Tag Archives: Holidays

Sep7

September is National Yoga Month!

Posted on by
Standard

Let’s face it September is a big month.  Labor Day closes out the dog days of summer, school starts and your morning commute suddenly gets longer, the weather starts to cool off, the leaves begin to change, it’s one of the final months of preparations for your fall marathon and so much more.  Well let’s add one good thing to the month…it’s National Yoga Month!!!

If you ask me this couldn’t come at a better time.   I’m immersed in yoga teacher training,  loving my practice and the journey I’m on.  I feel like I’m celebrating the month in my own special way but there are some awesome ways you can celebrate yoga this month!

The first way is through free yoga classes.  Yep, you read that right,  free yoga classes.  By visiting this website and getting the free card you can take one week of free classes at participating studios in your area.  Awesome right?

You can also join in to a nationwide yoga practice to close out the month on September 30th at 7pm.  The idea is to be part of a worldwide yoga practice.  I love this idea!

You can practice on your own or with a group by finding an event using the event finder.  So hopefully you’ll take part!

If that wasn’t enough Yoga Journal has partnered up with Athleta(<–loving this store lately!!!) for a month of yoga!  There are free classes in stores, awesome blog posts, words of wisdom, and an Instagram photo contest with the chance to a $200 gift card to Athleta and yoga inspired jewelry!

If you ask me, that’s a ton of ways to get your yoga on this month and celebrate!!  I’m always a fan of a Sunday morning class with your best friends followed by brunch and catching up! And you can always stop by here to get your fix of yoga talk.  I’ll be in yoga teacher training for two more weekends this month and will be sharing my experiences and lessons, so there will be lots of yoga chat.  Happy National Yoga Month!

Side Crow Pose

How will you be celebrating National Yoga Month?  Do you love yoga as much as I do? Will you try yoga for the first time this month?

Jul4

Red, White and Blue!

Posted on by
Standard

Happy 4th of July! I truly love this day.  I love it because it is filled with family, friends and fireworks.  All of my favorite things!  Growing up I’ve always spent this holiday with my family at our summer home.  It’s the one week of the summer where everyone seems to make it home…all of my aunts, uncles and cousins are there.  We usually spend the day in the water and entertain ourselves with swimming, boating, waterskiing, food and fireworks! There is usually the berry flag cake,  lots of summer salads, barbecue chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers.  The 4th of July doesn’t tend to be a day filled with healthy foods.  But that doesn’t mean it needs to be a total bust of a healthy day.  Here are a few quick tips to make sure you don’t feel guilty over the celebration of America’s birthday!

Source: bhg.com via Whitney on Pinterest

  • Get out and be active before your barbecue or party!  Most cook outs don’t start until mid to late afternoon so before the festivities begin take some time to get your heart pumping and your body moving.  I often don’t feel like running or yoga on holidays so I try to mix it up with activities that are a bit different.  Kayaking, swimming, hiking or biking are some of my favorites and can often be done with friends and family of all different fitness levels!
  • Sign up for a 5K! Many towns have parades and celebrations throughout the day.  Over the last few years I’ve noticed that more and more towns are adding 5k run/walks to the festivities.   Bust out that red, white and blue running outfit and give it your all!
  • When you hit the buffet at the party your plate can fill up quick with all the delicious sides your family and friends have brought.  I like a little taste of everything so to keep myself from overeating I only take a small scoop of each side.  A bite or two is usually enough to enjoy the taste, after a plate of bites you’ll be full! If you are still hungry go back for seconds on fresh fruit or salad and maybe an extra scoop of the oh so good side or entrée…it is a holiday after all!
  • This holiday tends to be filled with a lot of drinking.  It’s summertime and a beer or cocktail can taste so good.  Unfortunately alcoholic drinks are filled with empty calories.  To limit my intake of this I hold back on drinking until just before dinner.  I’ll enjoy a beer or cocktail with my meal and usually have one afterwards while watching the fireworks or enjoying the camp fire! Up the ante on this and reach for a “skinny drink” with 100 calories or less!
  • Lastly, relax and enjoy the day! It’s a holiday and indulgences are completely acceptable!

