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Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress w/Scotty Mo

Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress are what many people need during the holiday season and the start of a new year. The holidays often provides an opportunity to spend quality time with family, take a few days off from work, or go on a winter getaway. While the holiday season can be a fun and joyous time, it can also be very stressful. The combined effort of shopping, attending social events, and entertaining guests can quickly become too much to handle.

The American Psychological Association found that 8 out of 10 people anticipate increased stress over the holidays. Though the holiday season can be a difficult and stressful time, there are several Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress and Anxiety so you can thoroughly enjoy this festive time of year.

Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

Set a Spending Budget
The holiday season and spending go hand-in-hand. Between buying gifts for your children, spouse, and relatives, you can drop hundreds of dollars between Black Friday and Christmas Day.

Although spending money during the holiday season may be unavoidable, you can control how much you spend. Some of the stress you feel over the holidays may have a lot to do with financial pressure. To help prevent stress over money, plan ahead, review your finances, and come up with a realistic budget for gifts. Buying gifts shouldn’t affect your ability to pay your bills, nor should it result in costly credit card debt.

Don’t let others pressure you into spending more than you can afford. Using a credit card is tempting, but it can also complicate matters. Decide on a maximum amount and stick to that budget. You can even have a discussion with friends and family and agree to only spend up to a certain amount. Maybe even look at getting creative and think of gift ideas that don’t involve money. In today’s busy world friends and family may appreciate the gift of your time or something you make.

Get Plenty of Exercise
When you’re running around during the holiday season, exercise might be the last thing on your mind. However, being active can elevate your mood and help you cope with stress of the holiday season.

Exercise and other types of physical activity stimulate the production of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are brain chemicals that function as a natural painkiller. They can trigger a positive feeling in the body, boosting mood and reducing feelings of anxiety and stress.

Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity a minimum of 3-5 times each week. Find an activity that works for you and your lifestyle.

Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

Keep It Simple
The holiday season is particularly stressful when you have too much on your plate. This might be the case if you’re welcoming out-of-town guests and hosting family festivities. You don’t necessarily have to cancel your plans, but make sure you’re not setting unrealistic expectations.

Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to do everything yourself. Get your family and friends involved and don’t be shy at delegating. Maybe you don’t take on the entire responsibility of preparing the holiday feast. Instead ask everyone to bring a dish. Know your limitations and learn how to say “no.”

Take Time for Yourself
Setting aside time for yourself is another great way to cope with stress during the holidays. With so much happening, you might not have a moment to yourself. It is very important to make time for yourself so you can clear your mind.

Spending as little as 15 minutes alone might make a world of difference. Doing activities you enjoy can help you maintain your sanity as you juggle family obligations, social events, and holiday shopping. Whatever you do for your alone time, be sure to do it.

Pick Your Battles
Being in close quarters with family members for long periods of time can be stressful in itself. You all have your own personalities and  your habits and patterns of behavior. Because of these differences, it may be easy to rub each other the wrong way. Remember that if you let every remark get under your skin, you’ll be miserable and stressed out the entire time. Set aside your differences, and agree to disagree. Though easier said than done, it is a must for your sanity. Learn how to let go and pick your battles. You’ll have less anxiety and won’t let others rob you of your joy.

Even if you’re a calm and collected person, the holiday season can still be a trying time. Your stress level can still skyrocket. These practical Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress may minimize your stress and anxiety, and help you cope. Enjoy your holiday season with a smile on your face.

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Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice with Scotty Mo

Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice

Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice

Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice – Aging is a process that everything and everyone goes through. From a fine wine, to an elegant older woman, there are many plus sides to aging. Without proper care for yourself there can be many down sides as well. As with anything there are always two sides. Age gracefully are generally preferred by everyone.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are being shown to be a great ally in the fight against aging. The fatty acids are amazing for the skin and will help keep it soft and moisturized longer. They are also showing promising benefits in their affects on the brain function as well. So go ahead and have more Salmon in your diet.

If you worry about aging skin and wrinkles, stay away from the sun! Of course, we all like a little sun, but too much exposure can cause premature aging of the skin as well as increasing the risk of skin cancer. Tanning beds also pose the same risks, maybe even to a greater extent, as people tend to overuse them.

Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice

Nutrition

Eat more nuts throughout the day. Nuts are a great food to help prevent aging. They have many healthy vitamins, minerals and fats, which will help balance your daily nutrition. Plus, they are an excellent way to stop your processed food cravings between meals, leading you to a much healthier lifestyle!

As you age, discuss with your doctor what vitamins and supplements you want to take. Often times our bodies become less efficient at extracting the nutrients we need from the food eat, so we need supplements. Ensuring you get the right nutrition is of paramount importance as you go through the aging process.

Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice

Fitness

As we age, everyday things such as bending over to pick things up or everyday activities like putting groceries in the car can become painful chores. Pain from arthritis and many other effects of aging can really make life difficult. Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice – While you are working on nutrition, supplementation and fitness to alleviate the condition, don’t be afraid to ask for help while shopping or doing other everyday chores. You deserve it!

Watch your caloric intake in order to slow down your aging. Overeating and obesity are linked with more health problems than can be listed here. Talk with your doctor about how many calories you should be taking in at your age, weight and fitness level and then stick to it.

