Stay on track this holiday season with our top tips for enjoying festive meals, keeping up with movement, and embracing balance. From mindful eating to setting small daily goals, these strategies will help you celebrate while supporting your wellness journey!

Make some non negotiable habits you want to work on even when you are not traveling or tracking.

There are so many habits you can work on even when you are out of your normal routine or aren’t tracking your food. These habits can help you stay mindful and give you a little bit of “routine” even when your routine is off.

I know a lot of people struggle with is staying on top of their nutrition for events, or even just a night out.

There are couple ways to approach events and going out to eat, and it really depends whether you plan to track your food while you are out or not.

Who doesn’t love mashed potatoes? This recipe is on the chunkier side, coach Emi likes her’s with some of the skin on to add a bit more texture. The great thing about these is that you can modify the milk and butter to suit your tastes! She used 1% milk in order to keep the fat low, but you can use any milk you like. You can also sub the butter for a vegan alternative, such as earth balance, in case you or any friends/family members aren’t into dairy.

If you think Brussels sprouts have to only taste like freshly mowed grass, THINK AGAIN! The trick is to slice them thinly (or be lazy and buy the pre-shaved ones from Trader Joes as I do) and make sure you slightly burn them. That’s where the magic happens.

Let’s talk Thanksgiving Day! Too often, I hear how much anxiety a day like Thanksgiving brings to my clients. A holiday that is basically centered around how much food we can stuff into our face in one sitting terrifies many people who are on a weight loss, or health and fitness journey. I put together a quick list of my favorite strategies to help you relax and enjoy the day!

I’m not sure why our loved ones and friends think that they need to have an opinion on how we choose to eat and take care of our bodies, but they always do. It can be an uncomfortable situation and often leads us to feel bad about the choices we are making to improve our health and find balance in our relationship with food.

As the holidays approach, the number of social gatherings and parties packed into the next few weeks will be numerous. While indulging in a few treats over the holidays won’t derail your progress, a steady stream of regular get-togethers and celebrations over four to six weeks (or eight...who’s counting) can really start to add up. This can have a big impact on your ability to stay on track towards achieving your goals. Here are a few ways you can make it through the holiday party season while balancing your nutritional needs and continuing on the path to success.

Here is a little message I sent my clients about the holiday and some tips I try to live by during this time of year! Do not fear the holidays. How sad is that? I used to almost hate birthdays, Christmas, events because I felt like I was messing up. I didn’t want to see my family because I couldn’t control my food.

With Christmas approaching quickly, we know you’ll be attending a lot of parties, get-togethers, dinners, and more. Coach Manders has put together her best tips and advice for navigating the holiday parties. Because the last thing we want is for you to be nervous or anxious at this time of year. Hopefully, these tips will help you relax so you can truly enjoy yourself.

Ah, The Holidays! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s also when nutrition tends to become an afterthought for most folks for a few reasons…

New Year's resolutions are the traditions in which we commit to changing an undesired trait or behavior in ourselves, in order to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve our quality of life. Until I was 27 years old, my New Year’s Resolution was always weight loss related (along with 90% of the population) with the hope to get the holiday weight gain off. I set myself up for failure, year after year, starting in October, by throwing in the effort towel a little early. I would overindulge for nearly three months straight, only to waste a time meant for personal growth on superficial nonsense that was brought about by my own hand (and mouth).

It’s the start of a new week and that means there’s a new ingredient challenge. And this week it’s the most basic fall ingredient of them all. Hello, pumpkin! Pumpkin’s incredibly versatile and I urge you to explore with it this week. It’s great in sweet and savory dishes and it’s rich in vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C, and fiber. You can’t go wrong with this one.

Need help eating out?! We’ve got you covered…

We decided to have a pumpkin recipe challenge at work with our Black Iron Nutrition clients. I was excited and up for the challenge. I decided I wanted to make a high protein pumpkin bar. We got all kinds of healthy delicious ingredients, and then Krissy and I went to work in the kitchen trying to develop the perfect fall treat.

If your nutrition is a priority of yours (and I'm sure it is or you probably wouldn't be reading this) then I hope this list comes in handy. Whether you travel for work or pleasure and whether you're on a road trip or flying somewhere far away, having a plan is key.