8 Valentines Day Gifts for the Fitness Fanatic you Fancy

Got a fitness junkie in your life, whom you love and want to spoil this Valentines Day, or are you the beloved fitness junkie (if so, pass this along to your lover for a subtle hint)?

Chocolates arent the best idea for the runner, the lifter, and the lover of clean eating... Here are some gift ideas that are so awesome they are better than chocolates, and dare I say roses?

The Aqua Zinger Flavored Water Maker

Aqua Zinger

Water is the center of a fitness junkies world. Adding mint, lemons, and raspberries adds a myriad of health benefits, but choking on seeds is never fun. This bottle mixes the juices in to the water but holds the pulp in a separate little grinder. They go for around $20 and you can find them at Brookstone.

Salad Dressing Portion Control Lids

As someone who is watching my weight, I am constantly counting calories. One of my biggest pet peeves is measuring out every little thing. Im all for gadgets that make measuring easier, and this is one of them. This Portion Control Lid fits different bottle sizes and when you squeeze the bottle, the chamber fills with 2 Tbsps of the dressing, one serving size, and its ready to pour. This handy gadget is about $20 at Brookstone.

Gnarly Workout Tank

Gnarly Workout Tanks

Every Fit Female needs an awesome workout Tank. Gnarly Nutrition has a great line of neon acid worn tank tops. They have multiple colors and sizes range from small to large. You can find them at GoGnarly.com for only $19.

Food Huggers

Fitness addicts need fuel. Fresh fruits and veggies are usually a major part of a healthy, balanced, diet but a lot of times they go to waste because the left overs dont keep well. The frugal fitness geek will LOVE this Food Huggers. Cut a tomato, use whats need, then put a Food Hugger around the rest. It stays fresher than using a Ziplock bag! A set of four multi-sized Food Huggers is only $19!

Zip Tunes Earphones

Food Huggers

Tangled earphones can mess up momentum on runs, bike rides, kickboxing and more. Zip Tunes Earphones get rid of the hastle with a tangle free design, plus they have a built in handsfree microphone component. Find these on Boxwave.com for under $30.00.

Isobag Lunch Cooler

If your fitty is constantly packing lunches and planning ahead for meals on the go, this Isobag is a perfect way to help them stay organized. This lunch cooler can hold multiple meals (containers included) and has compartments for protein shaker bottles and utensils. No more packing multiple bags for multiple meals, this cooler lets you easily do it all in one. The three meal bag is only $54.99 on IsolatorFitness.com. 

FT4 Cross Training Heart Rate Monitor

FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

The price tag on this item is a little steeper than the others, but it is definitely worth it. The FT4 tracks heart rate, calories burned and shows when youre improving your fitness based on heart rate zones. It has button free operation to keep the focus on working out, and is made with comfortable, water resistant material. There are four different colors available. You can find this nifty gadget for $99 on Polar.com.

Bodum Tea For One Tea Strainer

Sometimes your valentine doesnt have time to make tea for two, and if thats the case, this Bodum Tea Strainer is perfect. Its strains a single serving of tea in a very portable container. It comes in multiple colors and is available for $18 at Bodum.com.

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How to Stick to Your Diet During the Weekend

Am I the only one who has to fight the urge to stuff my face during the weekend? Theres something about Fridays sweet, sweet arrival that makes me want to eat all the food in the world, and its really frustrating the way eating poorly for a couple days on the weekend can completely undo all of my work to lose weight from the week before.

This has been such a struggle for me lately and its one Ive been trying to deal with and figure out. Heres the thing: I work so hard during the week to let two little days ruin everything. Ive tried a few things that Im please to report have worked and since the weekend is fast approaching, I figured Id better pass those along to you!

Tips for Weekend Dieting 

Start your day with a morning workout - First thing Saturday morning, 

wake up and workout. This sets a precedent for your weekend. Do your workout first thing in the morning before you day starts getting really busy. One of the things that has worked for me is going for a run Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.. It helps me wake up and taking the first few steps is like making a commitment to myself that Im seriously about being strong this weekend.

Follow your workout with a healthy breakfast - Skip the indulgent breakfast of waffles and bacon and spend time making something healthy instead. Eat a piece of fruit, shake up a protein shake, or scramble eggs. The healthy options are endless, but the point is to make sure that your first meal of the day during the weekend is healthy. It will set the tone for the rest of the day.

Take water with you everywhere - Theres just something about carrying around a bottle of water that makes you want be healthier. Not only are you less likely to cave to sugary/carbonated beverages when youre sipping on H20, but youre also staying hydrated which is important for controlling your appetite.

Set limits for yourself - Dont go into the weekend with a free for all mindset. As much as wed like to think weekends dont count, they do. All of the calories you are eating add up, so set limits for yourself. Maybe you do increase your calories a little bit on the weekend. For instance maybe instead of eating 1500 you allow yourself to eat 1700 calories. You still feel like youre getting a little splurge, but youre still tracking what youre eating and staying conscious of where you are for your daily caloric total. You can also make your weekend reward not associated with food. Set the limit to stick to your diet, but reward yourself with a new pair of paints or a purse. Its completely possible to enjoy your weekend without going off the deep end.

Take ownership - Its easy to say, "Well, Im so busy on the weekends, its just impossible to eat healthy." Thats a cop out and you know it. Weekends are busy, of course they are.  We all know this. And since we all know this, we can plan around this. Own your diet. Own your health. Decide that you are going to eat healthy no matter where you are or who you are with, because deep down you know that your health is mor important than any celebration with food. You also know that youll feel 100 times better come Monday morning when you weigh in and see a number that is lower than what it was on Friday. You know all of these things. So own it. 

