The post Holidays Got Your Stressed appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Not many times we eat while doing something else (I’m so guilty of that) it’s rare I’m not multitasking or even sitting when I eat!

Mindless and emotional eating lead to weight gain. While MINDFUL eats, find themselves weighing less. Do you think you can incorporate it into your lifestyle’

Mindful eating is based on two premises: eat slower and in silence.

Eat Slower

Taking time to chew food well is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. You get to savor each bite, and it helps with your digestion, plus you’ll end up eating less and feeling better than you would if you wolfed down your food.

The first time I discovered this was I attended a meditation class on mindfulness and the instructor had us take 10 minutes to eat a Hershey kiss. Seriously 10 freaking minutes, right those are meant to be eaten in like 2.2 seconds. In those 10 minutes I had the chance to appreciate and ACTUALLY TASTE the chocolate versus just shoveling it into my mouth.

Mindful eating helps you find a deeper appreciation for your food. What it takes to grow veggies, what it takes to create different foods like how grain is milled and turned into flour and baked into bread.

During the summer I go to the farmer’s market and it this brings this point home, the quality of food and the hard work of farmers.

Silence!

While this is a big part of mindful eating, it won’t work in its entirety for all families. Now I’ve become more mindful eating in silence when I’m not by myself not so much!! Dinner is my husband and I’s time to connect. However, we do have an electronics-free zone – no smartphones, no TV; just us chatting about your day. My quality silent time happens at night when I’m writing my gratitude’s and drink a nice hot cup of tea.

Do your best to make to mindful eating a part of your healthy lifestyle and because it is based on awareness, it makes a great weight management tool. Try it – you most likely won‘t go back to the grab-and-go lifestyle.

If you like what you read so much of things these the are simple strategies I share in my 21 Ways To Crush Your Holidays Without Counting Calories. – grab your free PDF download.

The post 2 Key Mindful Eating Tips (To Help Prevent Weight Gain) appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

This stop start route is one harder on your body than if you would exercise on a more consistent basis and it will take you longer to achieve your fitness goal, (if you ever do). I call this exercise cha cha. You are taking one step forward and two steps back constantly wondering where and when will you see results!

You want you results, you need to develop consistency. Now I can tell you that a optimal routine looks like the combination of cardio, strength and flexibility training three to four times per week. I say optimal because here is where you need to look at your life and your mindset when it comes to working out. What would be an optimum number for you’

For me with my schedule 4 days work best for me. Now if you are at 1-2 based on your life that’s okay. I’m a big believer of starting where you are. Stop thinking where you “need to “ or where you “should be” you where you are and that’s ok. Soon enough you’ll be doing more than you think.

Having a consistent workout routine helps you to improves your mood. Exercising helps your brain to release endorphins. This is your body’s feel good hormone. It’s the reason why AFTER a workout you feel amazing!

Looking to drop some weight’ Consistency will help you build the muscle (larger muscles help burn more calories which will also help with weight loss), muscles need to be exercised at least every other day to have any real noticeable increase in size.

If you don’t yet have a consistent routine, you can create one by giving yourself a “trial period” of exercising four days per week, 15 minutes – 30 minutes per day, for thirty days. It takes anywhere from 30-66 days to turn an activity into a habit. If you find that you don’t like it after your trial period, you can go back to your old schedule (but most likely you won’t because it is now a habit).

Another way to build consistency to workout at the same time each day. For most people it works best to do it right after they get up in the morning. For the past 10 years I’ve been working out in the AM, I’m really into working out, but if I don’t do it first thing in the morning I can come up with a million reasons WHY and not do it. Then feel guiltily I didn’t drag my tushy out of bed to get it done.

What about you, what’s a time that you know that you can consistently get to the gym” Lunch time , after work”

Experiment and find which time works best for you and then stick to that time.

