How did that happen?? I’m super excited, but I can’t believe it is here already. I mean I guess I can, we have been watching Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas for a month now… so it makes sense that Christmas is almost here. I hope you all had a nice weekend and you have all your Christmas shopping, wrapping and errands done!!!????

I thought today would be a perfect day to share with you an article that I wrote for one of our town newspapers, The Greenwich Sentinel. It was published last week, and I was thrilled to be a part of their holiday newspaper.

You all know be my now and I love to preach healthy eating and living year round so you can sort of guess what my article had to say. While I do indulge in my favorite treats on occasion here and there I do like to be mindful of keeping a good balance.

Click on my article for more details on how to HAVE A HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON

In case it’s too hard to read from the picture link here’s the article:

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING

With the holiday season approaching, are you already thinking about how you are going to work off all the extra plates of turkey, stuffing, pies & cookies? There’s no need to add stress to your upcoming busy social schedule. Learning how to find the right balance with food will allow you to indulge in that cookie or cocktail around the holidays without doing any damage to your waistline.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a struggle, focus on moderation. If you are mindful of everything you put on your plate, you can save room for those special foods you look forward to every year!

My 4 Quick Tips on how to plan for a healthy holiday:

• Plan ahead. One of my key tips is to plan ahead. Write in your planner or your phone calendar which events you are attending and allow yourself to celebrate with 1 food or drink item at each special occasion. Remember you want to enjoy your indulgence, you don’t want to regret it. Take your time eating or drinking your special treat, and enjoy the social aspect of the holiday season.
• Exercise 30 minutes each day. Now that you have your plan, make sure you include 30 minutes of exercise on most days.  Put it in your planner and get to it. A 30 minute walk with your dog counts and of course that 60 minute Boot Camp class is even better. Stay active!
• Load your plate with an assortment of colors. Balance each day with a variety of different fruits, veggies, protein, carbs, and fats By doing so you won’t deprive your body of any nutrients, and you won’t have any guilt when you reach for that holiday cocktail!
• Enjoy your time with family & friends. Remember the holiday season isn’t just about gifts, food, desserts, and cocktails. It’s about spending time with your loved ones and enjoying the company of those around you. That’s what the holidays are all about!

Keep these tips in mind as you dive full speed into the holidays. I am confident with your focus and mindful choices you can make it through all the celebrations without adjusting a notch on your belt buckle!

Kelly Garofalo is a lifelong Greenwich resident that has a strong passion for all things health & fitness. As a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Mom, Blog Writer (www.thefitskool.com) and health enthusiast she strives to help others achieve their wellness goals no matter what size they are.

What are your goals during the holiday season?

What’s your favorite holiday goodie to indulge in?

On Tuesday I did a fun, challenging & sweaty bodyweight workout using the battle ropes, TRX and Bosu ball at the YMCA.

I started my workout with a 5 minute warm-up. I alternated between Box Step-Ups, Quick feet on the Bosu, and some side shuffle drills.

Once I was warm I completed the following workout:

BATTLE ROPES, TRX & BOSU FULL BODY CHALLNGE

2 ARM ROPE SLAMS

ALTERNATING ROPE SLAMS

BATTLE ROPE JUMPING JACKS

TRX BODYWEIGHT ROWS

TRX BODYWEIGHT PUSHUPS

PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR 30 SECONDS, REPEAT 3X (REST AS NEEDED)

In between each round I did 30 seconds of Side Shuffle on the BOSU ball for an added cardio blast!

This workout probably took me about 25 minutes. It was short but challenging and I’ve learned that I don’t need to spend hours working out. Sometimes my best workouts are the ones that are under 30 minutes!

I promise this one will leave your arms feeling like Jell-o and your heart pumping. I love adding the battle ropes into my training, its not only great cardio, but its a great stress reliever!!!

**Always consult a Doctor or physician before beginning a new workout program**

We didn’t have a wild & crazy New Year’s Eve.. it was very low key which is what we wanted after a short but busy work week.

Don’t I look sleepy??

I can’t believe I got this New Year’s eve kiss picture with Cooper. I honestly don’t think I have a picture with me kissing Cooper and he’s 2 and 1/2 yrs old. If I do have one, this is way better. He actually cooperated for the picture.

I was pretty excited about this.

SO….I’m sure like everyone else you are thinking about making BIG changes this month or maybe this year.

It is only natural to think that way. I have decided to take it day by day. I am going to focus on eating healthy and being happy.

I will leave you with this picture.

 This was too funny not to share with you!!

Happy New Years!

What did you do for New Year’s Eve?

Any good resolutions?

In the summer I was outside all the time. Now, I am outside when I get in and out of my car or when I walk Cooper. THAT IS PRETTY MUCH IT!!

That means some of us are moving less during the day or choosing to be inside more.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever used a pedometer before?

If you are looking to buy one, this SM-2000 Step Pedometer is only $6.50 and if you have amazon prime it ships within 2 days!

If you have an IPHONE there are tons of APPS you can download; to monitor how many steps you take in one day.