So those are the things that Ive tried. I hope that helps you a little bit. What are some things that youve tried to stay focused on the weekend? Post them in the comments section below!

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Low Carb Pumpkin Fluff

Pumpkin season. Love it or hate it, its still gonna happen. I am a pumpkin lover. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice Oreos, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin spice lattes, but all those carbs? Im gonna have to pass. So heres my way of getting a pumpkin fix without getting all the carbs that traditional pumpkiny goodies bring. LOW CARB PUMPKIN FLUFF topped with stevia whipped cream!

Pumpkin Fluff

8 oz low fat cream cheese
8 oz pumpkin puree
1/4 cup Trulicious Powdered Stevia
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine ingredients using a handheld mixer. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Whipped Cream
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup Trulicious Powdered Stevia

In a separate bowl, whip together ingredients on high until light and fluff. Spread on top of pumpkin fluff and refrigerate 10 minutes before enjoying.

This recipe yields 8 servings. Each servings is about 286 calories, 5 grams carbs, 4 grams protein.

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Woah...More Food Ideas?

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5 Ways to Avoid Stress During the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us. Houses are being decorated with glowing lights and sparkling ornaments. Neighbors are dropping off Christmas cookies shaped like stockings and snowmen. Invitations for holiday parties are coming in.

December is a lovely time of year, but its also very busy and sometimes stressful, and as the party invitations pile up and your gift list gets longer and longer, its easy to stop enjoying the beauty of the season. If you let yourself get too stressed out, it can completely ruin the holidays. One stressful situation too many, and suddenly instead of laughing with friends and family around the fire, youre curled up alone  in the fetal position on a pile of crinkled wrapping paper gorging yourself on Nanas rum cake.

Dont let a busy holiday season ruin your holidays. Here are five ways to avoid (or perhaps deal with) holiday stress:

Plan Out Your Month & Dont Deviate
This month, I printed out a December calendar (I do have calendar apps, but I remember things better when I actually write them down). I filled it in with parties, date nights, school tests, work deadlines, ect. This way I dont forget anything, and I can see how far in advance I need to bake treats, wrap presents, or complete assignments. Ill keep this calendar with me and add things when needed. Keeping a calendar prevents me from forgetting things and having to rush last minute to finish an important project. If its not on the calendar, I wont do it. As much as I love girls nights or spontaneous movies, they can set me back when I know I should be home wrapping gifts or studying for finals.

Keep Things Simple
Simplify as much as you can. Try spending more nights with your loved ones. Instead of doing a huge family outing, you can spend a night in playing games or watching old home movies. Instead of doing extravagant neighbor gifts, pick something simple that you can make or put together with your family.

Sip Tea Before Bed
You need your rest to keep up with all the festivities of the season. To ensure you get a good rest, sip some caffeine-free herbal tea before bed. It only takes a few minutes to make and its incredibly relaxing. A good night of sleep does wonders for minimizing stress.

Volunteer
It may not directly reduce stress, but spending a couple hours with your family at the local food bank can  help put your priorities into perspective. It is a good reminder that rushing to keep up with the Jones will never bring you the happiness that serving others will.

Stay True to the Spirit of the Holidays
Whatever your religious views may be, there is one thing most people can agree on:  the holidays are better when they are spent with the ones you love. If youre stressed out, the people you care about arent going to want to spend as much time with you. So when you feel yourself getting stressed, remember that above all else, your family takes priority. My ultimate tip for avoiding holiday stress is making your traditions less about rushing, running errands, and giving the newest and best gifts and more about expressing love for those around you. Focus on your family, focus on your friends, not what you can buy them or what they can buy you. Focus on helping others feel happy and accepted. Its hard to feel stressed when you are surrounded by love.

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HCG During the Holidays

Dieting during the holidays is rough. The last few days proved that dieting mid-holiday season isnt my strong suit.

Like most, my family loves food! Any sort of gathering we have is riddled with cookies, pie, chips, cheese balls, soda and nuts. Its out of control.  Saying no to these is incredibly hard. Before this year I had NEVER been dieting during Christmas. This means I had never turned down a slice of ham, a scoop of potatoes, or a frosting covered gingerbread man. Being faced with that dilemma during the maintenance phase of the HCG Diet was a little more difficult than I imagined.

I tried to be strong by eating healthy things, but I slipped up on several occasion. Especially when my mom and I made Christmas sugar cookies. I ate so many of those darn cookies.

 No one is perfect, right?  While most people were dreaming of a winter wonderland, I was dreaming of making it to ONEderland. Its safe to say I was on the maintenance naughty list after over indulging in carbs. With every Christmas cookie I ate, ONEderland became farther and farther away. I am disappointed that I let myself gain weight and that I justified it because of the season. I wasted very precious time.

This morning I woke up committed to finishing the year strong! I know hope isnt lost for me because I believe in myself and know I am capable of sticking this thing out. I have a deadline, too. By the end of February, I need to be down to 160 pounds! I dont have much time.

Today has already been a much better day for me. I had poached eggs and turkey sausage for breakfast and a salad for lunch. Dinner will most likely be another salad. :) Im drinking extra water to flush out all of the icky toxins I consumed. know slowly the weight will start coming off if I dedicate myself to the plan that has worked so well for me in the past.

I need all the help and support I can get from all of you as readers and friends.

How did you do on your diet during the holidays?

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