What better time than Christmas is there to introduce your loved ones to a little health and wellness?  Here are some Christmas gift ideas that are geared toward health and fitness and may serve as a catalyst for you to get some friends and family on the track towards a healthier future.

Monthly subscription based gifts:
Lollihop
http://lollihop.com
These folks send a box of organic and nutritious snacks monthly and they even have a VEGAN option.
$18.95/mo.

PaleoPax
http://paleopax.com
They choose five paleo food products from producers across the country and send once a month. All food is naturally grown, with no artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives.
$18.95/mo.

Blissmobox
http://www.blissmobox.com/
They pack each box with between $25-$50 worth of organic & eco-friendly products and deliver monthly.
$19/mo.

Clean Eating Magazine Subscription
www.cleaneating.com
Seriously, this is my favorite magazine of all time.   It's smack full of recipes and so few ads.  There are almost always photos of everything...just can't say enough good about this magazine so in my opinion it's a FABULOUS gift idea for people who love to cook.
$24.97/1 year
$34.97/2 years

Kinect for Xbox 360
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect

If you want to buy your kids [OR HUSBAND] a video game system, get a kinect for 360.  You have to have an xbox 360 to use it and it will get everyone moving and having a blast without realizing how much exercise it is!
Console sells for @$300

Food Rules by Michael Pollan
http://michaelpollan.com/books/food-rules/

It's a tiny book with common sense food rules and I love it so much that I make visuals of it here.  I think everyone should have a copy and would make a great stocking stuffer.
Under $10

Local Food Coop Membership
You'll have to scour google to see if you have a coop near you, but this is a great way to introduce a loved one to some healthy food options.  Some Whole Foods stores offer this as well.  Basically, they bag up locally grown fruits and vegetables that are in season and you pick up once a week or once a month.
Usually around $20/$30 a month

Gift certificates to a nearby organic market
Not only will you be removing the "it's too expensive" excuse from your loved one, you'll also be helping a local healthfood store grow their business!

What an incredible year of personal growth it has been for me.  We moved across the country last December to a place where we did not know a soul.  At the beginning of the year, I decided this would be a year of new discoveries and attempts at new things to help me figure out what makes me smile and incorporate those things into my life.  It is amazing what happens when you allow yourself the opportunity to grow by stepping out of the comfortable little box in which we all tend to put ourselves.

Since we moved to a place that has heaven weather, I really wanted to get my workout on OUTSIDE.  We started hiking and had so much fun, saw incredible scenery and got our butts in great shape.  If you've ever heard me talk about p90x and Insanity, you know I HATE CARDIO.  I'll do wall squats all day if it means I can avoid plyometrics.  : )  Well, considering I can't hike everyday for my workout, I had to find another so I thought I would give jogging a try, even though I hate jogging.  My first run was in January and I couldn't run even a half mile without stopping and gasping for air, but I loved the way it made me feel after.  I started flirting with the run a few days a week because I thought it was ridiculous I couldn't run a mile.  I began to feel better and better and discovered I was in a battle of wills.  It was my mind against my body and my mind told me all the reasons why I should not do this while I was flirting with this run.  I would push myself further than my mind told me I could go and it was a rush.  Little did I know, I was hooked.  I started running 1-2 miles every couple of days and then in March I thought....I wonder if I could run a half marathon or even a marathon.  It seemed crazy.  I had never run more than 3 miles, but could I ....

I mentioned it to several people and they all told me I need to chill out and do a 5K.  : )

Then I met someone who told me I could do it.  (thank you Oscar)  Sometimes, it takes someone to believe in you before you let yourself believe in yourself.  He told me about a marathon in October and assured me that if I follow a training schedule, I would be able to easily complete a half marathon.  Balls to the walls - I signed up for a half marathon when I had never even run further than 3 miles.

That race is now just 9 days away.  I ran 30 miles last week.  I RAN 30 MILES LAST WEEK.  Holy Crap.