To age brings troubles, sure, but with every trouble there is generally a plus side. For instance, your wine may have had to age for years before being enjoyed, which is troublesome because you have to wait for a long time to enjoy it. Fountain Of Youth: Solid Aging Advice and when you do get to savor the experience of that wine aging, it is well worth it.

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Halloween Fitness Challenge review by Scotty Mo

Halloween Fitness Challenge

Halloween Fitness Challenge

With or without kids it can be hard to resist getting caught up in all of the trick or treat madness. Or should we say sweet madness. Those sweets can be one of the greatest temptations with Halloween. So this year why not take the Halloween Fitness Challenge. It will help you keep away from the temptation and give you something to focus on.

Halloween Fitness Challenge

Rather than allowing all those treats sit around the house and haunt you, you can make this Halloween different with the Halloween Fitness Challenge. Here’s what you can do…

Since the holiday is quickly approaching make this coming week (the second week of October) your preparation week. Clean out all the junk from your house so you cannot grab a cookie or junk food snack at all between now and Halloween. The second thing to do during this prep week is make a two-week meal and snack plan. So some grocery shopping and meal prep your lunches and dinners so you are ready to go. If you need healthy meal and snack ideas be sure to check out some of these recipes.

These few steps alone will help you keep up with your nutrition and make all of your workout efforts worth it because it will help bring results. Once you have your prep week done, it is on to the challenge itself which will cover the last two weeks of October.

Halloween Fitness Challenge

Think of this challenge as your Halloween pre-game. This year your Halloween will be completely different if you take on this Two Week Halloween Fitness Challenge. Here is how it works…

1) Two Weeks Before Halloween – For these two weeks prior to Halloween you have to stay focused on improving your results and staying on track. You need a goal, maybe a tighter tush, feeling leaner, or having more energy. Whatever you decide to make your focus it up to you, just give yourself something to focus on so you can see and feel your progress.

2) Follow the 80/20 Rule – Nobody is perfect but make sure that 80 percent of what you eat is healthy, lean, and fresh (fruits vegetables, protein, etc.) The other 20 can be a bit more lenient, but should not 20% chocolate, pizza or other junk! Use moderation and be conscious that what you eat will be tied to your training and your results.

3) Train Consistently – Focus on exercising 5-6 days per week for 45-60 minutes during that two weeks. Be sure you are choosing a workout that is appropriate for your level of fitness yet pushes you. Some of the best results for at home workouts come from Beachbody Programs. You may want to check them out. Regardless of what you choose whether it is walking, running, or strength training be sure to push hard enough that you are fatigued when you complete your workout and be consistent.

The Halloween Fitness Challenge will help you to build up great habits and resistance. When you are faced with a challenge of the sweets on Halloween, you may be able to handle it because you won’t want to give up the results from the past two weeks. Build up your resistance and build up your results! Are you ready for results? Happy Halloween!

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Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach Recipe review

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

When planning out healthy meals that will taste good and be fun for the whole family you definitely need to try this Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce with Baby Spinach.  Not only does it make a great dinner, but it also gets you two servings of vegetables, a lean protein and healthy fats.

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

Ingredients:
11 oz Ground Spicy Chicken Italian Sausage
1 lb Butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Coconut oil
10 oz Quinoa pasta, or pasta of your choice
1/4 cup Shallots, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Baby spinach, roughly chopped
1-2 cups Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp Fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
4 Sage leaves, sliced thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
• Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-low add coconut oil, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking.
• Fold in baby spinach, chopped tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and sage.
• Toss in cooked pasta and sausage and mix until well coated.
• Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

This Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage Sauce and Baby Spinach Makes about 6 serving.

Pasta with Spicy Butternut Chicken Sausage and Baby Spinach Nutrition Information per 1 cup serving:

• Calories: 362
• Fat: 8 g
• Carb: 55 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 20 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 419 mg (without salt)

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Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe review

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice

This Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice knocks it out of the park. A healthier and just as tasty version of the regular Chicken Fried Rice.

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice

Chicken & Cauliflower Fried Rice (Serves 4)
4 cups shredded cauliflower
1 Tbsp coconut oil
4 large eggs (slightly beaten)
1 clove garlic (minced)
4-5 Tbsp Braggs Amino Acid (plus more for taste)
6 oz pre-cooked/grilled chicken breast (diced)
1 cup frozen peas (thawed)*
2 medium carrots peeled/diced & steamed*
*(or use frozen thawed carrots or combination peas/carrots)
4 scallions thinly sliced (green parts only)

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice

Preparation:
Combine garlic and amino acids in a small bowl and mix well (set aside)

Heat skillet or Wok on Med/ high then add coconut oil. Add cauliflower and cook 2-4 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan and add the beaten eggs (stir frequently until eggs begin to set). Mix eggs into cauliflower.

Add amino acids and garlic to cooked cauliflower and egg mixture.

Add chicken, peas, carrots and scallions to pan and stir until heated through. (approximately 2 minutes).

When the Chicken and Cauliflower Fried Rice is done, it can be divided into 4 serving. It refrigerates and freezes well. When serving garnish with additional scallions, and add additional Braggs Amino Acids to desired taste.

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