Unfortunately I’m not spending the holiday with my family but Michael and I are thoroughly enjoying our vacation in Maine!  I love fireworks, as does Michael.  We have a couple different options for the holiday and will likely be in Bar Harbor, or will take a drive up to Lubec and Eastport to sight-see and check out the fireworks!  If Michael has his druther’s we’ll be purchasing some of our own and launching them over the ocean for our own private show.  We did that last summer at my summer-house and had a blast! Fireworks aren’t cheap but we put on a great show and my whole family loved it!

Source: google.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Stay safe out there today and enjoy!

How are you spending the 4th of July?  Do you love the berry flag cake like me? Are you a fan of fireworks?

Dec23

Five For Friday! Holiday Edition!

Posted on by
Standard
Five For Friday! Holiday Edition!

Ah, Friday! This morning I’m sleeping in (thank you scheduled posts!) and am home at my parents house.  I have a ridiculously comfy bed there with super soft sheets and nice warm down comforter.  It’s pretty much heaven.  I’m really looking forward to this day.  Why?  Because I’m meeting up with two friends I haven’t seen in months!  One, is a woman who I helped coach Nordic Skiing with and went to elementary, junior high, and high school and was friends with her sons.  She has known me since I was a little girl.  I’ve always admired her.  She is a runner, skier, road biker, cancer survivor, great mom and friend and she loves to give back to her community.  I hope someday she’ll do a guest post here!  I haven’t seen her in over a year so I’m really looking forward to catching up.  We reconnected and arranged this thanks to my fund-raising for Team in Training.  So much good coming in my life from such a good cause! I’m also meeting up with a good friend of mine who I have known since I was a child.  We have always remained friends and kept in touch.  She lived in Boston for the last year and a half but moved to California in August.  I am so excited to hear all about California and her life out there.  We grew up taking ballet together and now she is a Physical Therapist and loves running and working out.  We have so much in common! I’m also going to get a manicure, it’s been ages and I really want one for the holidays and our trip to Montreal for New Years! It all culminates with Christmas at my Grandma’s with my Mom’s side of the family!

So today I wanted to share my top 5 holiday favorites! I’m more excited about the holiday today then working out or running and yoga and am pretty sure you all are too.  I’ll get back to running and yoga and healthy living on Monday…ok maybe Tuesday! 

Christmas Lights.

I love Christmas Lights! I love trees and houses all decorated and wreathes on doors.  I love it all.  Which is in part why I love this video!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular!

Michael took me to see this for my Christmas present on Saturday night.  It was a surprise and I absolutely loved it! I love how high they can kick and how precise they all are.  I have the utmost respect for these women.  Did you know they do over 1,500 kicks a day?  Talk about a workout!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular!

Swedish Meatballs!

I get these once a year and love them.  My mom makes the best and they are so delicious! I can’t wait for Christmas Eve!

Swedish Meatballs!

Vacation Time!

I’m on vacation for 11 days straight! This is the most time off in one chunk I’ve had all year so I am very much looking forward to it! I plan to sleep in, finish planning my fundraising event for Team in Training, create some vlogs for you all, socialize with friends and family, run in the daylight, get some studying done for NASM CPT, watch movies, relax and ring in the New Year in Montreal with Michael.  Yes, it’s likely going to fly by trying to fit all that in!

New Years in Montreal!

Gift Giving!

I love Christmas Shopping! I love taking the time to think about what someone may like and want and I always try to take the time to put a personal touch on it.  This makes gift giving so fun for me and I really love it!  I can’t wait to see my family’s reaction!

Gift Giving!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I am looking forward to reading all of your holiday recaps and hearing about how you spent the holidays.  Enjoy your family and friends!

What are your five holiday favorites today? What are you looking forward to the most this weekend? What are your big holiday plans? Do you celebrate with family and friends?

Dec22

Let’s Play a Game…25 Questions! Holiday Style!

Posted on by
Standard
Let’s Play a Game…25 Questions! Holiday Style!

THURSDAY!! I am so excited and officially on vacation at 5pm today! I’m not working again until 2012 and it is fantastic.  I have lots of family things planned and some down time for myself and a trip to Montreal to ring in the New Year with Michael! I hope to relax, recharge and have some fun.  Since I’m in the holiday spirit and looking forward to Christmas I thought I share some Christmas Cheer! Athena over at Fitness and Feta did 25 Questions: Holiday Style and I loved her post.  I loved it so much I decided to do it here on LiveRunLoveYoga!  So let’s play shall we!