I have the Runtastic APP

It is easy to download and it is FREE. It tracks your steps, miles, speed, etc!

The other day I challenged myself not to sit for most of the day. I sat when I ate my meals and drove my car but that was it. I had to think about not sitting a few times, for instance when I wrote my blog, I put my laptop on our high top table and stood, I stood while folding laundry, made several trips up and down the stairs on purpose while putting things away, I stood while I read Ava her night time story, you get the point.

Just by not sitting I forced myself to move more and that alone helped to burn extra calories

I wish I had thought earlier that day to put my pedometer on and see how many steps I actually took, but once I put my pedometer on I was able to track 5,000 steps within a 2-½ hour time frame!

 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles.

SOOO with all this talk about moving more, I challenge you to buy a PEDOMETER or download an app. They are super cheap and it is a fun way to challenge you to move more! They even make a great stocking stuffer! 

Here are some Tips to Sneak in extra steps to reach that 10,000 step goal:

• Take the stairs whenever you can.
• Park your car at the end of the parking lot
• Instead of emailing or calling a co-worker get up and walk to their office/cubicle
• Take your dog on a 5 minute longer walk
• Walk around the entire grocery store while shopping
• Chase around your baby! This one clearly helps me to move more

 This girl never stops!

How do you stay active? 

Do you sit a lot during the day?

She has grown drastically this month, both physically and mentally. This past month has been by far my favorite month with Ava.

Ava is 19 1/2lbs and 29 1/2 inches long! (she is in 98th percentile for length) I am still pulling for a basketball player or a rockette.

New Things for Ava

• Ava is now WALKING… she is getting more brave and stronger each day. It started out with 1 step, then 2, then 8, then 10. Pretty soon she will be running
• She loves pancakes, eggs, apples, pineapple, squash, sweet potatoes, meatballs, chicken, green beans, etc

• Her absolute favorite fruit is a banana, the girl can already eat 1/2 of it in one sitting. Her appetite is just like mine.
• You can give her cheerios any time of day and she will eat them
• She likes her sippy cup. We only give her water right now.
• Ava can clap her hands, usually she claps on her own terms but sometimes she will clap with us when it is appropriate
• Waving bye bye! This one is hit or miss.
• Dancing with her arms up over her head (hands down my favorite!)
• Playing on the playground, in particular the swing and the slide

• She has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom ones, those top teeth caused her a lot of pain and made us sleep a little less these past 2 weeks
• New words.. gaga, nenene which is her version of no.  She looks at Cooper when he steals her toys and says nenene (she primarily says mama, baba and dada) yesterday she said buh-bye for the first time!
• When the gate is up on the stairs, Ava is not happy! She will basically let out a fake cry and she needs someone to move it so she can make her way up the stairs.
• She loves Elmo, I’m not going to lie Elmo’s laugh makes me giggle too. SO if you need to smile click on this Elmo YOUTUBE Video

• Ava loves balloons and when we are in the store she laughs at them.

Ava does NOT like….

• Socks! She pulls at least one of them off within a minute of putting them on.. and if she isn’t fast enough Cooper will. He loves her feet.
• She doesn’t really like when we feed her, she wants to do it herself. Mrs. Independent
• Being left in a room by herself.
• Crazy, scary halloween stuffed animals and decorations at CVS.
• Begin stuck in the car seat for too long, she needs to be on the move.
• She hates diaper changes, and is Houdini on the changing table.
• The word no, she laughs instead… NOT FUNNY.

Well I am sure these 2 lists could go on forever but those were all I could whip together right now.

My update! 

A while ago I said I was going to stop these status updates, but my body and my goals are still changing so I want to share my progress with you.

• My weight is the same.. and probably will stay within a 2-3lb range.
• I have gained upper body strength, I increased my weights with all my exercises!! I am SO proud of that accomplishment!
• I did not reach my pull-up goal, I am not going to lie… I never practiced.
• My Core is a lot tighter, thanks to Paleo-ish clean eating and lifting more weights

MY GOALS for the next 2 months before we hit the 1 year postpartum mark is to keep getting stronger and to work on my pull-ups. It has been difficult to get some extra time to focus on them, but I am going to make a conscious effort too. I might need to invest in a Pull-up Bar!

What are some of your accomplishments this month? 

Did you have a goal that you reached?

What new changes would you like to see with your body, and how will you make it happen?

There are plenty of times I forget to prep food on Sundays and my food choices aren’t as good as I would like them to be and my meals or snacks aren’t as tasty!

Here is our FOOD PREP:

Egg Squares (eggs, mushrooms, & turkey bacon) These are perfect for a mid-morning snack

Roasted Veggies & Potatoes (broccoli, zucchini, red onions, & potatoes) I am a huge fan of roasted ANYTHING.. and I will be eating this as a side to my lunches this week.

Almond Cookie Larabar (recipe to come) This is another great mid morning or afternoon snack with only 2 ingredients.

Fresh Fruit (Canteloupe & Watermelon) Fresh fruit never lasts in our house, especially when it is cut up. Maybe 2 days?

