that is labeled 'natural' may have started off that way, chemicals, pesticides and other yucky additives can be lurking in that product. So, bottom line, when something is marked 'natural' make sure you can pronounce and understand all of the ingredients be you assume it's healthy.

Free Range/Free Roaming: This applies to meat and dairy products. Eggs and chicken can be labeled 'free-range' or 'free-roaming' and while it is a step in the right direction, it's a bit of false advertising. It makes you think the animal was roaming in the fields it's whole life, but sometimes the animal can still be kept in crowded indoor spaces and only have a small access door to the outside, it doesn't mean they make it to the outside. So buy with caution, like I said it's a step in the right direction, but big corporations take advantage of this type of labeling.

Pasture-Raised: This means that the animal was raised where it should be, outdoors with access to fresh air and grass and bugs and suns. It was raised eating the food nature intended and had a decent quality of life. These animals are healthier for us to eat and tend to produce meat and dairy that are full of vitamins and products that are tastier. Please note, however, these meats and dairy products tend to be more expensive, so if you are on a budget every little bit counts. You can start by simply switching your milk to organic when it's on sale and go from there.

It's a crazy labeling world out there so shop smart!