25 Questions! Holiday Style!

Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Hot Chocolate! Always! I am a huge fan of hot cocoa and drink it often in the winter months.  I love it with a dollop of whip cream!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa wraps presents.  Growing up my entire family (all 20 or so of us) would stay at my Aunt’s house Christmas Eve.  In the morning we would wake up to a mound of Christmas presents surrounding the tree…seriously you could only see the top half of the tree.  It was essential all things were wrapped and labelled!

This doesn't really do it justice...

Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Colored! We always had colored growing up and it reminds me of my childhood.  Now that we are all grown up sometimes my Mom puts white lights on.  I think the tree looks gorgeous that way too but still prefer colored.

Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope, not our thing.

When do you hang your decorations up?

The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.  When I moved to my first apartment I was 15 minutes from my parents house.  My Mom and I went and got all new decorations for my new apartment and made it looks so pretty for the holidays!  She still decorates the whole house that weekend, the tree comes in mid-December.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

My Mom’s Swedish Meatballs!! They are amazing and are the staple of my Christmas Eve meal!

Favorite holiday memory as a child?

We had a Christmas Eve snow storm one year and my brother and I went cross-country skiing because there was over a foot of snow! We skied until almost 2am! It was amazing and the streets and homes all looked so beautiful decorated for Christmas with the fresh snow on top!

What is on your Christmas wish list?

I don’t have a wish list!  My parents always get me gifts that are way better than I would choose for myself!

Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?

Not really, when we were a kid we occasionally got Christmas Pajamas we could open on Christmas Eve.  Otherwise no way!

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

It depends on how my Mom decides.  Some years it is white lights and beautiful glass ornaments with ribbons and other years it is colored lights with red and gold garland and Swedish and homemade ornaments!

Christmas Tree!

Snow? Love it or dread it?

Love it! I’m a skier, need I say more?

Real tree or fake tree?

Real!

Do you remember your favorite gift?

Way to many good ones to ever have a favorite!  If I had to pick, I’d probably chose skis! When I was racing and competing I got them almost every year.

What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Spending time with my family and loved ones! It’s what makes the holiday complete!

What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Holiday Cookies! I can never get enough of them! My Aunt makes snow men cookies that are delicious!

What is your favorite tradition?

The Swedish Smorgasbord! Christmas Eve my whole family gets together and celebrates.  We sing Christmas Carols, the kids do holiday skits, my Uncle makes homemade Glugg and we all enjoy the Swedish Smorgasbord! Swedish meatballs, red cabbage, beets, potatoes, fish, it’s all so good!

What tops your tree?

Angel!

Do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both! I love picking out gifts for people and seeing their reaction! I love receiving because my parents do an amazing job picking out gifts for me.  As does Michael!

Give or Receive?

What is your favorite Christmas song?

All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey!  Is there really another option?

Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Yum!

Favorite Christmas movie?

Miracle on 34th Street

What do you leave for Santa?

We used to leave cookies, milk and carrots.  Now we leave nothing. Boring I know!

Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

When I was kid my parents would give us a Christmas movie as a gift to watch.  My brother and I would watch a movie until my parents woke up and then we opened stockings.  My whole family (yep, all 20 or so of us!) would have to be awake and then we would eat breakfast and finally open presents! Usually opening presents didn’t happen until 11:30 or 12 in the morning and would take us til about 3 or 3:30 pm.  Today it’s just my parents and brother, we keep to a similar routine but it moves along much quicker!

Christmas Morning as a Kid!

Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

Mall! It gets me in the Christmas spirit and I love all the holiday decorations!

Christmas letter or Christmas card?

Card! They are always so pretty!

Are you ready for Christmas?  What is your favorite holiday tradition?  What is your favorite holiday food?  Share Your Holiday Favorites in the comment section! I’d love to read them!

Dec19

A Holiday Weekend and Tips For This Busy Holiday Week!

