how to get though Christmas season without gaining weight- or maybe even losing weight!

It goes without saying that during Christmas season it is the most difficult time to avoid indulging in sweet temptations such as ginger bread, cinnamon stars, chocolate cookies, etc.. the list is long and packed with calories ;)
Since I really am a sweet tooth I find it difficult to stick to my healthy diet during this time. I decided to share my essential tips and knowledge with you guys, and maybe you can even LOSE weight with your increased awareness and caution.


1. SNACK WISELY the wrong approach would be to cut back entirely... after all you want to be able to enjoy Christmas just like the others! First of all, DON'T buy cookies at the store, just meet up with friends on Sunday and make them yourselves.. it's not only much more fun and delicious, it also helps you to avoid snacking over the rest of the week. Another thing is that you can trick a bit by simply replacing your favourite things by healthier options. try to stick to the bicuits with 'good' ingredients instead of the 'bad' ones.
examples of good ingredients: almonds, spices( anis, ginger...), egg whites (great for coconut macrones and baisers!!), bad ingredients: marzipan!!, chocolate, a lot of butter (a little bit is obviously essential), ... BUT: you can have as many clementines as you want :) theyre yummy too :)

2. COMPENSATION BY MOVEMENT motivate your family to go for a nice walk in the snow after the huge Christmas meal. It's good for your digestion and you burn some of the calories!

3. NO CHOCOLATE CALENDAR THIS YEAR this may be hard but consider that the chocolate consume all together is just too much to stay healthy and fit all the time. Some may bring up the argument that just one small piece per day is healthy for you. If you manage to leave it to that, it's fine and you have my respect, but what happens to me is that this small piece just triggers my appetite and I start either eating other random things to satisfy this provoked craving or I rip out all the chocolates from the calendar and it's all gone :(. haha I'm probably the only person in the world who does that ;).
anyway, a brilliant idea recently popped into my mind: Make yourself a fitness calendar with pieces of paper reading a daily sports/ nutrition challenge! I'm making mine tonight I think so I have it by tomorrow :) I'm really excited about this!


4. RESISTING IS WORTH THE REWARD. just always keep in mind what a couple of moments of giving in will cause for you on the long term: dissatisfaction, guilt, even a stricter diet incuding more exercise, ugly unnecessary belly fat... and so on. All you have to do to avoid this is to RESIST to your fat pig that wants to come out and eat all that stuff. That's easy, you can do it, can't you?

--> But remember: set yourself a date once a week with your girlfriends when it is actually allowed to have all the things you have to do without usually... believe me, this will be the most enjoyable christmas ever and you need no new year's resolutions, yehhaaa :)

my hair- an endless struggle + tips

my natural hair is medium shoulder length. I used to have really long hair 3 years ago but I really treated them badly by excessive bleaching and a frequent use of heat tools (which I totally regret now!!). I've been trying to grow them out healthy for like one and a half years now and still have a long way to go. they just won't grow because the ends are still dry and split. but it's getting better and better with time. i've kinda developped strategies that work for me, for example i try to use naturally based shampoos and other hair products. but hair care consists of more than using good products, but of what you do to your hair in general because EVERYTHING can effect your hair quality. Here are the most important things I find are helpful to increase hair quality and growth.

1. I only wash my hair twice a week to make sure it gets enough natural oils from your scalp. on top of that, washing itself results in unhealthy procedures, eg. combing wet hair, applying silicone packed styling products and using heat (blow dryer/straighter...)

2. DON't comb your wet hair with a fine brush, start going through it with a wide tooth comb when it's damp. your hair is very prone to damage and breakage if it is wet.

3. try to avoid heat as much a possible. it doesnt mean you have to run around feeling horrible because your hair is messy or whatever. style your hair with a blowdryer once a week and the 2nd time you wash them, let them air dry. choose a day where it is not so important to look great, eg when you hang out at home or you just go to uni or do alot of sports. trust me you will notice a difference very soon!

4. use natural oils from the pharmacy. ok so there are 2 different oils i've been using lately. the first one is almond oil i apply to my ends once a week. it doesnt make the hair healthy again , it's just a prevention from further breakage (remember: once a hair is broken you CAN'T repair it, you can just cut it!)
argon oil is even better than almond oil but i haven't tried it yet, but im definitely going to!
to increase my hair growth i've started using castor oil in my roots, but i don't know if it helps, ive only tried it twice, but i'll let you know as soon as i find out!

5. for those who use highlights, this is extremely important: if you've reached a colour you really like and go to the salon ONLY dye the roots where there is no colour yet, not the ends. broken ends don't need more damage and you won't notice the difference at all!

6. protect your hair from salt water and the sun by using UV protecting spray (available at drugstores).

7. get your ends trimmed on a regular basis (if you wanna grow your hair out it's ok to wait 3 or 4 months , otherwise it won't grow after all)

8. make sure you follow a healthy , balanced diet with a lot of vitamins and nutrients and have a lot of water. this is a good example that beauty comes from the inside ;).


i hope you found my tips helpful, next time i'll be making a post on my favourite hair products and a review for my clip in extensions who those who want long hair yet are too impatient to wait for ages, just like me :)

i hope you find my tips helpful

weight issues

ok so due to loooaaads of stress over the last week and my sore throat over the past few days I haven't really been able to work out so much which sucks :( on top of that i've indulged in heaps of gingerbread and triple chocolate cookies because thats how i tend to deal with stress.... i'm an emotional eater, like most women.
i really have to watch my weight because this can't come to a habit, especially during holiday season you are exposed to so much greasy, sugary stuff and i definitely have a sweet tooth!!

result: lean protein diet and workout!

i really, really hope I'll feel better by tomorrow so i can go to my bodywork fitness routine that i normally do twice a week.

 my eating plan for tomorrow:

breakfast:
bircher muesli with rasperries and low fat yogurt
--exercise--
luch:
whole meal spaghetti with a vegetable/arrabiata sauce
dinner:
a cup of soup and an egg

i have to go to a health store tomorrow to buy some plain soup cause the one you can get in the supermarket sucks and leaves me hungry.
i'm really motivated because i hate, hate , hate getting these approaches of a belly fat at the sides. i ALWAYS put on there first! hate that! my already nearly non existant waist vanishes completely then.

now tell me.... are you an apple, pear, boyish or a lucky hour glass shape?

i'd say i'm in between boyish and apple (the ones that are perceived as least attractive :( ). if i watch my diet and exercise i loose almost all curves and get a boyish frame and if i indulge in fast food and never work out i definitely become an apple since i gain in my belly area first!