Tag Archive for thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap {Pictures & Videos!}

Happy Monday AND December 1st! This is the best kind of Monday, the start of a new month! How many of you set some goals for the month already??? I definitely did! While I don’t ever think waiting for a Monday or 1st of the month is necessary, it sure makes it more fun for my OCD brain. 😀

Ah, this past week/weekend was quite busy and enjoyable! We drove into emmawatson-fans on Tuesday night and didn’t get in until about 2am. LA traffic is no joke. Our little guy did great on the road trip, though and at one point, even offered to drive.

oscardriveWednesday, I headed to an old friend’s house to get a workout in. Bret was the person that got me into lifting weights, so I had to revisit the past and train with him while I was home!

I hit some MAJOR PR’s while I was there!

275 lb Hip Thrust for 3 reps

215 lb Deadlift for 1 rep

I haven’t even come close to those weights before so I was beyond stoked! It was a great way to start out my trip!

Thanksgiving morning, Charlie, Oscar and I headed out to the park for a family workout. We did:

Turkey Leg Workout: 5 Rounds

  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Lemon Squeezers (or you could do sit ups)
  • 15 Squats
  • 100 yd. Sprint

Oscar did all the sprints with us! He was tired out by the end (and so were we!).

oscarparkOur Thanksgiving meal was delicious, and so were the desserts. Since we had extended our No Added Sugar challenge, this was the FIRST TIME we had sugar in 37 days!!!

The verdict? We both felt super sick and decided that we will try to stay away from sugar as much as possible. We will still have treats here and there, but the way we both have felt while OFF the sugar is sooooo much better than how we felt ON sugar. We definitely won’t be going back to any old habits.

Friday was a fun day that revolved around…DOGS. We started the day by taking Oscar to the dog park. We have so much fun watching him play with the other dogs! Afterwards, we headed to my mom’s house so that Oscar could meet my furry brother, Knuckles.

oscarknucklesThey loved eachother. Knuckles was so tolerant of Oscar’s puppy antics. We took them both on walks and hung around for most of the day.

Saturday was my nephew Matty’s 2nd birthday! He has gotten SOO big. He is truly a little boy now. It was fun to watch him play around with the other kids. His excitement when the cake was brought out might have also been the cutest thing ever. He was SOOOO EXCITED.

sanchezfamMy sister’s little family (soon to be 4 of them!)

After the party, we were all pretty exhausted, so we hopped in the car and started the long trek back to LA.

oscarsleepOverall, this was such a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family! I love being able to spend time with them and got a much needed break. Now I’m ready to tackle the new month with a clear, fresh mind!

P.S. I’ll be releasing more information about my FREE E-BOOK, The 10 DAY SEXY SLIMDOWN, this week! Stay tuned! If you can’t wait, you can subscribe to my newsletter on the top left of this page. 🙂

Question of the Day

1. What was the highlight of your holiday?

 

 

Navigating Thanksgiving {Tips, Tricks, & Workouts!}

Good morning friends!

Is it just me, or is anyone else already in holiday mode? For some reason this week has been mentally easier for me than most. I think it’s because I know that next week is a holiday, so therefore I’m in the home stretch. Charlie, Oscar and I are heading to AZ to hang with my family for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait!

Thanksgiving is seriously my FAVORITE holiday. The other holidays are great, but for some reason Thanksgiving has always been my favorite. I think it’s a mixture of the food and the tradition. Every year, my aunt puts out an amazing spread. I love food so much!!

While I do love this holiday, I’ve learned over the years that overdoing it doesn’t make me feel good. It always sounds like fun…..until I get finished eating my last cookie and pretty much need to be rolled away from the table. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but I don’t like feeling that full. It’s uncomfortable.

Because of that, I’ve gathered some great tips and tricks for Thanksgiving that I personally use to help combat the over-eating madness that tends to occur on this day. While I think that Thanksgiving is a perfectly good reason to indulge in all the foods you love, I don’t think it has to be quite the calorie bomb that it can be. With a little planning and thought, it doesn’t have to derail you too much and you can still fully enjoy yourself.

Tips and Tricks to Navigating Thanksgiving:

1. Workout in the morning. This is something I ALWAYS do each year. For some reason, it’s much easier to push yourself really hard and get a great workout in when you know the reward is a huge, delicious meal. Thoughts of pumpkin and pecan pie swirl through my brain as I kick my butt. I try to do something that works my full body and makes me sweat a lot.

Since many gyms are closed on Thanksgiving, here are some suggestions:

Ladder Full Body Tabata Full BodyBurpee Mile_Workout(you can find more workouts like these in my e-book Fit Lizzio Fitness To Go here)

You could also sign up for a local Turkey Trot (find one in your area here) or go for a run or bike ride with a friend/family member.

2. Eat a meal before “the meal”. I used to make the mistake of starving myself all day so that I could scarf down all of the Thanksgiving fixings. The problem with this is that I was SO hungry by the time the food was put out, I’d overeat and not even realize it. (Until I laid on the couch and past out in a food coma). Eat healthy meals leading up to Thanksgiving Dinner. Go with lots of fruits and vegetables (high fiber and filling), lean proteins, and healthy fats. This will help keep your blood sugar levels normal and your appetite in check.

3. Navigate your Plate. Instead of getting a bunch of everything and scarfing it all down, think about the foods you REALLY want and come up with a strategy. For example, I like to fill up my plate with turkey breast meat, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. Those are my go-to Thanksgiving foods. Since stuffing is my least favorite, and grean bean casserole is my most favorite, I only get a little bit of stuffing and I get a bit more green bean casserole. When it comes to eating, I start with the turkey (lean protein!), and eat a few bites of that first. This is usually the healthiest part of Thanksgiving dinner, so I try to fill up on that before I hit the sides and desserts. Many times, we just need a little taste of each, but if we hit those foods when we first sit down and are starving, our hunger and cravings will usually take over. Try to eat the healthiest foods first and then move on from there.

4. Share your dessert. It’s so easy to eat an entire slice of each kind of pie on the table (pumpkin, pecan, apple, etc!), so if you get one slice of each and share them with a family member, significant other, or friend, this usually helps you to eat less. You can still enjoy all of the flavors and not stuff yourself silly!

5. Freaking Enjoy Yourself!  At the end of the day, it’s just one meal. Don’t fret over it and if you want 2nds or 3rds of the most unhealthy side item on the table, JUST GO FOR IT. I truly believe Thanksgiving should be fully enjoyed. These tips are here to help you make Thanksgiving just a bit lighter, but do what makes you happy on this special day. Remember, one meal won’t derail your efforts (just like one meal won’t make you fit).

Questions of the Day:

Do you have any tips to add that help you to navigate your Thanksgiving table?

What is your favorite Thanksgiving fixing?