Preventing the Holiday Pounds

It's that time of year again!!!  The time when our offices are filled with treats and our calendars are filled with parties.  I knew this was a hard time of year to keep the pounds off but I was shocked to hear that the average American gains around 10lbs between Thanksgiving and New Years....WHAT?!  Well that is just not going to work one little bit around here!  I'd much rather be strutting into 2016 feeling great than hiding behind my big sweaters!  Here's four tips that I try to follow to keep my eating and thus pounds in check during this time of fun!

In addition to keeping our eating in check, be sure to get yourself moving!  Tomorrow's topic with the Holiday Sweat challenge is to show how we get moving during this busy time so stay tuned for some great tips on how to fit it all in!!!

How do you keep your eating in check and still have fun?

Monday Motivation

This is the first week of the Holiday Sweat Challenge with Amanda at Run to the Finish and Fit Approach.  I love doing this challenge each year!  It not only keeps me focused during a crazy holiday season, but it forces me to get creative with my activities.  This year I am also including my girls.  During the Summer and beginning of Fall we are super active and outside a lot.  However once the time changes we (probably more me) turn inside.  Each week I am setting a minute goal for myself to be active and also one for my girls.  I know that some days depending on weather or daylight, I am going to have to get creative on this but I am ready to show them that being active is important...and FUN!  So this week I am setting a goal for myself to be active 400 minutes...and for my girls we are going to shoot for 25 minutes a day!  I set my workouts in my calendar and have fun planned for the girls.  We are going to rock this week!!

What is your goal this week?

Monday Motivation

When this quote from Kara Goucher came up on my news feed it rang oh so true with me...especially after a less than stellar weekend of eats for me!  I have worked hard...wicked hard this year to get to the place where I am in my strength, weight, and running and I have no plans on throwing it away now!  This week I'm all in again...blinders on and focused!  There are just 3 weeks until the end of the year...just 3 weeks!  Don't throw away your goals...your hard work...make gains to end the year and enter into 2015 with your hands raised high instead of stumbling to the finish!!

What has been a highlight for you this year?

Three Tips Thursday

This time of year brings it's own challenges with it.  Those of you who were already strapped for time (seriously time is worth it's weight in gold lately), are finding yourself with extra responsibilities and duties.  We were blessed with our oldest daughter being born just 6 days before Christmas, so yesterday I was scouring every craft store on the hunt for the perfect Frozen decorations...and hour later I think I have purchased every silver and light blue glittery and sequin product made along with every snowflake on Cape Cod!! 

I mean with a cake as fabulous as this...

I love this time of year and the fun of spending time with friends and family...planning just the right birthday party for my chickie...baking cookies and doing crafts...shopping for just the right gifts(well not always)...spending time with my loved ones by the light of the twinkly lights...driving around neighborhoods just to spy lights.  I don't however love getting to January 1st and feeling bloated and just plain blah!  With the rise in activities I want to be doing with those I love, there comes the challenge of fitting in the workouts that help to keep me smiling and my pants fitting!  This is a challenge for sure and I have a few tips for you to conquer this.

How do you fit in fitness during the holidays?  Any tips to add?

Monday Motivation

I've gotten myself in a place lately where I'm liking my runs...like liking them a little too much...like I need to start throwing the hammer down a little bit more.  On Saturday, I was running around the campus of my alma mater, which is also where I am an adjunct professor.  I was trotting along thinking running in the dark and the rain was plenty to take me out of my comfort zone.  I passed this set of stairs...and up I went...each mile I passed it I sprinted up.  Yes it was hard...God knows my lungs were burning...but when it was all over, I felt awesome!  I need a little more of that in my workouts...getting to the end and feeling unstoppable!

Do you push yourself to your limits or do you fall into the comfortable?

Go out and challenge yourself this week!

Speaking of a challenge.....

That's right you can get 10% off your 2015 ZOOMA race registration for ANY ZOOMA race by using the code NANCY15!!!  Treat yourself by signing up between December 8th-14th!!!  You don't have to be joining me on Cape Cod (even though I would LOVE for you to!) since this works for any ZOOMA race!  Are you joining in the ZOOMA fun? 

