vacation – Page 7 – Innovation Weightloss & Fitness

December 28, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Are You On Holiday Break?

Holiday Break has arrived and whether you are home or away the challenges are the same – extra food and drinks are everywhere. The once controlled daily schedules have now blurred into one long food coma day. Before you throw in the towel and submit to starting over in January, I want you to think about a couple of things….

FIRST: Think about how Thanksgiving went for you. How the same thoughts & feelings crept into mind that you are experiencing now. How it is so easy to give up in the moment only to regret it when it’s all over. Remember how you promised yourself this holiday would be different. How you didn’t want to relive another holiday weight gain. You promised yourself you were going to commit to staying on program regardless of how difficult it got.

Of course it is hard to be 100% when the kids are home or when you are on vacation. But no one is looking for you to be perfect – instead of trying to be 100% – make a deal with yourself and be 80-20. Be clean and in control 80% of the time and off 20%. Whether it’s a meal, dessert or both – but have a plan each day. Know what you are doing – know why you are doing it and when you are doing it. Because when you have a plan you are more likely to stick to it.

SECOND: Think about and remember how good it feels when you are in control. Then think about how terrible it feels when you lose control.

FEELINGS OF BEING IN CONTROL – light, healthy, thin, comfortable in your own skin, want to get dressed and go out, doesn’t mind running into people at the pool or beach, you are happy and go out of your way to make those around you happy.

FEELINGS OF OUT OF CONTROL – hiding, miserable, mean, can’t stop eating, bloated, and disgusted that you did it again 🙁

THIRD: Remember how much harder it is to get the weight off then it is to put it on. Make sure it’s worth it because in some cases it can take up to a week to get rid of one moment of pleasure.
FINAL THOUGHT: Even if this email has found you in an already unhealthy out of control state – it’s not too late to change it. Get right back on. Do it today – and stay on program until your next cheat day. If you do it today and live by the program of one cheat day with your clean meals and snacks everyday – then I promise in a couple of days you will begin to feel amazing again. By Thursday you will be back in control and feeling Happy, Healthy and Ready to bring in the NEW YEAR.

You’re always alone,
but you’re only lonely if you don’t like
the person you’re alone with.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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December 21, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Holiday Travel Tips

As the year comes to an end we are approaching one of the most exciting times of the year. Whether you are planning a Christmas celebration at home, a family trip, a New Year’s party or a tropical getaway, there are so many things to look forward to. But this can also be a time when our eating can go off plan and we don’t eat as healthy as we would like. Here are a few ways to help you prepare and stay on track in the next few weeks.

Prepare Healthy Foods and Snacks. The best way to ensure that you can eat healthy during travel and while on vacation is to prepare ahead of time. We always look forward to planning our vacation activities whether it is lounging on the beach or seeing the sights, but planning healthy eating might be a different story. But it is a good idea to push yourself to pack healthy snacks for travel and to do some planning while you are away to help you make the right choices. Travel snacks are easy. You can grab a protein bar, piece of fruit, Cheerios, nuts, or a bag of healthy chips or popcorn to reach for at any time in transit or on a long flight. And once you arrive, seek out local restaurants and stores that you might shop or eat at. Glance at their menus and see what they have to offer just to be aware of what you have to choose from.

Buy at the airport. If you get stuck and need to find food on the go, remember that you have healthy options. Airports may seem like all they have to offer is fast food and snacks high in salt and sugar, but if you really look you will find healthy options. Many airport kiosks will have great breakfast options such as Greek yogurt and mini Cheerios packages, hard boiled eggs, fruit, and there might even be a smoothie or coffee shop where you can get coffee, tea or a smoothie (just pay attention to the ingredients in everything, especially smoothies). You will also be able to find some good lunch options likes salads and wraps. You can also find a variety of snacks like nuts, hummus, cheese sticks, fruit or a latte to get you through the day. Eating healthy during travel will not only help you stay on your weight loss plan, but it will also make you feel better during travel and help you avoid getting too dried out or crash from a sugar high.

