Can you believe we're almost there? Week 6 of 8 and you are doing it! You're living healthy and managing the holidays like a pro!

I can feel the pressure building in both work and family life as we end the year and get ready for Christmas and I'm sure you can, too, so this week I'm keeping it simple for you guys. You've got this!

Quick view summary of Week 6:

• Nutrition: Veggies with every meal and decrease the sugar AMAP!

• Fitness Challenge: 3 long walks or runs this week.

• Wellness Challenge: Holiday dance parties

NUTRITION:

Let's get your meal prep done this weekend and keep it as healthy as possible this week! I have some delicious recipes to try out for your dinners! We're prepping for at least a few consecutive days on indulging and holiday parties around every corner.

When we can, let's go as clean and healthy as possible so when the treats start flowing we have no guilt and lots of control.

Let’s challenge ourselves to see how many veggies we can get into our diets this week by getting veggies with every meal and ditching sugar whenever we can!

For breakfast, try some yummy scrambles with bell peppers, spinach, feta or parmesan, basil, tomatoes and green onions - use one or all of those for an extra delish and nutrish meal!

For lunch let’s get down with some salads - if you don’t have time to make your own, Trader Joe’s has what seems like thousands of options for individual salads - you can buy for the whole week! (check the labels, there are some with sneaky high calorie counts! Remember: high in fat = high in calories. So while fat is not bad at all, it will tip the "scale" of your calorie intake quite easily!). If you want to mix it up, a high protein/fiber wrap filled with hummus and veggies is also an awesome and easy lunch filled with tons of vitamins and minerals!!

And try out these delicious dinners and let us all know what you think! (remember you get an extra point for posting on your Social Media with #swellholidaychallenge and tagging me @savagewellness!)

FITNESS:

As I prep for my Hot Chocolate 5K in Jan., I’m in a running mood (Unfortunately this cold isn't allowing me to do it so I'm putting it on you!) ! So let’s try to get some runs or brisk walks in! See if you can get 3 long brisk walks or jog or run for 30+ minutes this week! (Post them, tag me and hashtag #swellholidaychallenge for an extra point)!

For anyone who completes this challenge and posts about it on their personal Facebook or Instagram page, I’ll donate $10 to our Lucile Packard fundraising page - let’s raise some money for these kiddos! And post the link to our fundraiser when you post about your healthy efforts on Social Media!

I have a fundraising challenge coming up soon for you guys and you can win big if you raise money - I'll be counting all of your fundraising efforts toward the upcoming challenge, so anything you make this week will give you a leg up!

Here's the link for you to repost: https://my.supportlpch.org/fundraiser/1776348

Here's your bonus workout!

24 squat jumps (touch the ground in between)!*

24 mountain climbers (count 1 on each side as 1)!*

24 jumping lunges (24 TOTAL so 12 on each side)!*

24 push ups!

24 super mans (Lie on the stomach and lift the arms and legs up and hold 3 seconds)!!

Repeat 3 times!!! (or whatever you’ve got) and rest when you need. Break up the 24 into 3 sets of 8 or 2 sets of 12 if you need - it's all about what works for YOU.

*if you're not into jumping, you can raise up onto your toes and reach up for the squat jumps and alternating lunges without jumping works great, too!

WELLNESS:

It's party time! Dance parties, that is! Throw on some tunes when you're cooking dinner and dance around that kitchen! Or if the kids are melting down and everyone wants to cry, bust a move and turn the mood of the house around! I also love heading to a room alone with some earbuds and dancing it out when I need a shift in my own mood and activity level. Whatever you've got and whatever the reason, try it out EVERY DAY and HAVE FUN! We're going for a minimum of 5 minutes every day. Keep it private or record it and post for the world to see! Channel that inner Bae or Bruno!

And here's your sneak peak at this week's newsletter! Along with these tips for helping save the environment during the holidays, I'll be giving some tips on how not to kill your back getting everything wrapped!

Tips to help save the ENVIRONMENT

during the holidays:

First start by trying to be conscious of over consumption.

Check yourself and your cart before check out - do your kids really need the Shopkins candy dispensers? Do you really need to buy mom and dad some more crap? Aim for activities for the kids - memberships to cool places, classes, trips, homemade gift cards for an ice cream date or trip to the zoo.

For the adults consider a donation to their (not your) favorite charity. It’s thoughtful and keeps on giving and in this climate, we need to support the causes we believe in!!! (I have some great ideas in my Holiday Gift Guide ;) )

Alternatives to Wrapping Paper!

Half of the paper America consumes each year is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. (Source: The Recycler's Handbook, 1990)

In the US, the annual trash from gift wrap and shopping bags totals over 4 million tons. If everyone wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or fabric gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks.

• Use environmentally friendly wrapping paper - Choose wrapping paper made using fibers such as hemp, or paper using recycled content.

• Avoid buying glossy foil or metallic wrapping paper - You can do a beautifully wrapping job for your gifts without having to use metallic wrapping paper. This kind of 'paper' is difficult to recycle and it has no value for use as mulch since there are heavy metals used in the foil paper. Foil gift wrap is also harder to reuse, since it wrinkles and creases easily when the gift is being unwrapped.

• Reuse gift wrap where possible - Large wrapped presents usually have large enough uncreased sections to be reused for wrapping smaller gifts. If you open large gift packages with care, the paper can be set aside for re-use for other gift-giving occasions. Fancy ribbons and bows, of course, can be stored in a box till next year when you'll appreciate having them around and not having to buy new ones.

• Use tape sparingly, or not at all - If you're going to use ribbon to finish off your wrapping, you may not need to use tape. By not using tape, more of the wrapping paper can be reclaimed, and it's easier for the recipient to save the wrapping for reuse.

• Choose alternatives to commercial gift wrap - Gift bags can be made using fabric scraps, or wrapping can be made using comic strips from the paper, old calendars, maps, posters and more.

For more ideas, visit this page for more GREEN ideas for your gift wrapping!