Posted on by
Standard

Hi Loves! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I most certainly did!  It was exactly what I needed.  Friday night we made my favorite Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup and laid on the couch watching Christmas movies.  Saturday morning I went to practice for Team in Training.  It was the last official weekend practice until the New Year.  It was a holiday themed run!  It was great to see everyone all decked out in red and green with jingle bells and Santa hats on running through the streets of Wellesley, MA.  We did a 6 mile run.  It was the perfect mix of hills and flat terrain.  The Team in Training Volunteers had an awesome water stop for us at mile 3.  It was complete with all of the best candies, water and Gatorade.

Team in Training Water Stop

Most of my runs have only been about 4 or 5 miles since the Chicago Marathon so 6 miles was my farthest in about 2 months.  I definitely fueled up on some a couple swedish fish, and a Starburst, and Gatorade at mile 3.  I felt good but was definitely feeling like I lacked speed.

6 Mile Run With Team in Training

Post run they had Bagels and Coffee for everyone so we could all socialize and celebrate the upcoming holiday.  I met some new people and enjoyed chatting with them.  I also got the chance to socialize with two girls who I am hosting a fundraising party with, Bridget and Lauren.  We have been emailing so much lately it was nice to get to chat face to face for a bit.  I’m having so much fun with all this Team in Training stuff and love how it’s introducing me to so many new, amazing people and reconnecting me with friends I’ve lost touch with!

Team in Training Practice

If you are interested in helping my fundraising efforts and supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society please visit my fundraising page:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston12/wolsonus9n

After practice Michael and I spent the afternoon relaxing.  I got caught up on loads of laundry and took a nap.  It felt great to nap and relax.  I have been so busy lately and this past week was really a struggle.  I needed to catch up on my sleep.  Saturday night Michael and I celebrated Christmas together since we will be apart for the actual holiday.  We got all dressed up and went to dinner at Legal Seafood.  Michael then surprised me with my gift which was tickets to see The Radio City Christmas Spectacular!  I saw the Rockettes when I was a little girl and was obsessed with the Rockettes.  I’ve told Michael that story and he thought it would be fun if we went together.  He was right, we had a great time!  I gave him a photo book I made from our trip to Chicago and the marathon.  It was a success!

Mike and I at The Rockettes

Sunday we went to my favorite yoga class at South Boston Yoga with David Vendetti.  I’m such a fan of him and can’t wait to take my teacher training with him!  His class is an hour and a half and completely challenging!  I leave his class drenched in sweat, completely relaxed and pleasantly exhausted.  It’s an incredible workout with tons of advanced poses.  We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching the Patriots game with his parents.  It was fun!

This week is going to be a busy week for many of you and myself included.  With only 6 days until Christmas your to do list is likely miles long.  So here is a few tips to keep in mind and help you get through the week…

Happy Holidays!

Make a To Do List.  

Remember it does not need to get done all in one day.  Break it up into small pieces you can reasonably accomplish in one day.  If you stick to your plan you’ll get through it all before Christmas!

Be flexible but make time for workouts.

You might find that it’s going to be hard to workout this week but do try to fit in some physical activity.  Take the dog for a walk or do 30 minutes of yoga at home if you can’t make the gym.  And listen to your body.  If you are too stressed and exhausted do not push yourself and go to the gym.  You run the risk of getting sick or injured.  If your body is really trying to tell you to stay home then you should.

Eat healthy when you can and don’t overindulge.

I have a ton of parties to go to this week.  All will be filled with delicious high calorie foods and trays of sweets.  My plan of attack is to eat a healthy breakfast of oats or cereal and fruit and a lunch of salad or veggies sandwiches.  At the parties I plan to really watch my portions and will try to skip going back for seconds!  I plan to pick one desert to try and leave it at that!  Create your own plan of attack to help you control your holiday eating.

Relax and Enjoy.

As stressful as this time of year can be I hope you all take the time to relax and enjoy it.  It only comes once a year and we put  so much effort into picking the perfect gifts, planning and making wonderful meals and decorating our homes and trees.  Enjoy the day and your family and friends, that is what the day is truly all about!

I leave you with some Monday Motivation…

Monday Motivation

How was your weekend?  Was it filled with Holiday activities? What is your advice to make it through this week?  Do you have a busy week?  How do you plan to handle the stress this week?