Healthy Travel. Remember to stay hydrated during travel, especially flying. You can bring an empty water bottle with you to fill after you get through security, or you can purchase bottled water near your gate. Avoid too much caffeine and sugar like coffee and soda, especially when you are flying because they will just dry you out and make you jittery. While flying it can also help to move around. This can mean walking up and down the aisle, or just stretching in your seat. Here are some ideas:

Vacation Eating. Eating healthy on vacation presents many challenges. When we go to a new place we don’t know our options. Even if we are visiting a familiar place, we are living outside of our usual routine. Vacations are special so it makes us feel like we should treat ourselves and live in the moment. We want to eat and drink without a care in the world. And we should treat ourselves! That doesn’t mean we have to stuff ourselves, though. Decide when you want to indulge. Maybe you want to have a special dessert or a nice dinner each night. The choice is yours. Losing over vacation is very hard but possible, and maintaining going in to the New Year would be a huge accomplishment.

Most important – vacations whether home or away should not be about food. The focus should be about spending quality time with the people you love, family, friends and most important quality time with yourself. What will make you happy…Walks on the beach with your significant other? Or playing more with your kids – or spending time with your parents. Maybe for some it’s reading a book you have been too busy to pick up or maybe you can finally have that extra time to exercise. Use the vacation and free time to your advantage and choose to do the things that will not only make you happy in the moment but also that will make you happy tomorrow and the next day. Enjoy – love and be happy.

Your circumstances do not determine what your life will be; They simply reveal what life you have chosen up until now.
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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November 30, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Where Will You Be on the Next Holiday Break?

Thanksgiving is behind us. Another Holiday has come and gone. As we look forward to our next Holiday Vacation we must use these next 4 weeks very wisely. Because depending on how your last 5 days went and the text messages I received – many of you are in very different places. Some had every intention on staying 100% on and unfortunately your path went in a very wrong direction. Others were expecting the worst and ended up with the best. For some, you had your plan and stuck to it with a 90-10 and ended up doing much better then you could have imagined. Then of course I have my hard-core, who stick to it regardless of what is going on. They never stray from the eat clean 6 and indulge 1. Regardless of what good or bad goes on in their day, they are never stressed about their weight because they always do the right thing.

Where will you be on Holiday Break? It’s always great to have a big goal. But you need little goals in between. Each little goal you reach is a step closer to the big goal. Start today by having a 100% week. Put yourself – body and mind – to the test. How much can you lose this week? Remember everything you do is for now. It’s not forever. It’s simply to get the weight off. Once the weight is off you are no longer restricting yourself and you can eat more and maintain. But for right now, it’s all about losing. Getting to a good happy place by Holiday Break.

Mentally get into a good place – Losing weight is important to you for your health and happiness. For one week you will be 100% and see what your body does in return. For one week you will say “No” to anything that is tempting because it’s not worth the result. For one week you will be 100% focused on losing weight and not let anything get in your way. This week is about you and what you want for your body and health.

Visualize – where will you be on Holiday Break? Beach, Island, somewhere special – any of these places should be motivating enough to know that you will either be in a bathing suit or shorts and you want to feel good about wearing them and not hiding and wishing you would have done something when you had the chance. Keep this thought in your mind. Yes, you really can change a lot in 4 weeks!

Are you staying home? Even more reason to do it now. You don’t want to be around so many delicious holiday choices with friends and family and not be able to enjoy it because you are in a bad place to begin with. Start today so you can enjoy later.

If you take the baby steps now and get your number down each week you will feel lighter, in control and most important, healthy and good about yourself when the Holiday comes – everyone will be celebrating and you will too!

LET’S REVIEW:

What happens when you follow your menu and eat clean foods:

– The first two days are the most challenging – get through them however you have to because I promise by the third day you will begin to feel amazing. Think of it as you over did it and this is what you have to do now. Give and take. It’s time give time.

– The 3rd day the cravings are starting to disappear and you begin to feel in control.

– By the 4th all water weight and bloat is gone.

– The 5th day your fat cells are starting to shrink! Your stomach is getting smaller and you begin to feel lighter (you know when you wake up and your stomach feels flatter and everything about you is just overall lighter- yes that amazing light feeling that gets you to hop out of bed instead of drag yourself out).

– By the 6th day you will begin to realize how less important food is compared to how important it is when you feel amazing, healthy and happy. You feel so good it makes you wonder why you ever over-indulged to begin with.