I am going to continue to train and run a full marathon in February.  I am in better shape than I have ever been in at age 42 (will be 43 just 2 days after the race) and I am confident that I do not have to get squishy just because I am aging.  I mean if that doesn't get you on your feet to holler, C'MON!

This experience has taught me so much.  It's not just about running!  It's about taking on things that look so overwhelming and not giving up.  No matter what your mind tells you, no matter what your loved ones tell you, no matter what...if you want it and are willing to let go of the fear, it's yours.  I set a goal, but didn't realize the real payoff would not be completely the race.  I feel like I already have seen the payoff with all the work I've put in to make my dreams turn into a reality.  I got up to that stupid alarm no matter how I felt, if it was raining or scorching hot, I ran.  Man - if we can incorporate a 'training schedule' for all our dreams, we would be unstoppable.

Can you tell I'm on fire?  : )  I want this to encourage you.  You don't have to become a runner to experience this.  Start putting deadlines on your dreams and open up a whole new world.  The cool thing is - it is never too late.  xo

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT ME IN THIS RACE
--I would love to raise as much money for this amazing charity as possible. Up and Running Again trains and conditions people who are living in homeless shelters as well as at-risk youths to run marathons, provides them with running shoes and pays their race registration fees.

Click here to support me completing this crazy dream of mine by donating to this incredible group.  A huge thank you to all of you who have already done so.  I know we can make some more dough for them in the next week.

My cousin posted that she was making chicken noodle soup the other morning and it sounded so good to me that I couldn't get it out of my mind!  So I went out to the kitchen and threw some stuff in a pan and voila'

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced or shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 T minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
8 cups water or broth (I usually use a box of broth and add water as needed while it cooks)
1/2 cup spinach (I add spinach to almost everything I cook because it does a body so good)
salt / pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts

I literally threw it all in a pan and cooked it on low for 4 hours.  At the end, I put about 1/2 whole wheat noodles that I made for Keith's birthday and had frozen.  Before adding the noodles, I took the chicken out, shredded it and put it back in.

Easy.  Whole.  Yum.

I just threw some stuff in a crockpot and let it cook all day, but here's my guess at recipe.  I cook without measuring anything, so it makes it difficult to duplicate anything - which I find delightful because we find new dishes all the time.  : )  My husband didn't like this dish at all (but he doesn't like black beans much) but I loved it.

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 chicken breasts (or dark meat if you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup dry black beans (i try to not use beans from a can and get them from bulk at whole foods)
1/2 c. beef broth (I didn't have chicken broth on hand or I would've probably opted for that.  The beef broth gave it a richer taste)
1 c hot salsa (a local store has some salsa from a local family who makes it and packages it for sale local and I love that)
1 T ground cumin
1/2 t. allspice
3 or 4 T minced garlic (I may have used even more because I love me some garlic)
little salt and pepper on top

I mixed all this up and cooked it on low all day long.  I recommend serving it over long grain rice.  : )  Also, I may try this again with black eyed peas!

I can always tell when I've spent too much time around "fun-suckers."  I am irritable, stressed and have a grumble in my attitude.

Fun-suckers...You know the kind - You could be in a fantastic mood and a fun-sucker will come into your space and literally suck the fun right out of you in 30 seconds flat.  These folks always have something to complain about, someone to gossip about, and it makes them feel better about themselves by pointing out something that make you feel bad.

Sometimes, fun-suckers simply cannot be avoided. They may be co-workers or even your family, but I've learned that no matter who they are, if I do not limit my time with them and make up for their fun-sucking by spending time with positive people, my attitude, mood, workouts and general happiness suffers.

Sometimes, it takes someone to believe in you, before you can fully believe in yourself.  

When you surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams, it makes something deep inside whisper....maybe I CAN do this.  You may not have people in your life currently who get behind your dreams.  Sometimes those closest to us can be our sharpest critics, so seek out people (even if it's virtually at first) who have a positive outlook on life and stick close to them.  Attitudes are contagious!

