2016 The Honest Dietitian Gift Guide for Your Foodies & FitFam

GIFTS YOUR FITFAM & FOODIES WILL LOVE!

~**Half-Moon Yoga Products**~ 

Foodie, Fitfam, and all of your loved ones can benefit from the products at Half-Moon Yoga. You will find so many ways to give the gift of relaxation and strength to your loved ones. Here are some of my favorites:

The Hot & Cold Therapy Pillow with Lavender: THIS is the perfect gift for anyone who suffers from headaches or head/neck tension. You can heat it up in the microwave (what I prefer to put over my shoulders to relief tension) or you can put it in the freezer to get cold (what I prefer when I am suffering from migraines to put over my eyes). The lavender scent is divine and it was certainly a lot bigger than I expected, which was fantastic. If your MOM does not have one of these, get her one too. Get the therapy pillow here

The Om Zafus Meditation Cushion: This is a travel-sized meditation cushion that I have really come to love because not only is it comfortable to sit on for meditating or slowing down for a moment, it has helped me to stay tall and provide support for maintaining good posture during all of the driving I have been doing. There are so many great patterns, this is truly a wonderful gift.  Get your Om Zafus here

Mat Cleaner for your Yogis: I had no idea this stuff existed but I am so incredibly happy that I have it now. If you have anyone in your life who does yoga, or works with a fitness mat...get them some of this mat cleaner! It is made with natural ingredients to keep your mat healthy and it comes in a variety of different scents (I love the French Lavender) or unscented too! Get your mat clean here!

~**Artisana Organic**~

If you want to send the gift of high quality food items to your loved ones this holiday season, check out the entire catalog over at Artisana Organics.  I have loved the coconut butter, raw sesame seed tahini, and the cocoa hazelnut spread. All of their products are amazing and delicious! Give this to a foodie in your life and sit back to watch the magic happen. Hopefully, they will share in what they create! Get these goodies here

~**Adagio Teas**~

CHOCOLATE CHIP TEA!!! Seriously, the dessert teas from Adagio are unbelievable! I have sampled so many of the flavors and I am just smitten with the selection. Sometimes we just need to satisfy our sweet tooth without any calories and this is where it’s at. Get this for all of your fitfam & foodies out there.  In addition to the chocolate chip tea, I recommend the golden monkey, thai chai,
candy cane, and probably my favorite new tea: honeybush chocolate tea. Click here to get your tea!

Burn Through Your Cardio in Only 15 Minutes!

If you’ve ever been to a gym, you’ll have noticed the rows upon rows of people using cardio machines. It’s a national pastime. But is it time well spent? 

Nobody can argue that cardio isn’t an important part of your fitness regimen - it is. It’s just that cardio needn’t be the hour-long trek that we see so often in the gym and in the park. If you want the benefits of doing cardio, but don’t want to spend ages doing it, here’s what to do:

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Start Sprinting

Doing sprints is key to achieving the rocking bod you are after. Sprints have two important effects on your body. First, they are incredibly demanding on your muscles and your respiratory system. In effect, they shock your body into making improvements and using oxygen more efficiently. Second, sprints don’t cause your body to eat its own muscle like long cardio sessions do. It’s why sprinters manage to maintain so much muscle.

If you’ve got a home gym, you do sprints on a treadmill. If you don’t have a treadmill yet, read reviews, like the Sole F85 review here. Or you can simply go to the park and do sprints there. Sprint for 15 seconds, then rest for a minute, then sprint again. Do this ten to twelve times for a killer cardio workout.

Use high intensity training

Sprints aren’t the only high-intensity cardio training activity out there. In fact, most forms of cardio are amenable to increased intensity. Take the elliptical for instance. You can do HIIT on the elliptical simply by increasing the resistance of the machine. The same applies to the stationary bike. Just put it into high gear, get out of the saddle, and work as hard as you can for, say, 30 seconds. Then rest. Then repeat.

No More Excuses! Helpful Tips for Creating a Home Gym

If you want to improve your fitness, you need to join a gym right? Wrong. While many people believe that a gym membership will help them get fit, it’s not the only option. Creating a gym in your home can be a fantastic alternative to joining a gym. It can help you to get fit, is more convenient and can save you both time and money. But many people overlook having home gyms because they think traditional gyms will benefit them more. So if you’re unsure whether you should cancel your membership and create a home gym, read these compelling reasons to help you decide. Personally, I love building on to our home gym. We have a weightlifting platform, kettle bells, my spin bike, medicine balls, and more. These really eliminate the opportunity to give the good ole' excuse of "I don't have time to workout".

My gym is a work in progress, but I love it!

A home gym can save you money

Gym memberships are notoriously expensive and a waste of money if you don’t use them regularly. Whereas home gyms can help you to save money. While they do require some money up front to buy the equipment you need, they can be created relatively cheaply. You can buy only the equipment you need rather than buying everything your gym has. Sale events and second-hand models can also help you get equipment at discounted rates.

Lose the Gym & Still Get Fit and Strong

f you're looking for a way to improve your general wellbeing and to lose weight you might be considering a gym membership. Some people just don't like the gym though and feel time spent there can be intimidating. There are so many ways to workout from home it would be silly not to thoroughly research that option too. Here are some ideas to kick-start a new keep-fit without the gym regime...

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Join a local team

Whether you love to kick a soccer ball around or simply love to run track, team-sport is one sure way to get the adrenaline pumping. Not only will you increase your heart rate, release endorphins and get the blood pumping; you'll also make new friends. A competitive edge can be a real motivator to getting fit so joining a team is potentially a great way to lose weight. And if you are a parent, this is a great way to be a role model to your children by participating in activity!