– The 7th day (morning) – you weigh yourself and you are jumping up and down because you are thrilled you hit your first week goal (the closer you stay to the menu and the cleaner your foods are the more you will lose). IT’S CHEAT DAY and you enjoy and then right back on and do it again and work toward your second week goal – it’s that simple.

Follow the plan. It’s 4 weeks until Holiday Break. Where do you want to be and how do you want to look and feel when you get there?

Saying what you want is easy – it’s time to prove to yourself you can do it.

This vacation you will be feeling as healthy and happy as everyone around you.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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November 6, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Countdown to Holiday Vacations

THANKSGIVING IS AROUND THE CORNER and CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY VACATIONS ARE ONLY 10 WEEKS AWAY. Time really does fly whether you are having fun or not. While the time is flying you are either gaining, losing or maintaining. Keep it simple. We CAN’T eat whatever we want whenever we want, so focus on enjoying and indulging only on the holidays, vacations and special events. After all, that’s what makes them special. It’s in-between these amazing times of our life that we focus on eating clean, losing weight and staying healthy. Think of it like a photo album. The pictures in the album often show you snap shot to snap shot of the happy times in your life. It doesn’t have pictures of the in-between challenges and obstacles that every one goes through to get to the next happy snap shot.

The key to success is pretty simple: It’s 6 days clean and 1 day to indulge. The harder you make it, the harder it will be. Follow these easy steps to keep your weight loss moving:

1) Be accountable for everything you put in your mouth – everything matters.

2) 6 days clean and 1 day to indulge.

3) Watch your portion sizes. Just because it’s clean and healthy doesn’t mean you can eat more. Less is best when trying to lose weight. If you don’t need it DON’T eat it!

4) You don’t have to eat everything on your menu. Listen to your body and learn the difference between eating out of want or need.

5) It’s okay to be a little hungry. When you are a little hungry it means your body is losing. Never starving but a little hungry is good.

6) If you exercise to tone and strengthen that’s awesome and will help in how you look and feel but you can’t eat what you work out. So if you workout more you can’t eat more. Don’t find yourself on the hamster wheel. Eating to workout and working out to eat. Just make sure you have a healthy snack ready after a workout that is a good combination of protein and healthy carbs for example: apple and 1 tbsp of peanut butter or almond butter works great. It will replenish and fill you up. After that it’s all mental.

There is approx 10 weeks until holiday break. Holiday break when many of you will leave to spend a week in the sunshine on some beautiful island – in shorts and bathing suits. Make sure you are preparing now for then. Remember this: Eating clean, losing weight and feeling great is not something that can be bought or given to you. It’s something that only you can do for yourself. You have to be accountable for what you want and how bad you want it. If you eat clean and follow the program you will lose the weight and look and feel great. If you don’t then you have to live with going on vacation and looking back and thinking I should have – I could have – and why didn’t I. Don’t be that person. Be the person who walks around confident in your clothes because you worked hard and made the right choices. You made those choices even when it was difficult to do. You feel and look great because you did all the right things to get to a good place. Yes, it takes work and energy but it’s worth every minute that you say “no thank you” and “ I’m eating clean today for a healthy tomorrow”. When your tomorrow comes and your next snap shot is ready to be taken – you will be ready and willing to stand in front of that camera.

Everyone has the chance to be amazing, to look amazing and feel amazing. Everyone has the opportunity to wake up every morning and do the right thing and make the right choices. Life is you against you. You are the only one who can sabotage yourself and you are the only one who can make your life the best it can be.

Doing the right thing will always result in overall happiness.

VACATION / HOLIDAY COUNT DOWN!

10 weeks – 10 pounds = 1 lb a week

10 weeks – 20 pounds = 2 lbs a week.

Don’t give up on yourself – you can do this!

Don’t wait for life to make you happy

TAKE CHARGE TODAY AND CREATE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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October 1, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

End of Summer Travel Tips

As the end of August approaches, many of us are about to embark on one last family trip before the start of the school year. The kids are home from camp and everyone is back together again for one last hurrah. We all want to make the most of it, but it can be hard when you also want to stay in control and continue with your weight loss plan. Being on vacation is always tricky when it comes to eating clean and healthy, so here are some tips to help keep you on track and bounce back after a trip.

