Couch Potato Fit: 9 Exercises you can do without Leaving the Couch

Hey Lazybutt! You're going to love this one! I've got 9 workouts that you can do without even leaving your couch. I call them "couch-potato workouts." These are simple, easy exercises that can be done on pretty much any couch. I was only wearing gym clothes because I had just gotten back from the gym when we filmed. You can literally do these workouts in your Christmas onesie. I know you all have one. hahaha oh and plus, you'll probably be sitting on a couch 50% of the time during the holidays anyway so why not try it out? enjoy!

1. I learned this in a yoga class! It's harder than it looks, good luck!

2. Shoulder dips! 

3. Stair Steppers!

Whoever owns the couch probably won't like this one very much! haha 

4. Lunges! (both legs of course!)

5. Leg lifts! The stabilizing leg should burn! Feel the burn! :)

6. I call these bad boys butt-squeezers! Tone those glutes, lazybutt!

7. V-ups with a pillow! This one rocks! 

8. Mason-twists! (although a couch pillow doesn't weigh very much, it's still a good workout!)

9. Finally, push-ups! If you use the arm rest of the couch

it's almost easier! You got this!

Those are my 9 Couch Potato workouts! I hope you enjoyed them and tried them out! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!

8 Simple Tips to Avoiding a "Thanksgiving Hangover"

We are all guilty of over-eating on Thanksgiving... and there's nothing wrong with it! One day of binge-eating isn't going to hurt you my friends. (sigh of relief) However, I do have some tips to limit yourself this Thanksgiving! I know that when I eat entirely way too much I get a stomach ache afterwards. Having a stomach ache while all of my cousins are in town is never good. We like party.

1. Dress up! My family loves to dress up for the Holidays. You can never go wrong with staying classy, am I right?? No, but seriously, dress up! If you go to dinner in a big t-shirt and sweatpants you're going to eat more because you feel lazier. I know it sounds strange but it's totally psychological. Plus you'll want to look thin and trim in your holiday dress for pictures so you won't bloat yourself with too much food.
2. Trick yourself by pulling out a smaller plate. The smaller the plate, the smaller the portions. You'll feel like you've got plenty because your small plate will be completely full of food. Rather than loading up a large plate, trick your mind by filling up a small plate!
3. Think about your portion sizes before you scoop that heaping mountain of mashed potatoes onto your plate. How many cups would that be? How many tablespoons of gravy did you almost pour all over your plate? Think before you pour and you may find yourself only scooping the amount of food that you actually know you'll want to eat.
4. Place dessert onto your dinner plate... (you'll have to make room for it, thus you'll get less food). Now some of you (if you're like me) won't like this because this means all of your dinner foods will be touching your delicious dessert. If you have this problem go ahead and use a separate plate or bowl, but limit yourself to ONE dessert. OMG that's so hard I know! Pick your absolute favorite dessert that you don't think you can live without and dish THAT up instead of all of them.
5. Variety! Don't be that guy/girl who just has a village made of stuffing on their plate. Mix it up and don't be afraid to try new foods! It's okay to get more of what you love the most, but be open-minded when it comes to other types of foods this Thanksgiving.
6. Make sure you eat breakfast (and lunch if you have Thanksgiving meal at dinner time). This will keep you energized and full until the feast. If you show up to eat with an empty stomach, chances are you're going to eat a LOT more than you normally would.
7. Hold a conversation... or if your family is like mine, multiple conversations at once at the table. Talk, joke, and listen with others while you eat. This will slow you down so that your food will actually have time to digest. When you eat slowly you are able to tell when you are full.
8. Exercise in the morning! I think it was two years ago that my cousins, aunts, and I went to the "turkey burner" zumba early morning session on Thanksgiving day. It was awesome! We all got together and danced our turkey butts off then came back to grandma's for our thanksgiving feast. Exercising is a great way to feel better about yourself this thanksgiving. Get with your family members and plan something fun! Hiking, biking, running, dancing, playing football/basketball, golfing, swimming, or even shopping are great things do to together before or after your big meal. (yes I did just justify black Friday shopping as an exercise)

The most important thing is to enjoy the time you get to spend with family/friends. Make the most of your day and don't end up spending it sitting by the toilet! Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Make Drinking More Fun

Drinking water can be a daunting task. It's hard to get enough water throughout the day. Think about all of the bathroom breaks! In my opinion it's EASIER to get enough water when you are BUSY. Sounds contradictory right? Wrong. If you have a water bottle bring it with you EVERYWHERE. If you don't have a water bottle, go get one! During your busy day you'll reach for that water bottle 3x more likely than getting up and getting a drink from the fountain. A water bottle is a great investment for your health.

One way that I like to make "drinking more fun" is to infuse my water! You can add whatever you'd like to your water to spice it up a bit. It's easier to drink water when it tastes delicious.

Infuse your water with cucumbers, strawberries, lemons, mint leafs, etc.
SHOP mason jar tumblers 

This is the pitcher I own. (Target) It totally rocks
 SHOP infusion pitchers from Target

You can actually buy water bottles that are made for infusion!
SHOP pure flavor 2 go Tritan infuser water bottle

If you enjoy your water, you'll drink your water! What are some of the ways you convince yourself to drink enough water throughout the day?

Are you drinking enough water? See my previous post HERE to find out

Hydration: Why It’s So Important

Hydration: Why It’s So Important -- FamilyDoctor.org

Why is it so important to stay hydrated?

Your body depends on water for survival. Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health.

How does my body lose water?

You lose water each day when you go to the bathroom, sweat, and even when you breathe. You lose water even faster when the weather is really hot, when you exercise, or if you have a fever. Vomiting and diarrhea can also lead to rapid fluid loss. If you don’t replace the water you lose, you can become dehydrated.

