Shopping tips!

Hello everyone! It’s full up holiday season and Christmas is just around the corner! Today I’m going to give you some tips to help you stay fit as you finish up your holiday shopping!

As our daily routine gets thrown off course it’s important that our health goals say on track! Just because your not on your usual routine doesn’t mean you’ll put on the pounds in the crazyness of the holidays.

Remember, at the end of the day your goal is to create a caloric deficit. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

First, be sure to start you day off on the right foot with a good breakfast. It’s so important and will help you avoid all the holiday temptations.

Second, pack snacks before heading out to shop. It only take 5 mins to toss some snacking in your purse. This can save you from the calorie, sugar, and fat nightmare of the food courts.

A good snack has three components:

1. Fruits or veggies. Such as an apple, banana, celery, or cherry tomatoes

2. Protein to help maintain your energy. Such as nuts or string cheese

3. And third, grains for fiber. Granola bars or whole grain crackers

My all time favorite snack is a "road wrap". Just take a whole grain tortilla, toss in some lean lunch meat and some veggies, roll it up in some tinfoil and you are good to go. Grab a packet of mustard at the mall and you've got a perfect snack!

And lastly, if you must eat at the mall your best bets are a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayo, a salad with grilled meat, or a slice of veggie pizza avoid the meat as it’s full of fat.

At all cost, avoid the sugary shakes and coffee drinks, mega high calorie cinnamon rolls, and giant pretzels. They will just load you up with empty calories and leave you hungry.

On to the exercising… the key is to move your body as much as possible. If your anything like me, I don’t’ mess around as I rip through the malls! Here’s a few ideas to help you burn more calories.

1. Get there a bit early and do a few power laps while you window shop.

2. Wear comfy shoes so you can Avoid the esculators and take the stairs.

3. Wear a pedometer and check your steps. It’s really fun to watch the steps add up and it makes it a bit more rewarding when you have to go all the way back to the other end of the mall when you forget something! Plus, they make great stocking stuffers!! Aim for 10,000 steps a day.

I hope you all have a very happy holiday season! I’ll be back with more great holiday tips!