Tiff's Tips: on mindful eating

eating properly throughout the holidays is not easy. there are so many extra stressors going on over the next couple of weeks, it's really easy to overeat and feel like crap. 

and this isn't a post telling you to diet throughout your holidays, but there are lots of great strategies to keep yourself from overeating without stressing yourself out with diets when you should be focused on enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family.

these tips are not just for the holiday season, but things you can apply to your life everyday.

1.  Fill your plate with less than you think you will want.  
   1. Odds are you aren't going to miss it
2. Use smaller plates and cutlery 
   1. makes your meal seem bigger than it is, so you'll think that you're eating more than you are! 
3. Seat yourself away from the food
   1. this may be more difficult in a family dinner buffet style setting, but even in that, don't sit with your favorite foods right under your nose. make it a pain in the ass to get your second servings. 
4. eat slowly
   1. take your time and don't power down your plate of food. enjoy the food you put on your plate!
5. wait to go back for seconds
   1. if you are continually eating, it's really hard to have a chance to listen to your body to tell you if you're hungry or not. so take a moment before you decide to get second helpings. 
6. drink lots of water
   1. sometimes you can confuse dehydration and hunger - so make sure you are drinking water throughout the day so you can know that you're hungry and not thirsty!  (also, water is great for you in a million different ways- so drink some!) 
7. don't deprive yourself
   1. for the holidays and all days ~ enjoy the foods you like to eat! if you restrict yourself from it, you're more likely to binge on it later!

 there ya have it. easy ways to eat well and feel good throughout the crazy next few weeks and throughout your day to day life! 

a lot of the research from this blog post comes from Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink,PH.D which is a really interesting read and had a lot of great insights on mindful/mindless eating which is something i've been working on, personally. 

any questions? drop me a line on my facebook or instagram page or leave a comment below!! 

HOW TO: "survive" thanksgiving

it's the holidays!! it means family and fun and so much food! which is great, but for someone trying to losing weight, trying to stick to a diet, or trying to be healthy in general the holidays can be overwhelming and stressful and just all together not fun. 

BUT it doesn't have to be like that. you can (and SHOULD) enjoy your holidays with your families and enjoy all the fun food that comes along with it!

first things first, don't stress about your calories on thanksgiving. seriously. it's one day. i know we have goals and you want to hit them but you don't need to be tracking every bite to be successful. (promise!) 

and on top of that, any weight you may gain the  next day is most likely going to be just water weight that'll disappear in just a couple of days! (seriously, don't weigh yourself on friday it'll just make you crazy). 

and there's a lot of posts out there saying just don't worry about it, but that's easier said than done, i know, cause i've been there. so it's nice to have a plan for the day so you don't feel overwhelmed by all the food and family. cause, tbh, it is A LOT. a lot of people (usually), a lot of food, and a lot of people asking you way too many questions about your life, health, weight, job, and/or anything else they can think of. 

so here's what you can do to have fun and not be stressed out and feel all bloated at the end of the day:

1) put the non-fried veggies and lean proteins on your plate first! then add all the fun fried foods!  (there are lots of tasty and usually lean options available in thanksgiving! turkey and/or ham and veggies all over the place) 

2) eat slowly and enjoy the fuck outta your food! (it takes time for your stomach to catch up and realize its full, so eat nice and slow and really enjoy your foods) 

3) wait 20-30 mins before you go back for seconds. (like mentioned before, it takes time to for your stomach to catch up)

4) eat your mashed potatoes, casseroles, pies, and cakes without stress!! (seriously!! stress doesn't help anything ever. enjoy TF out of all the food you eat on thanksgiving, pie included!) 

that's it. don't stress about your food and enjoy your time with your family and/or friends. when you look back on your holidays, you want to have happy memories, not remembering the food anxiety or some sort of other negative feelings. 

it really is only one day and it really won't ruin all your progress. promise! don't let nutrition and stress control your life. 

have such a wonderful thanksgiving everyone! 

HOW TO: get over your fear of the gym

gyms and the entire fitness industry can be highly intimidating, especially to those of us who haven't done the whole exercise thing before.

But the gym has become this really scary place for people just starting out there fitness journey. A LOT of people are genuinely terrified of going into the gym.

But why???

I've heard a few different reasons. 

1. afraid of people judging/watching them

2. not sure what they're supposed to do at the gym

3. just don't want to go to the gym 

SO how do we get you into the gym despite all of that?

Here's what you need to know: 

1. No one cares what you're doing at the gym. I know, that seems insane because everyone seems to be very concerned about other people watching and judging them. But, everyone is just there to get their shit done and get outta there. Promise. To be honest, the people who are watching everyone else the most are the people who are the most worried about people watching them. For real. I work at a gym that has body builders,power lifters, and bikini physique competitors and those people are just focused on their workouts and that's all. they do not give a crap what anyone else is doing. 

2. Most people don't know what they're doing. I swear. You know the whole, "fake it til you make it" saying? probably the most true at the gym. it does take time and practice to figure out the gym, so just know that not knowing is part of the process. so many people are just trying stuff out and hoping for the best. 

Here's what you can do: 

1. Take the gym up on their free first personal training sessions. Basically every gym i've walked into has offered a free first session. It may be framed as a fitness consultation or a free workout or orientation or whatever, but those sessions can be whatever you want it to be. if you do that session and tell the trainer you want to learn how to use some equipment or some sort of exercise, that's what those are for. take advantage of it and learn the lay of the land that way. 

2. make a plan. you don't have to wander around the gym aimlessly, and that seems to be a fear for most people. write it out, make a note on your phone, follow a bodybuilding.com program, or hire a trainer (hi!! i'm available, btw) so you can have a plan or program to follow while you're at the gym and not just going from random equipment to random equipment with no rhyme or reason. figure out what you want to work on for each day you're going into the gym and make it happen. 

3. get gym buddies or go to workout classes! if you're wary of doing the gym on your own, get a friend to be a gym buddy so you can workout together. And if you don't have a friend who will workout with you, go to classes and find a bunch of people who will be your gym buddies while also learning a bunch of great workouts to do on your own! every gym i've ever been to offers some sort of classes and they are a great way to get acquainted with the gym!

4. don't let what other people may think of you stop you from doing something you want to do. (and don't hold yourself back!)  if you just don't want to go to the gym, figure out WHY. if you are afraid of people are judging you, fuck those people. go get your gym time in and hit your goals be the badass you were meant to be.

STILL pretty wary of the gym? If you're in my area (El Cajon/ San Diego) hit me up! Especially if you're a 24 Hour Fitness member, cause I can go to any of those and show you around and help you out! And if you need help making a plan/program contact me on facebook or instagram or email me at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com!