Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends! Complete the following calorie blasting workout 1 or 2 days (with a day of rest in between) over the holiday weekend to keep you from adding those 3-5 pounds the average American gains over the holidays.

Power Holiday Workout - WOW!
5 min warm up - march in place, go for a brisk walk or jog
20 pushups
1 min Jumping Jacks (add light weights to your hands if you dare)
20 pushups
1 min High Knees
20 pushups
1 min Jumping Jacks
20 tricep dips on step
1 min High Knees
25 squats
1 min Skate (jump back and forth leg behind you)
20 tricep dips on step
1 min High Knees
25 squats
1 min Jumping Jacks
5 min cool down, easy walk

Feeling really energetic or ate 2 pieces of pie??? Run through that series 2 times and you are a rock star! See you next week!

I was browsing photos tonight and came upon this photo of my Great Lakes Relay team. This was a cross country (or cross state) race that took place over 3 days. We ran from Rogers City, MI to Empire, MI and wow was that an experience. Watching a pickup truck full of bear hunting dogs roll past knowing they were tracking them on the same trails we were running on made me feel pretty hard core. :) I had never run off roads before and this was a great challenge for me. I am so glad I did it! What a feeling of accomplishment! I met the most wonderful women, learned things about myself, and others and laughed a LOT! My good friend Jodi - pink shirt just to the right of me in the photo - asked me to be on the team and I am so glad she did! I did something way out of my comfort zone and it was the most memorable event of the summer. My point you ask?? I encourage everyone of you to pick a goal and work towards it. Even if it seems like it is something out of your reach now, work hard enough and you can acheive it! You can do anything you set your mind on doing. Last year I set out to qualify for the Boston Marathon. 8 years ago when I was training for my first marathon the goal was to finish. Did I ever even consider qualifying then? No way! But the more I thought about it and the harder I worked I became convinced I would do it. Nothing was going to stop me. On Oct. 19, 2008 in Detroit I acheived my goal of qualifying - success!! Mind over matter - it works!! So, let's set a goal together and I will help you get there!! It doesn't have to be running on a trail with bears or running a marathon but something YOU want to accomplish. Think about it - 2009 is just around the corner and the possibilities are endless!

Happy Halloween! We are now entering the holiday season where food temptations start to creep up. Starting tonight! As I write my kids are sorting more candy than they can possibly eat! So, my strategies for avoiding eating mindlessly are to first of all throw away all the types of candy that I personally like. Believe me, there is still enough for the kids to enjoy! Out of sight, out of mind. Second, if you do over indulge, add some time to your regular workout. Adding 15 min to your normal workout can burn another 150 calories. Stick to dark chocolate if you want a LITTLE treat - check out the health benefits:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate

Holiday time can be stressful and skipping workouts can only add more stress. I say try to get those workouts in even when you are traveling or crazy busy. There are lots of exercises you can do on location or in short bursts of time - ask me for a vacation program if you are planning a trip! Not traveling but every min. of your day is packed? Try lunges while on a conference call, wall sit while brushing your teeth, park in the furthest parking space away at the mall or grocery store - the possibilities are endless! Sweat the stress - literally, that's my motto!

With those tips, and tons more, just ask, you can really have HAPPY (and healthy) HOLIDAYS!