Hold on to your hats boys and girls, I missed 2 days worth of tips so double the fun today :)

Tip 6 - Focus on people. Too often, food takes center stage of our holiday gatherings. Instead, focus on your loved ones, activities, and other traditions that make the holidays meaningful.

I like this tip a lot. Its exactly what you can do to stay away from the food. Rather than hang out in the kitchen, picking at the spread. I can take a relative in another room and catch up on each others lives. Or better yet, I can also involve myself with playing with the kids...they never have time to eat :)

Tip 7 - Budget wisely. Watch your food intake during the day if you're going to a party that night. Make healthy, filling choices beforehand, budgeting a few more calories to account for the party fare.

When I first read this, I thought thats right budget wisely money wise! But how could I forget, this is fitness/diet related. lol Its very easy to not watch my food intake during this time of the year. Usually my calendar is filled with activities, my to do list is a mile long, and food is sometimes the last thing on my mind. So in those situations sometimes I will grab whatever is convenient, and easiest. No I can not do that. My food intake is just as important as my activities and my to do lists. So this tip is a great one to keep in mind. Be aware of what Im eating and how much during the day. And if I am going to be at a party/event where there may be some nice yummie treats, and delicious drinks than I have to plan. Budget for those extra calories, and in the end Ill will be happier that I did. :)

So this weekend is the last weekend that Grant and I have to just relax. Than our busy schedules start, with our calendars filled with things to do. So we are going to do just that, relax. Today we are going to put up the tree. Im super excited about this, as Ive mentioned before how much I love Christmas decorations. We are still trying to figure out where we are going to put it....some rearranging will have to be done. Oh boy, the dogs will not like that one bit! Since they are the boss around here with their own couch in one window, and their own bed (futon) in the opposite window. They are so spoiled.

The sun is shining so bright today that the basement is fully light up....which is a hard thing to do! So Im definitely going to head out there and enjoy it a bit. I think Ill head to the bike path for a jog today, for a different scenery. I want to try to do some HIIT in my jog. I tried it last night and I dont know if I can do it. Im sure I can. But lately I cant seem to push anything further than 3 miles, and even doing that I feel like Im struggling to not stop. (Can I try to blame it on the snow and ice I ran on? That was fun :) ) I can only keep a steady speed, and nothing more. Im still managing about 10-11 minute miles, but I feel like Im going so slow, but maybe I need to go even slower (if thats possible) so I can increase my speed later in the run. I think going to the bike path will help because I wont be able to worry about traffic, and the miles will be marked. So today I will push myself. I will work out this HIIT, and feel great when Im done. I can do this.