Before you go: Make sure you have a healthy breakfast and stick to your healthy routine until the moment you leave. The excitement associated with going away can cause us to feel like celebrating – and cheating – before we even leave, but staying as clean as possible until you depart is going to be a big help. If you are already gaining before you go, you can imagine how the rest of the trip will result. If you are putting your weight loss plans on hold and you would rather pick up again when you get home, that’s up to you. Finding the balance between enjoying yourself because you are indulging and enjoying yourself because you are making healthy choices that make you feel good are a part of life, not just vacation eating. Figure out your plan before you go and be honest with yourself. Setting unrealistic expectations just puts more mental and emotional strain on you. But if you want to eat as healthy as possible, familiarize yourself with portion sizes, go-to recipes and menu items, bring healthy snacks and anything else that can give you an edge during your vacation.

While you are away: When you arrive, make note of the restaurants and shops in your area. Is there somewhere where you can go shopping for food and snacks? Is there a convenient and local restaurant where you have some healthy options? If you are staying in a hotel, take a look at the hotel’s restaurant and room service menus. Whether you are sitting by the pool in a tropical paradise or walking the streets of Europe, remember to stay hydrated and eat food that will give you fuel for the day’s activities. When it comes to special meals and treats, decide what you really want to splurge on and remember that you don’t have to eat until you are stuffed, just satisfied. When possible, go for a walk after meals and enjoy the scenery.

When you come back: Coming back from vacation can put us in a gloomy mood, especially so close to the beginning of school. Things can also get chaotic with the transition into the school year and getting back on track when it comes to your eating habits can take a back seat. Traveling can be exhausting, and coming home to an empty kitchen usually means eating whatever is around (whether it’s healthy or not) or ordering in. Don’t continue the vacation eating at home. As soon as you can, head to the grocery store and stock up on your healthy foods.

We may not want the summer to end, and coming back from a vacation knowing that it’s time to get back to reality and the school routine can make us drag our heels even more, but there is so much to look forward to in the fall and the best way to push ourselves towards success is to end the summer on a high note. Don’t make next month about punishing yourself or trying to erase what you did at the end of the summer. Build your positive momentum now and have the best September possible.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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August 25, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

End of Summer Travel Tips

As the end of August approaches, many of us are about to embark on one last family trip before the start of the school year. The kids are home from camp and everyone is back together again for one last hurrah. We all want to make the most of it, but it can be hard when you also want to stay in control and continue with your weight loss plan. Being on vacation is always tricky when it comes to eating clean and healthy, so here are some tips to help keep you on track and bounce back after a trip.

Before you go: Make sure you have a healthy breakfast and stick to your healthy routine until the moment you leave. The excitement associated with going away can cause us to feel like celebrating – and cheating – before we even leave, but staying as clean as possible until you depart is going to be a big help. If you are already gaining before you go, you can imagine how the rest of the trip will result. If you are putting your weight loss plans on hold and you would rather pick up again when you get home, that’s up to you. Finding the balance between enjoying yourself because you are indulging and enjoying yourself because you are making healthy choices that make you feel good are a part of life, not just vacation eating. Figure out your plan before you go and be honest with yourself. Setting unrealistic expectations just puts more mental and emotional strain on you. But if you want to eat as healthy as possible, familiarize yourself with portion sizes, go-to recipes and menu items, bring healthy snacks and anything else that can give you an edge during your vacation.

While you are away: When you arrive, make note of the restaurants and shops in your area. Is there somewhere where you can go shopping for food and snacks? Is there a convenient and local restaurant where you have some healthy options? If you are staying in a hotel, take a look at the hotel’s restaurant and room service menus. Whether you are sitting by the pool in a tropical paradise or walking the streets of Europe, remember to stay hydrated and eat food that will give you fuel for the day’s activities. When it comes to special meals and treats, decide what you really want to splurge on and remember that you don’t have to eat until you are stuffed, just satisfied. When possible, go for a walk after meals and enjoy the scenery.

When you come back: Coming back from vacation can put us in a gloomy mood, especially so close to the beginning of school. Things can also get chaotic with the transition into the school year and getting back on track when it comes to your eating habits can take a back seat. Traveling can be exhausting, and coming home to an empty kitchen usually means eating whatever is around (whether it’s healthy or not) or ordering in. Don’t continue the vacation eating at home. As soon as you can, head to the grocery store and stock up on your healthy foods.