Now you are saying I’m not consistent with exercise cause I HATE IT!!! Here are a few ways

1. Group Exercise – find a class that you like and treat It like an appointment
2. Find something that you love to do
3. Start small
4. Buy nice workout clothes
5. Download some awesome music that motivates
6. Find some YouTube videos if you don’t want to leave the house

Practicing a regular exercise regimen will not only revive you physically, but also mentally. With consistency comes a gradual increase in muscle mass, reduced stress and an overall greater feeling of relaxation.

If you are looking for a way to crush your holiday goals without counting a single calorie, I invite you to download my free action guide, 21 Days To Crush Your Holiday Goals without counting a calorie

The post Why You Need a Consistent Workout Routine appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

If you have been inactive for a while and have had a rather sedentary lifestyle, this is awesome news! I don’t need to tell you that exercise can improve your mind and body substantially.

However, you shouldn’t expect miracles when you just start out.

Break it back to a young kids. Kids don’t come out of the womb sprinting. They crawl, then walk and then you’re chasing them all over your house. A week after you first started swimming you were probably not going to challenge Michael Phleps to a race. Nor should you expect working out after long periods of being sedentary to deliver immediate results. It’s going to take time, but the good news is, you will start to feel better quickly.

Just don’t fall victim to the ridiculous promises made by some TV pitchmen and Internet sales pages.

A consistent and repetitive exercise program will eventually deliver the health benefits you are trying to achieve. Just keep at it. You probably know you should start off slow in the beginning. This keeps you from becoming injured, and ditching your exercise program all together.

Flash back to your fairytales of the story of the hare and the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race, to help stay with a healthy living program. Stick to it, week after week, month after month, and you will eventually achieve the results you’re looking for.

Looking to get started before the new year’ Grab these 10 workouts, that can be done at home, gym or hotel room with little no equipment

The post Going from the Couch to Muscle Beach’ Don’t Expect Instant Miracles… appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Just because there are holiday treats a plenty doesn’t mean I sacrifice my goals for a buffet:-) if I see somethingI really want I will work it into my nutrition plan for the day or week.

I’ve tried the white knuckle approach in the past (avoiding parties due to food temptations) and I’ve done the willy nilly approach (free for all!! Taste everything!) — neither worked out well–

Deciding ahead of time to stay compliant allows me flexibility and I feel better about my choices because I’m aware of them and why I choose what I choose.

I’ve evolved in to this approach for sure — I get a little bit better at it each yr:-)

Want 12 more”

The post Quick Holiday Tips appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Stick to a budget. Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Don’t try to buy your joy with gifts and food.

This season is all about the moments in between our busy lives to connect with our loved ones.

Try these alternatives:

► Donate to a charity in someone’s name.
► Give homemade gifts such as a sugars scrub or your favorite oatmeal recipe in a cute jar!
► Start a family gift exchange.

Want 12 more ideas‘

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My stay sane trick is to write down 3 things that I am grateful or each night before bed.  It’s helps take the edge off of feeling so overwhelmed and takes me from the place of “not enough” (time, money, etc) to a place of plenty.  It’s really a simple but beautiful practice.

Wanna learn 12 more‘

The post Think You’re Cut Out To Stay Sane This Holiday’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

1. Don’t down on yourself or get upset.
   Remember, it’s normal to get off track. Don’t down on yourself for it. You can fix things and get back on track. You’re an awesome person and don’t let a big or small slip up make you think otherwise.
   There is no need to feel guilty, we all slip up. Take that energy to figure out how you can make better choices the next time. If you find your guilt getting to be too strong or start to feel depressed, please reach out to a support group or see your doctor.
2. Get positive and learn from your experiences!
   It’s just a bump in the road. Think back to when you first got off track. What caused it’ Was it a really the holiday, were you feeling pressured to eat by the hosts of a party, did you go to the event hungry or were you thinking when in Rome’ Were you craving a food you had been denying yourself and binged’
   Once you know the cause, you can make a plan to avoid it in the future. I know I had to learn how to say no thank you at big family gatherings. It can be hard when people keep telling you it’s a special occasion and talk about how they made the food themselves. At the end of the day your biggest obligation is to yourself and your happiness so even if they pressure you, it’s okay to say no.
3. Get back on track now, not later.
   Don’t say, “Oh, I’ll get started tomorrow/Monday/on the 1st.” Get started NOW. There is no point in waiting. The moment you realize you’re off track is the moment to get back on track.
   Saying you need to wait until morning is just an excuse to goof off the rest of the day and make unhealthy choices.
4. If it keeps happening, consider joining a support group.
   Whether it’s an online support group or one that meets offline, having people who understand what you’re going through and are there to support you can be a huge help. Friends and family are great but they won’t always understand what you’re going through. People who have never struggled with weigh issues think losing weight is easy so it’s hard to bring up your feelings with them.

