Recently one of my good friends shared a video with me that rocked my world! A company called Box of Crayons created the video called “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun” This fun and very creative video goes through eight principles to banish boredom from your life and start having fun. But more than that it teaches you how to live the life you want to.  Watch it here.  As we go through the Christmas season two of the Principles really stuck out to me.  
• “Stop being busy – Being busy is seductive. Just because you’re going flat out doesn’t mean that you’re on the right track. If it’s the wrong hole, you need to stop digging.”
o Think about that, sometimes we are just busy to be busy, especially during the holiday season. Are you doing busy work in your own life?  Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up. Are you so busy going nowhere that you don’t have time to realize that you’re only going in circles? How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll do that when its not so busy….maybe after Christmas…..after New Years…..after this cold passes ….. after the kids start school….when the summer is over…..after labor day….after Thanksgiving…..then we’re back to Christmas….and it goes on and on and on. The point is if you don’t know where you’re going it doesn’t matter how fast you are going to get there. So SLOW down make a plan, set some goals, and fill your time with meaningful action steps that will get you to where you truly want to be in life. The circle of life will always get in the way if you let it. Getting caught up in busy is easy. Listen to people around you today, I guarantee you that most of them will be complaining about how busy they are. What are they really busy with? Next year will they be in a better position because of the work they were busy with today? For the most part probably not. Successful people never complain about being busy. They know where they are going and know what they have to do to get there. Its not busy work if it creates results. And you really can’t complain about results. You should feel good about doing productive work, not overwhelmed with business. The next time you have the urge to complain about being busy slow down to think about what you are filling your time with. We all have 24 hours in a day, learn how to be efficient at filling them and you will be able to live out your dreams.

• “Stop taking it all so damn seriously. – In this moment, is it a life or death decision? In 10 years, will you remember what you’re fretting about? In 100 years will anyone care? So lighten up – this too will pass”
o Ohhhh this is good for the Christmas season. Does it really matter that the tree is perfectly decorated or that your kids’ hair is perfect for the Christmas pictures? A lot of the time we end up missing the true meaning of Christmas because we are so caught up in the stress that we create. This applies our lives too. How often do we worry and obsess about little things that at the end of the day really do not matter? Life is not perfect. We should be enjoying the ride with all the ups and downs not trying to rebuild the track as we’re on it. Stress has serious health effects too. It releases a hormone in our body called cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels have been shown to increase body fat, triglycerides, blood sugar, depression and injuries. It can also decrease immune system functions and fertility. With that being said think about what you are stressing about. When you start to worry, ask yourself can I change this and will it matter in 10 years? Will anyone care in 100 years? Another good tip is to stop worrying about other people, you can only control yourself and how you react to situations. Knowing that you are only responsible for how you react takes a lot stress out of your life.  Remember you are the only one that can make the decision about how you feel. You decide to feel stress or you decide to feel happy. You have the control so DECIDE to laugh, have fun, be happy and most of all make the decision to enjoy the ride you only get one time around!
Peas&Love,
Shanna 09

Did you know that the average Thanksgiving dinner has over 2,000 calories?! Eggnog has 340 to 460 calories per eight-ounce glass. Add in the extra deserts and alcohol, no wonder most Americans gain on average 5-10lbs each years between the Thanksgiving and New Years. I know that doesn't really sound like much but the truth is those 5-10lbs are not lost from the year before and keep piling up over the years. So how do you avoid the temptation to eat until you can’t move on Thanksgiving? How do you not drink a cocktail at your company Christmas party? There are a few secrets that healthy people have to keep themselves in check during the holiday parties. Here are a few of mine:

1. Don’t ever go to a party hungry!! You know there is going to be thousands of bad choices and you don’t want to be the psycho in corner eating the entire veggie try. Do yourself a favor and eat a healthy meal (300 calories, More than 10g protein, Less than 30g of carbs) right before you go. This way you can still taste to get your fix but you don’t have to make a meal out of it. Notice I said taste, one or two bites of anything is enough to satisfy your craving.

2. Make and bring a healthy version of your favorite holiday treat to the party. This way when if you do get hungry you can fall back on the healthy version that you made. Note: don’t go around broadcasting that it only has 100 calories, 10g of protein and no carbs……most people are scared of healthy anything and that’s why they will be gaining 5-10lbs this season. Just smile and take complements when people tell you how awesome it tastes. I sometimes wait until its all gone to share the fact that is was also healthy for them. Still people will always try to avoid healthy especially at a party…..maybe they don’t want to be known as a health nut. Either way I’m not going to let their weird obsession with crappy food ruin my body. My favorite recipe for Thanksgiving is a pumpkin pie made with meal replacement shakes and protein powder. It actually tastes better than the normal way!

3. Stay hydrated! You should be obsessed with drinking water! You body can and most of the time does send you mixed signals about wither it is hungry or thirsty. Always always reach for water first before you decide that you are hungry. You will be amazed on how often it was just a hydration issue. Plus drinking water will help fill up your stomach when you are hungry. Also add electrolyte replacement drinks to keep you super hydrated. Watch for sugar though! A lot of  "sports" drinks are loaded with sugar.

4. Look for lower calorie alcohol beverages. Seriously I’m not going to say to stay away from alcohol during the holidays, I definitely don’t, but there are some damage control tactics that are helpful. Eggnog is delicious, especially with rum and cinnamon, as stated earlier one 8oz glass can have almost 500 calories!! AHHH! This is actually my favorite holiday drink so here’s my secret, Silk Eggnog instead! You cannot tell the difference taste wise and it has less calories and even gives you protein too. Stick to light beers, clear liquors like vodka with non-sugary mixers (flavored vodka and water is actually really good), and pace yourself. Try drinking a glass of water in between each drink. It will slow you down and keep you hydrated and that my friends leads to a much more pleasant morning.

5. Stay active! If you are at a party and there is wii bowling jump in on that! Dancing anyone? YES please!! Park down the street and walk. Help other guests carry in bags and trays. Help clean up. Use the upstairs bathroom…..You get the point! Just like all those little desserts add up….so do these little extra activities. Now just cause you used the upstairs bathroom doesn’t mean that you can eat 5 mini cheeseburgers, but it will add to your calories burned that day. If you know that it is going to be a bad night than put in extra time at the gym that day and eat extra healthy, but that to me is kind of setting yourself up to fail don’t you think?

Those are some of the tactics that I use to stay on track at the holiday parties. Of course I have more but if I give out all my secrets then you wouldn’t need to keep coming to me for advice and then I wouldn’t have a job. Stay healthy this Holiday Season, because you won’t be getting a new body for Christmas this year either! : )

Peas&Love,
Shanna 09