WEEK 2

It’s THANKSGIVING week! This is my favorite holiday because I. LOVE. FOOD.!!

Now that you've got a feel for how the game works, let's dive in! This week I want you all to feel excited to join in all of the festivities and delicious treats you love about this time of year!

I want you to come away from this week without feeling guilty, disappointed in your self control (may I shed some light on the fact that if you are someone who often feels like it's your self control that is your biggest issue, I'd like to point out that you are not to blame. Years of poor habits, restriction diets, unbalanced nutrition and survival mode have caused your hormones and your brain to really be telling your body you need to eat more of that sugar and grease. I can help there!) and with minimal fluffiness. So these are our goals for this week:

Quick view summary of Week 2:

• Nutrition: Keep working on lowering sugar intake and taking in consistent nutrient dense foods throughout the day.

• Fitness Challenge: 50 squats per day!

• Wellness Challenge: Ask for help once a day

Read on for more info, your bonus workout, Thanksgiving healthy(ish) recipes, and tips on cultivating meaningful conversations.

NUTRITION:

Let's continue to help get your blood sugar stabilized this week. Focus on really cutting any superfluous sugar and simple carbohydrates this week so that when the good stuff hits your senses, you feel ready and willing to hit it up!

As we settle into managing your blood sugar and reducing your cortisol levels, your cravings will continue to go down making portion control so much easier and second nature.

After a week or two of low or no sugar, your body will begin listening to it’s needs rather than it’s wants. You won’t be so driven by impulsive craving and you may even notice that when you’re hungry, your body will crave more nutritious foods!

Take it from a junk food and carb LOVER. It is possible!!!

Another BIG culprit of sugar cravings is fatigue so let’s get our rest this week, too!

Devices off by 9:30 and in bed by 10 - try for a good 8 hours a night on the nights that you can!

Some Dos and Don'ts for your Thanksgiving day:

•Don’t starve yourself all day before your Thanksgiving meal.

•Do eat lightly during the day. No sugar, no simple carbs. Have small high protein snacks.

•Do indulge and enjoy it!

•Don’t drink too much alcohol before the meal starts. Alcohol reduces your reasoning ability so you will be more likely to give yourself bigger portions and eat less mindfully and end up with a FOOD COMA!

•Don’t avoid things you love just because “they are unhealthy.”

•Do be mindful about your indulgences. If you choose to indulge in an unhealthy favorite, make sure you choose a smaller portion size and really sit and pay attention to enjoying your delicious treat.

•Do follow the 3 bite rule. If there is something you really want to eat but you know will make you feel bad either physically or mentally for eating it, allow yourself 3 bites. Bite 1: Taste it and enjoy it. Bite 2: Savor it. Bite 3: Say goodbye. That’s all you need. I’m pretty sure it’s science.

•Do drink a glass of water between every cocktail. Bubbly water is a great option because you will sip on it longer and it actually looks and feels like a cocktail!

•Do choose one indulging cocktail and then stick to wine or a liquor with no sugary mixer.

Week 2 Fitness Challenge:

Do 50 squats a day every day this week! 5 sets of 10 or two sets of 25 - you can do math! Make it happen and feel your body change! (if you do the workout below, you get them all in - just sayin')

Keep the knees over the toes (ie. make sure they are not pulling in toward each other or out away from each other) and the weight in the heels. Keep your back flat, chest open and shoulders back. Abs should be pulled in and engaged. Only go down as low as you can without your back starting to round and your weight coming into your toes. For example, I can’t go down as far as this picture with good form, so I stop about 6-12 inches higher...You can even do sit down stand ups if you want to make sure your form is correct. Or hold on to an anchored bar or railing to really help yourself sit back and keep your chest up without falling over!

Bonus Workout:

Get ready, this one’s a doozy!! This is a great cardio workout that will torch calories and increase your heart health. Rest whenever you need. This is a great workout for this week to help prepare for a day of indulging so you can prioritize connecting with friends and family and remember what you are thankful for rather than worry about your waistline!

Warm up for 3-5 minutes and try to rest as little as possible between exercises!

• 50 alternating lunges

• 10 burpees (with or without a push up)

• 40 Sumo squats (feet wider than the shoulders and turned out a bit - knees stay tracking over the toes not pulling inward)

• 20 speed skaters (jump or take a wide step from one foot to the other side to side as far apart as you can - for example from one end of a yoga mat to the other. Pick up the pace!)

• 30 side lunges (on each side so that's 60 all together! If you want to alternate, you can add a hop between as you switch from one side to the other.Keep the back flat, hinge at the hips and stick that butt back as you lower into the side lunge)

• 30 squat jumps (squat or sit down and then reach and jump up or lift up on to your toes)

• 20 dips (on a chair - keep the back close to the chair and shoulders away from the ears)

• 40 side to side jumps (both feet together, hopping over a line back and forth. You can also step one foot at a time over the imaginary line or place a pillow down to jump or step over)

• 10 push ups

• 50 jog or march in place with high knees

• REST, Repeat or Stretch!

Week 2 Wellness Challenge:

Ask for help once a day this week!

Take care of your needs! Ask for help, even if you think you don’t need it.

Asking for help lets the people around you feel needed and respected. It will also alleviate some of the tasks you’ve taken on so you can spend more time with the people you love or recharging your battery. Your loved ones love you and want nothing more than to see you happy. So ask for help.

And if you feel guilty asking for help remember this: Feeling guilty is a lot easier to feel than feeling angry or resentful. And once you see how happy people are to help, the guilt will fade quickly!

Take time to be by yourself. If you’re an introvert like me, you need time alone to recharge your battery. I love to be around people and get serious FOMO so I need to make a point to remember to sneak away and take a mo by myself every now and then. 

Here is a blog post I wrote about how to ask for help if you have trouble with that one... like me...

Food for Thought:

Cultivating Connection

When it comes to Awkward Uncle Al or Cray Cray Aunt Cindy, making small talk can be a lot of work! Here are some tips for engaging in meaningful conversations this week whether at social functions, with family or even in the workplace:

There are some recognized cornerstones to creating meaningful conversation

A man named Julian Treasure created the acronym HAIL to help remind you how to engage and connect with the people around you.

To hail means to greet or acclaim enthusiastically which is a great place to start!!

H is for Honesty - Be straight and clean (absolute honesty is not necessary but when tempered with Love, it’s a wonderful thing!)

A is for Authenticity - Be yourself!!

I is for Integrity - Be someone people can trust (keep the gossip and negative speak out of your conversations)!

L is for Love - wishing people well. When you are truly wishing someone well, you can’t be simultaneously judging them.!

If you try to follow these guidelines, you will eliminate some of the negative and alienating ways people can tend to speak to one another. You will create a comfortable and safe place for the people in your life to feel heard, loved and respected.

Recipes

Here are a couple delicious looking and health(ier) recipes you could try for your Thanksgiving meal this week!!! (These are back by popular demand from last year's challenge!)

Try these out this week and post your thoughts or tips on the recipe on social medial and tag me on Instagram or Facebook @savagewellness and hashtag #swellhollidays! (Oh and here's that missing link to last week's Golden French Lentil Soup).