8 Holiday Do's & Don'ts    

The holiday season is upon us. Between spending time with family and friends, all of the festivities, and, oh yes, all of the delishish foods, there's simply nothing better! And while it's certainly a time for cheer and a little indulgence, it's important not to overdo it.

Workout To Go - Bootcamp Pyramid 

This is the perfect workout to do when you are on the go, short on time or traveling for work. No need to have fancy gym equipment - Just your body and a watch. 

20 sec. burpees

25 sec. pushups  

30 sec. jump squats

35 sec. mountain climbers

 40 sec. tricep dips

45 sec. jumping jacks

50 sec plank   

45 sec. jumping jacks

40 sec. tricep dips 

35 sec. mountain climbers 

30 sec. jump squats 

25 sec. pushups

20 sec. burpees  

Repeat 1-2 times

Make this your mantra for the month:

"Negativity. Sometimes life sucks. Sometimes life gets so hard that you don't want to get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes life is so stressful that all you want to do is cry. But sometimes life is beautiful. Sometimes life is so awesome that all you want to do is smile. Sometimes you just have to stay positive, and push through the hard times. Why? Because life is worth it.  

The good times are worth it.  

You are worth it."

6 Ways to Boost Body Confidence 

by Susan Rinkunas, Women's Health Online Editor

1. Acknowledge (and Stop) Fat Talk
"Women are notorious for passing the baton when it comes to body image," says Robyn Silverman, Ph.D., body image expert and author of Good Girls Don't Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls.  Silverman calls it fat talk.

"If a woman says 'I'm so fat,' the other woman might feel like she has to say 'no, I'm the fat one. Have you seen my thighs?'" Silverman says. "Then there's this back and forth over whose body is worse to elevate the other person." The problem: Even women who don't feel negatively about their bodies will engage in this behavior and eventually, it can make them feel worse.

If you and your friends are prone to fat-talking, Silverman suggests that you jokingly say something like, "Isn't it amazing that when women get together, 'fat' comes out of our mouths?' We are successful, smart, amazing women and this is what we have to talk about?" Then change the subject. You could even establish that your friendship is a fat talk-free zone.

If a friend can't stop, discuss it with her. "The discussion you should have is 'I really love having you as a friend. Every time we're together I feel like this is a conversation that we wind up having and I think it makes us both feel bad. What do you think about that?'"

2. Put Action Before Appearance
Shift your focus from what your body looks like to what it can do, Silverman says. "Instead of saying 'I hate my thighs,' ask yourself: What do your thighs allow you to do?" she says. "Maybe it becomes 'my legs allow me to take zumba class, which makes me feel awesome.''

"When you can talk positively about yourself in terms of what your body can do, you start to view your body in a very different way," she says.

3. Identify Body Parts You Love
Make sure you're also focusing on the things that you love about yourself, Silverman suggests. "Some people look at themselves in the mirror and say horrible things. If they're saying it out loud, then they're hearing that-they're underscoring the problem." Pick a body part that you love-your breasts, your shoulders, your butt-and talk out loud about it. "In the same way, if you're saying 'My butt looks great in these jeans,' then you're hearing that, too."

4. Bust Out the Post-Its
Changing how you talk to yourself is a habit that you have to both break and create, so expect it to take a month before positive self-talk feels like second nature. "If you're struggling with it and you think 'I feel like I'm lying to myself,' ask your friends for help." The next time a friend or family member pays you a compliment, ask them to write it down, then tape it to your mirror. (Or, if you're too embarrassed to ask, just do it yourself in secret later). "Then you're getting the statements of positive people in your life who make you feel really good to combat the negative things that you think about yourself," she says.

5. Name Your Body Bully
Negative self-talk can feel like it's your voice, but it often isn't, Silverman says. She suggests that you try to figure out who or where it came from. For instance, a boy named Joe who made fun of your nose in the 8th grade. "If you have a negative thought, you can say 'Joe, you're not welcome here.' You then take it off yourself and put it on an object," Silverman says. "It's not your voice, it's not the truth, and it makes it so you can heal and move forward."

6. Hold Yourself to A Higher Standard
Why not be as nice to yourself as you are to the people you love? "Think to yourself, 'would I say this to my best friend, or my sister, or my mother?'" Silverman says. "If you cannot imagine another human being who you love saying this to themselves or someone else talking to them that way, then how are you talking to yourself in that manner?"