Top Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Top Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Did you know that the average American will gain seven pounds during the holiday season? Sometimes it may feel like more, especially when we’re going to party after party or family event after family event. And let’s not discount all of those yummy goodies that we make for family members and loved ones. Or the occasional treats we have when we’re out shopping or admiring festive holiday displays. Yes, this time of the year can be dangerous for dieters or for those of us who are trying to be mindful of our weight. But how can we avoid that weight gain or at least keep it to a minimum? Here are my top tips to avoid holiday weight gain. The time from Thanksgiving to New…

Healthier Alternatives for White Flour

Do you enjoy baking? It’s one of my favorite things to do, either for my family, for loved ones, friends, or for myself. I find it to be calming and I do enjoy baking from scratch whenever I can. Of course, I’m not above using a few shortcuts here and there but I also know that baking from scratch gives me more control over the ingredients. Recently, I’ve started looking into healthier alternatives for white flour for when I bake. Partially because we’re still looking into making some gluten free friendly changes to our overall diet and partially because it’s part of our overall steps towards a healthier lifestyle. I’ll also be the first to admit, one of the biggest obstacles that we continually face…

Loving My Post Pregnancy Body

Growing up, I was always on the thin side. Part of it was due to my metabolism, and then in my teenage years, part of it was due to a very low sense of self esteem. I struggled with my body image and would panic if I started to gain weight. This continued well into my 20s though by that point I think it was a combination of being a perfectionist and needing to control something (after dealing with Sweet B’s autism diagnosis), my body image issues, and clinical depression. Whatever the case, it was an issue that I needed to address but never really did anything about. At least not until after my last pregnancy. Loving my post pregnancy body was something, at first,…

How to Age Gracefully

I have a confession to make. Most nights before I go to bed, I head into the bathroom. Yes, it’s a necessary trip but after I’ve done what I need to do, I find myself standing in front of the mirror carefully going through my hair. My hair is not thinning, but as I go through each section… sometimes I find it. The lone gray hair or a hair that’s starting to go gray at the roots. Some nights I don’t find any and some nights I may find two or three. And I do get it… I’m getting older. I won’t get any younger and there’s really nothing that I can do to stop the aging process. Eventually I’ll learn to accept it and…

Superfoods to Help Fight Colds and the Flu

The time for colds and the flu is swiftly approaching. Normally, after allergy season is fully over, I know it’s time for cold and flu season. And while I’m grateful that I don’t have to deal with allergies until things start blooming again, sometimes I’d rather deal with my allergies than get a cold or the flu. But why is that? Well, for one, I hate being sick. It drags down my day, offsets my mood, and just isn’t fun to deal with. Because of that, I start taking whatever precautions I can to help stave off illness. Frequent hand washing, carrying hand sanitizer, and changing my diet. I was doing a little research and I’ve come across 8 superfoods to help fight colds and…

How to Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

In a society where everyone seems to be concerned with what their next door neighbor has or what their coworker has accomplished, there seems to be less of a focus on what you already have. In fact, I would ask you to ask yourself: how many times a day are you thankful for what you do have vs. wanting what you don’t have? Of course there’s nothing wrong with wanting stuff- we’re human beings and we all go through it. However, I think it would do us all good to also remind ourselves to be grateful for what we already have. And we can do this by developing an attitude of gratitude. This post contains affiliate links I realize this sounds simple enough, being grateful…