At the end of the day, just remember. You’re so much more than you’re mistakes. You’re working hard and even if you slip up, you can get back on track and reach your goals!

The post Does Off Track Holiday Bingeing Send You Running For The Hills”’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Here we are at Thanksgiving, when you may have more leftovers than you know what to with. At my house we have at least 20 people for dinner and even after we sent people home with food there LEFTOVERS!!!  SO.. what do you do with them.

With a little bit of prep time and some imagination, you can create new ways to enjoy your holiday favorites. Let’s take a look at some creative ideas to use your holiday leftovers.

Soup Sensations
Remove all the meat from the bird and cook it down for turkey stock. Once you have your stock, you have the beginnings for meals that don’t resemble a sandwich in the least. I’m not a big fan of sandwiches. Once you have the stock done you can make a simple turkey soup by dicing up some of the leftover turkey, then add to the stock with vegetables and noodles or rice for a hearty meal. You can include other leftovers in your turkey soup.  You can add sweet potatoes or butter nut squash as a chunk or puree them and to the turkey stock to give it a nice flavor.

Because we had so many at our Thanksgiving table, we have not only turkey but ham. If your family is like mine, you can make a wonderful minestrone soup or split pea soup. I’m a sucker for some split pea soup!!  Make your ham stock and stir in leftover mashed potatoes for an wonderful potato and ham chowder. Have left over veggies, you can puree those up to make a delicious veggie based soup. You can use the turkey or ham stock as part of the base.

Salad Without Limits
Simply cutting up leftover turkey, ham, or other meat and topping a big lettuce salad can be a treat. Now look at your other leftovers. Are there still radishes, carrot sticks, celery stalks, olives, and cheese left from the holiday meal’ Throw them on the green salad. And don’t stop there. Are those nuts I see on the buffet’ Perfect topping for your salad. You can even whisk together a little leftover cranberry sauce or cranberry and orange relish with balsamic vinegar and create a unique dressing for your turkey and greens salad.

Of course, you can expand your salad beyond the lettuce with topping style. Cut up your leftover meats and mix in a vinaigrette or salad dressing, stir in leftover corn, celery, radishes, onion, carrots, or even fruit and nuts. Serve in a bowl or over a bed of crunchy lettuce or cabbage. Don’t limit yourself to one temperature, either. Go ahead and serve heated or roasted leftover meat or vegetables over greens. Drizzle with olive oil and vinaigrette for a nice combination of hot and cold, sweet and tangy. Toss in leftover cranberry sauce, too, hot or cold.

You don’t have to be satisfied with eating the same holiday meal over and over again until your leftovers are gone. Be creative and unique. Use your leftover ingredients to make something new that your family will love and won’t recognize!

Do you have any holiday leftover recipes you want to share”

The post What To Do With Holiday Leftovers” appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

I want you to enjoy this weekend without feeling guilty!

Here a few past posts to help you glide into the weekend.

5 ingredient clean grilling recipes

You have control

10 ways to fight holiday weight gain

Looking for  a blueprint check out my summer sprint. You’ll receive 4 weeks of emails to help you glide through the summer with clean eating.

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