Monday Motivation

At the beginning of November, I joined the Pile on the Miles Challenge and set the goal to run 125 miles for the month.  I was all geared up...had the miles by the week figured out...and knew that I could do it.  The first week came and went...with a tanking motivation...I was ready to throw in the towel and just coast through the month.  Then Crystal from Carpe Diem Crystal encouraged me not to give up and reach for what I really wanted!  Well November 30th came and I ran my 127th mile!!!  There are times when I dream big...and fall short frustrated with myself, but no longer!  I proved to myself that I can get it done!  I can do big things with hard work...and so can you!  Last month of the year...dream big!!

How will you finish 2014 strong??

Monday Motivation

The holidays are a time where time is like gold....never enough of it but worth it's weight and then some.  I guess it goes without saying that with no extra time, stress, and junk food in all corners that the holidays is NOT the time you want to ignore your fitness!  I don't know about you but I would much rather ring in 2015 looking and feeling my best than limping into the New Year with a list of things I needed to work off!!  Do one thing each day to make yourself sweat!  Get the family involved or get it done before they wake up!  Do whatever you need to do to make the time...and sweat!  #HolidaySweat starts today and I can't wait to start tallying up points each day by moving a lot and getting in my veggies!  I am also in my last week of POTM and I have 34 miles left to hit my goal for the month...after one week in I thought there would be no way I would reach that goal but now I'm SO close and there is no way I'm letting it slip away!!!

What about you?  

What are you going to do today to get your body moving?

Monday Motivation

Today's #HolidaySweat Instagram Challenge posted the question...What motivates you to get moving on Monday.  My answer is simple...

YOU

All of you out there pushing yourselves and doing amazing things motivates me to test limits and continue to challenge myself!!  Your stories motivate me...you kind words motivate me...the fact that I motivate YOU motivates me to keep pushing...to never take a day for granted!

What motivates you to get moving on a Monday?

TTT

I haven't done a random dishing of TTT in a while and considering my mental capacity this week (hubby is going in for surgery to repair his ACL today), I think randomness perfectly fits how my brain is functioning!

ZOOOOOMA!...I am honored to have been chosen for another year to be a ZOOMA Cape Cod ambassador!

 I have had a great 3 years representing ZOOMA and bonding with fellow ambassadors!  As cheesy as it sounds, it feel like one big family!  I look forward to seeing my fellow ambassadors at events!!  The added bonus is the race itself...amazing views, even better post-party on the beach, and an awesome time celebrating the strength of women!!  I'll be hitting the roads of Falmouth for the 3rd time (the first year I was 9 months pregnant so I was a cheerleader!) gunning for a little redemption this September.  I know September is a ways away...but that only means time is not an excuse!!  Let 2015 be the year you take the challenge!!!  Bonus time for you...enter the code NANCY15 and get 10% off your registration!!!! 

Holiday Sweat Time...An annual tradition in Fancy Nancy land has been for the last 5 years that the holiday season means HBBC time with Amanda at Run to the Finish!  The challenge has kept me moving and eating right through the holiday season...I mean dangle a prize and competition in front of me and I'm like a dog with a bone!!  This year Amanda is teaming up with SweatGuru/SweatPink to form the Holiday Sweat Challenge making the challenge even bigger and the prizes even more awesome...if that was possible! 

The challenge starts November 24th and is just $16....Let's hit 2015 running by challenging ourselves this holiday season!!!  Who's coming with me???  Mention that LilFancyNancy sent you!!

Let me take a selfie....A hilarious thing has been happening each time I open my photos in my camera lately.  I scroll through to find something I'm looking for and I find pictures like this....

Yup!  That's Miss Em taking a selfie with our iPad!  She even got her Bumpa in on the action in the corner!  When we are on longer car rides she plays games or watches a movie on the iPad...but it is becoming clear that she has grown a small obsession with taking selfies.  I have no idea where she gets it from! LOL!  We just have to work on her angles since most of them are up her nose!!