Grilled BBQ Chicken and Chicken Drumsticks This is a staple for food prep. It is simple and we love grilled chicken for lunches.

We also made grilled blackened salmon last night so we have some leftovers to make a sandwich!

What did you prep this weekend? 

Eating healthy does require planning and meal prep, no one said it’s easy but that’s because most of our lifestyles force us to resort to the GRAB-N-GO type foods that require no thought. Sometimes I hate deciding what to cook for dinner or what I need to pack for my lunch and snacks for the next day.. but I realized that when I am not prepared I make poor choices, I eat less veggies, and my meals don’t keep me as full. Do you agree?

On Sunday Marc and I sat down and planned out our dinners for most of the week. Then I made a big trip to the grocery store so that I had all my ingredients when it came time to make my meals. Its a no brainer!

Over the past week, here are what some of our dinners looked like:

Grilled Blackened Salmon served with veggies

Ginger Sirloin Tips with Asparagus & Sweet Potato

Sesame seared Ahi Tuna served with edamame and zucchini bites

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Thai Chicken Brown with Veggies & Brown Rice (take out from a Thai Restaurant)

When you are planning and cooking meals, Try to think outside the box, you don’t have to eat CHICKEN every night to eat healthy. Keep trying new recipes and new flavors!

Did you learn anything new  from eating HEALTHIER this past week? 

There are many solutions! Yes, moms are so busy that sometimes it seems nearly impossible for them to squeeze in 10 minutes let alone 30 minutes of exercise each day. The good thing is that you don’t need to be in the gym for an hour to get a good workout.

My first rule is to Schedule it!!! This is not just for moms but anyone that wants to increase the amount of exercise they log per week even if your schedule is jam packed.  You schedule play dates, happy hour with friends, dance class, baseball practice, BBQ’s etc. so now make a commitment for yourself. If you write it down in your planner or mark it on your calendar with a specific date and time you are more likely to complete the task.

Get your kids to join in! make it a competition. Who isn’t up for a challenge  Ask them how many sit ups they can do in a minute? Record their results. Your turn! Keep track and choose different exercises: pushups, planks, jumping jacks, bear crawl, skaters, etc. It may not be your ideal workout but it could be fun for your kids to sweat too.

Ask for some help! Can your husband watch the kids for 30 minutes. Go out for a run or pop in a workout dvd in the other room. Maybe your friend is going to the gym and their husband/wife wouldn’t mind watching your kids for 30 minutes.

Here are 3 examples of 20-30 minute workouts you can do at home: Warm up before completing any workout

Workout #1 30 minute power walk with intervals (alternating speed walking with normal pace)

Workout #2 complete the following circuit performing as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes: 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats, 10 lunges (each leg), 10 burpees, 10 mountain climbers and again complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

Workout #3 pop in your favorite work out dvd or select a workout video on demand and try something new!

Once you are finished, cool down with some stretching!

TOP EXCUSES I HEAR AS A TRAINER!!!!

1. I don’t have time to prepare foods and I don’t have time for 5 workouts per week.

Notice the first 4 words… I don’t have time! Of course it isn’t easy but if you want it to happen YOU CAN AND WILL make it happen.

2. I had to work late or I can’t get up early in the morning.

Squeeze in a workout at lunch time. Take the stairs on purpose. Do a 3-minute workout during each of the commercials of your hour long  TV show. After 5 commercials you’ve done 15 minutes of exercise!

3. I do my cardio 2-3x per week and I strength train twice a week but there’s no change on the scale and my pants still fit the same!

Are you upping the intensity or have you been doing the same routine for 4 months? Switch it up. Try an interval based cardio workout to spike the heart rate. Instead of using the machines at the gym do all your exercises standing or balancing on a BOSU Ball. Alternate a cardio base exercise like jumping jacks with your bicep curls and squats to burn more calories.

4. Last excuse….. I have this party on this weekend, I have a wedding the end of the month, we have a work dinner party on Thursday I will start in 2 weeks…

blah blah blah. There are healthy food choices wherever you go. It is ultimately up to you what goes in your mouth. Delaying your goal is just pushing you further away from success, start now!!

As a trainer I am not around my clients 24/7 and I can’t see what they are eating and drinking all day long. I hold them accountable for their nutrition, but I make sure they are always getting in good workouts. To achieve success you have to WANT THE CHANGE. What are your goals?  Do you want to fit in that sexy black dress for the holidays or for your high school reunion? Do you want to run around with your kids and not get winded? Do you want your clothes to fit differently? What is your motivation?

WEEKEND TASK:

Write down your motivation and post it on your fridge or your calendar where you can see it!!

Remind yourself daily what you are working for. Is this ice cream really worth it, maybe I should have frozen yogurt instead. When you are out to dinner and your friends want to order the nachos.. order a salad to start tell them you are working towards your goal and eating the nachos will only set me back. Ask them for their support as well as your family. Make small changes.

Tell me your goals so I can help hold you accountable!!