The holidays. Aside from beach season, what other time do we worry so much about how we look and what we eat?
Even though we might not have achieved the weight we wanted to impress everyone with at the holiday parties, we at True Citrus try to keep it real by remembering that that often it’s a big smile, an energetic attitude and glowing health that people remember more than how sharp our hips looked in size four jeans!
We like role models like Queen Latifah, who has been quoted as saying, “I often find it's just the confidence that makes you sexy, not what your body looks like. It's how you feel about yourself that makes you sexy."
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have now entered the Danger Zone! The high-risk, five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s when healthy eating goes out the window, exercise is neglected, and many of us are forced to loosen our belts a few notches.
But here’s a surprise: did you know that studies have shown that during Zone weeks the average weight gain is just ONE POUND?
In case you missed it, we here at True Citrus were lucky enough to get a little holiday love from the fabulous Diane Henderiks last Thanksgiving, when she shared recipes that cut calories from traditional family favorites on the CBS “Early Show.”
Since Diane clearly has got it going on, we’re going to share it again! Watch her work her magic here.
The “Dietitian in the Kitchen™” dynamo had a passel of delicious turkey-day recipes she deploys to keep herself gorgeous and her family happy and healthy, shedding unnecessary fat and calories without sacrificing a lot of flavor.
Ouch, that hurts! According to the Washington Post “the net worth of American households -- the value of their houses, retirement funds and other assets minus debts -- has declined when adjusted for inflation, compared with sharp gains in every previous decade since data were initially collected in the 1950s.”
In short, for most of us, carefree spending days are a distant memory. And we all know people who are out of work. But no matter how much we have or don’t have, it feels very, very good to share with those in need.
We love the holidays, but starting at Thanksgiving (or for some of us over-achievers, Halloween!) we begin our seasonal “here-I-go-again” overeating.
It’s darker, it’s colder and a lot more social events with food and especially sweets are happening. The holidays are basically a diet war zone, which is why we’re suggesting a method of getting through each office party, each holiday meal, each and every sugar booby-trapped get together with a simple soldier’s credo: STOP and RELOAD.
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This week, we turn our attention to the servicemen and women we are lucky enough to have back at home: our veterans.
We know the reasons we owe veterans our gratitude, but gestures instead of thoughts are more meaningful in a time that has been hard on so many in our country. Here are some ways we can help them out:
"I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan …” Okay, sure, we can do that, Peggy Lee! But about all the other stuff -- can we talk?
It seems while we were all busy with the stuff we were jazzed about: having kids and focusing on our careers, some of the really retrograde stuff crept back. And then it super-sized.
You know what I mean: the 1950’s ultra-clean house is now the design showcase-slash-catering company (thanks Martha Stewart!), June Cleaver has become the MBA-equipped, Pilates-toned Hot Mommy, and the kids with their ballet-lacrosse-hockey-riding-swim lessons, let's not even go there!
What to do?
"Whoooosh!" That's the sound of time collapsing as the holidays move closer. And as if things were stressful enough, the clock-monkeying known as Daylight Savings Time has struck again. An extra hour? Please! If you're going to disrupt our families' barely-established schedules, then how about giving back say, an extra month?
Rain, damp, dank. Fall has some unpredictably wet weather! If all that moisture is floating around out there then why are our lips chapped and our noses sore?
The key phrase is "out there." Inside, whether it’s home, the office or the car, it's dry. Really, really dry, and just when you need that nose of yours, all your mucus membranes in fact, to be in full-on defensive mode. What to do besides resigning yourself to tissues, lip balm and misery? Fight back with water, and lots of it!
Some of you may remember long ago when everybody just handed out apples for Halloween. How times have changed! Who knew things labeled “bite-sized” could pack so many calories? If you succumbed to the call of the Halloween candy bowl these tips can help.
Veteran’s day is just around the corner so you can share any extra candy with our men and women in uniform: both Any Soldier and Operation Gratitude happily accept wrapped treats.
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