We may not want the summer to end, and coming back from a vacation knowing that it’s time to get back to reality and the school routine can make us drag our heels even more, but there is so much to look forward to in the fall and the best way to push ourselves towards success is to end the summer on a high note. Don’t make next month about punishing yourself or trying to erase what you did at the end of the summer. Build your positive momentum now and have the best September possible.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

April 13, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Struggling After Vacation

Spring has finally sprung and we are experiencing some beautiful weather. This week I want you to concentrate on moving forward and ONLY moving forward. Leave the past behind you and focus on the future. STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP…IT GETS YOU NOWHERE. Don’t spend your energy and thoughts about what you didn’t do or should have done this past holiday break. Think about what you want to look and feel like come this summer. Are you ready for the barbeque parties? Or the pool? Can you imagine yourself in shorts and a tank top? Sundress? These are questions only you can answer. Because in a few short weeks you will be pulling your summer clothes out of your closet and they will either be VERY TIGHT or THEY WILL FIT or THEY WILL BE BIG. The result is entirely up to you.

After vacation we tend to have a hard time getting back on track. We spend a week eating and/or drinking a little more than we should (a lot more for some). Your body doesn’t turn off and on after a week. It needs to be trained again. So if you are experiencing a hard time because you are struggling getting back on track. Try your best to work through it. It’s okay to be a little hungry it will go away. Yes they may be real hunger pains, but only because you just spent a week of overeating. You need to work through it or your new extra weight will become old weight and will not come off so easy. Do it now….Get rid of it now!

Start with the basic 3 meals and 3 snacks. If you need an extra snack, have one from your program. It’s better to have an extra snack off your program than to grab something that will take you off your path. Make sure you have healthy on program snacks with you at all times. It’s important to have snacks within arm’s reach. If you get to the point where you are starving then you waited too long and most likely will grab something unhealthy. After one week you should be back on your program 110%.

We can’t change the past. We can only learn from it and use what we learn to make our future a better and positive place for us. Treat your body with respect, love and kindness. Fuel it with healthy food that will make you feel good and run at 110%. When you treat your body like the gift that it is…it returns the favor.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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February 16, 2015By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Snow is Temporary

Don’t sabotage yourself!

I want you to realize that the snow is very, very temporary. Like when the snow melts and brings beautiful green grass…It’s like a coat over a bathing suit. You are going to take off the coat and whatever you have been doing while it’s snowing is going to show. STOP SABATOGING YOURSELF. Snow doesn’t mean food. It means inconvenience, but it can also mean fun.

Just because the kids are home for vacation or a snow day that does not mean you have to eat all day. Teach that there is more to do on snow days or days stuck inside then just baking and eating. Play tag in the play room or basement. Set up a fort and watch a movie together. Have a dance contest. Do some arts and crafts or painting so your hands are occupied. Play a board game.

If the kids are not around…clean out an old closet that has been waiting for your attention. How about the play room or basement that may need some organizing. Maybe do an extra exercise video today or read a book that you have been putting aside.

Don’t throw in the towel because there is another snow day or because the kids are home from school for another week long vacation. The very worse thing you can do today is say “I’m going to start tomorrow” because they are home…AGAIN.

Use today as a day to challenge yourself to eat healthy while your kids are around. Since they are not going anywhere anytime soon it’s a good idea to learn to eat healthy and make the right choices when they are with you. Try not to use your kids as an excuse to overeat. REMEMBER: CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE.

It is February 16th! If you haven’t started or feel a little off track then start this week! If you lose 1 pound by the end of each week starting this Friday the 20th until the Friday of Memorial Day you will have lost a total of 15 Pounds!!! WOW!!! 15 pounds, and that’s only with doing 1 pound a week. If you throw in some 2 and 3 pound weeks along with your 1 pound weeks – you will have a 20-30 pound weight loss by Memorial Day weekend.

At the end of the day it’s a very simple concept. Eat healthy 6 days, indulge on the 7th, and lose weight. The cleaner you stay 6 consecutive days, the more weight you will lose weekly. The days may go slow but the months are flying by….

SNOW TODAY SUMMER TOMORROW

USE THE CHART BELOW TO HELP YOU TRACK YOUR WEEKLY WEIGHT LOSS:

Click the links below the pictures to download.