A lady named Diana Nyad has been all over the news this week and has inspired throngs of people all over the globe I'm sure.  Basically, this 61 year old woman is chasing down one of her dreams:  To swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida.  My favorite article shares this quote from Diana Nyad:

"I'm still vital and I'm still powerful, and when I walk up on that shore in Florida, I want millions of those AARP sisters and brothers to look at me and say 'I'm going to go write that novel I thought it was too late to do. I'm going to go work in Africa on that farm that those people need help at. I'm going to adopt a child. It's not too late, I can still live my dreams."  Now if that doesn't make you get up and holla GLORYYYY, you need to go eat a friggin' carrot or something.

If you haven't read about this amazing 61 year old athlete, ya gotta read about her, follow her journey and be inspired.

I can't tell you how many times since I've been in Southern California I've seen people over 60 cruuuuzzzziiinnnn' up these massive socal hills on a bike.  It's incredibly inspiring.  I guess it could be because 60 doesn't seem that far off, now that I know how fast 40 came, but that makes me so HOPEFUL!  We aren't predestined to become squishy and fragile at any certain age.  How exciting is that?!  We truly can be limber and agile well into our older years and these people are living proof.

While I fully think this lady out there swimming with sharks is CAAARRRRRRAAAAAAAZZZZZYYYYY she is daring and chasing her dreams.  She's still taking amazing care of her body, looks healthy and glowing, and is out there swimmin' with the fishes...but in a good way!  She is still living...reallyyyyy living.  I want to live [really LIVE] until the day I die, don't you?

Be inspired.  Take care of your body and it will take care of you.  Before you know it, you'll be in your 60's and still chasing down those crazy dreams of yours....

I came across this quote a week ago and I can't get it out of my mind.  It really speaks to me where I am in my life and ironically it's a lesson I just can't seem to establish in my life.  My first lesson in this principal was a very practical one.  I was about 8 or 9 when I had a wonderful Norwegian Elkhound named Lady.  Lady was an "outside dog," and we lived in the country, so she was very strong and had the run of the countryside.

I used to see other people who walked their dog on a leash.  I wanted to walk MY dog on a leash.

If you don't know me, I'm a bit stubborn.  Once I get an idea in my head, I just gotta make it happen.  I looked around the garage, where you could find anything, and sure enough found an old dog leash.  I called Lady over and clipped it on her collar.  Lady played along because she loved spending time with me.  That afternoon, I walked her all over the place and we were just having a great time together....until she spots a rabbit and takes chase.  I planted my little 65 lb. frame in the ground and refused to let go of the leash...and off into the air I went!

Lady pulled me off my feet, into the air and my father sees me flapping around in the air like a flag and begins to scream LET GO!  LETTTTTT GOOOOOOOO!  She was going to be my dog and I was GOING TO WALK HER!  It took being dragged over a large pile of firewood for me to finally LET GO.  Needless to say, I had some dragmarks.  Ouch.

You would think after such a practical example I would've learned way  back then what happens when you don't "let go."  I'm a hardhead.  After coming across this quote, I immediately thought of this very practical lesson I had as a child.  I'm going to make an honest effort to put this to action in my life.  It's going to take some practice indeed.

You see....I am a control freak and am just now beginning to understand how this bleeds into all areas of my life.  Becoming healthy is complicated.  If anyone or anything other than YOU controls your mood, your attitude, your overall happiness and well being, you aren't healthy.   I'm at the place in my life now where my children are all on their own and learning who THEY are through THEIR decisions and experiences.  It's time for mama to LET GO and work on happiness and peace for just me.  *deep breath*

That concept is both frightening and liberating for me.

You may be going through something similar with a spouse, a parent or a friend.  If our happiness is controlled by another person's behavior, we will never obtain optimal health or genuine happiness.  I think this mama is gonna let go and watch my little ones blossom into whatever it is they are.  It will be beautiful...I just know it.