How do I know if I’m dehydrated?

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Little or no urine, or urine that is darker than usual
• Dry mouth
• Sleepiness or fatigue
• Extreme thirst
• Headache
• Confusion
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• No tears when crying

Don’t wait until you notice symptoms of dehydration to act. It can be hard to recognize when you’re dehydrated, especially as you age. Actively prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water.

How much water should I drink each day?

To find out and read the rest of this article head over to:
 Hydration: Why It’s So Important -- FamilyDoctor.org

Curated content from http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en.html

Meal Replacing Smoothies that are EASY to make!

I said I would finish off my meal prep from last week but I really didn't take that many pictures. Here is one of the many meals from Wednesday-Saturday.

The meal I'd like to focus on though is my awesome smoothie! I had this smoothie as a meal replacement for lunch. I can make this smoothie in less than 10 minutes so it rocks when I'm late and trying to run out the door. You can use whatever type of blender/bullet blender you'd like as long as it gets the job done. I like to use my bullet-style blender rather than my ninja just because it's SO much easier to clean up.

 When trying to decide whether you'd rather make your own or just hit up Jamba Juice or Tropical Smoothie, think about all the sugar content. I looked up a classic smoothie from Jamba Juice and it contained 114g of sugar. (28oz Aloha Pineapple)  If you are lazy like me this may be a desirable option, Ask for the light smoothies or reduced sugar. Those will always be better for you but there's nothing better than drinking your own, healthy smoothie. Go for the purest option out there, make it yourself! You'll know exactly what goes into it because YOU are in charge of the ingredients.

 I've added a link below with LOTS of smoothie recipes that I think are delicious.  Try some out and you won't be disappointed! 

Here's one of my smoothies! Enjoy!

Half an orange, Half an apple, and 1 whole banana

Throw in some baby spinach... yuck.

1 cup of frozen or fresh mixed berries

Add a little milk, yogurt, or apple juice to thin out your smoothie,
then it's ready to be pulverized!!!!

Easy as that!

 There are lots of smoothie recipes that I love! Basically I'll use whatever I have on hand in the fridge but here are some easy, great smoothie recipes! Link below.

EASY, YUMMY SMOOTHIES!

Meal Planning: Healthy, To-Go Meals

I promised to blog my meal planning progress so here we are! I've noticed that most of my meals are "To-Go" meals because I'm a working student. I was also really lazy with my meal planning... which was expected! I am posting my Monday-Wednesday meals today. It really isn't that hard! You can do this! Here's some simple steps to get started:

1. Make a calender and a grocery list: plan out every meal you'd like to make for the week, including lunches, breakfasts, AND dinners. Try to have a few repeat meals. For example, I decided to do chicken, rice, and veggies (bagged, microwavable veggies are super easy by the way) for dinner one night, and the same meal for lunch two days later. Leftovers ROCK when it comes to meal prepping. You'll be cooking your foods in one day so you'll have PLENTY of food to store in the fridge for another day.
2. Groceries and prepping! After you've headed to the store it's time to get cookin' good lookin! (I was lazy with my prepping and I only cooked half of my chicken breasts on Monday) You can prep your meals however you want. Get some Tupperware and get going! (I bought a salad keeper from Walmart which works wonderfully because it's a great lunch box, the tray is freezable and the bottom compartment can be microwaved. There's also a little bottle for dressings.) 
3. Add snacks! Just because you've planned 3 great meals for each day doesn't mean you can't snack in between! In fact, you actually maintain weight better if you have 2 small snacks between your meals. 

P.S. don't be afraid to add something sweet. A little cookie or mini-candy bar in your lunch is perfectly fine! Your meals don't have to be pure rabbit food. Monday I tried eating just salad, celery with peanut butter, carrots and ranch, and applesauce. It was the worst day of my life. Make sure you add some carbs into your meals as well. Without carbohydrates you will get tired and lose your energy throughout the day. 

Here are a few of my meals from this first half of the week! ENJOY!

Yogurt, granola, and raspberries! yum!

Prepping my chicken! woo hooo!!

Chicken, white rice, and steamed veggies

Salad, Ranch dressing, and Applesauce

Chicken, veggies, and rice again! So good.

The best day of the week hands down! Spaghetti, Salad, Applesauce,
 Yogurt w/ Raspberries, & a mini sugar Cookie!

Big breakfasts are always awesome. They keep you full of life until lunch time!
No hangry fits at school guys.

Carrots, applesauce, and ranch

Rabbit Food :(

Halloween Candy Alternatives

Yes, I realize that halloween has come and gone but last night I discovered something awesome! Before my husband and I went out for the nightly festivities I left our big bowl of halloween candy out on our porch. I also left out a basket of granola bars. hahaha I know I know! Such a nutrition major thing to do. My husband thought it was funny and bet me that all the candy would be gone and the granola bars wouldn't even have been touched. When we got home that night we found the exact opposite to be true. Half of the granola bars were gone and our candy bowl had barely even been dug around in. This may have been a result of not very many trick-or-treaters...BUT, of the ones that did come, they chose the healthy option! I was shocked! This got me thinking... maybe if kids were given better options on trick-or-treat they would actually enjoy it. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll never stop handing out candy because that's so lame of me to crush the candy dreams of little monsters and witches (and elsa's). I just think I'll start handing out options to chose from from now on.

I found some great ideas for halloween candy alternatives on Parents.com and I thought they were worth a share!

Halloween Candy Alternatives HERE!

p.s. haven't forgotten about my promise to post my meal prep! It's coming soon!