Approach the Holidays with a Healthy Mindset
By Carrie McKewan, A2 Personal Fitness Trainer
It doesn’t matter how committed you are to your diet or exercise plan; the holidays are going to interrupt your daily routine. From holiday parties, to meals out while shopping, and all those sugary sweet treats —so many cookies — it’s challenging to get through the holidays feeling your best, but you can do it with a positive mindset.
The first step to your overall well-being is happiness in your own body. Loving your body and everything that it can do and allowing yourself to appreciate it (even with a few more pounds) is the true start to feeling good all the time.
You should know that number on the scale fluctuates all the time, and it’s a good idea not to focus too much on that. Instead, focus on how you feel in your body. If you don’t feel good, focus on things that do make you feel better. Maybe that’s eating more vegetables, passing on that extra cookie, or moving your body. Grow your own well-being. The more you do things that make you feel your best, the more results you’ll see and feel.
OK. So, you’ve gained some weight and your pants are, well, tighter. You can be angry at yourself for gaining a couple extra pounds of winter weight, or you can accept it’s a pretty common seasonal tendency and move on. There is no reason to lose sleep over it. Use it to give you motivation to get back to working hard in the gym and eating right. The most important message as we close this year and begin the next is to always surround yourself with supportive people (like the A2 team) and simply, love yourself!
At A2 Physical Therapy we love our sweet treats and traditions, too. We are not about to pass on a good cookie. And this “healthier” chocolate chip cookie delivers the deliciousness, minus the sugar coma. Merry Christmas!
Zero-Refined Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Tiffiny Hall
Servings: 12
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup flour (can substitute almond, spelt, gluten free flour 1:1)
1/3 cup rolled oats (can use brown rice flakes or quinoa flakes if gluten-free)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup coconut oil
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams quality dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, oats, and baking soda in a large bowl to combine. In another bowl, mix eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Add the dry mix with the chocolate and stir until combined. Roll dough into 12 balls, and place on tray evenly spacing them apart, flattening them out slightly with your hand. Bake 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes and enjoy!
Macronutrients:
Per cookie:
190 calories
4g protein
10g fat
22g carbohydrates
6g sugar
"I found A2 Physical therapy was able to give me the help I needed in the exercises and cupping they gave me to loosen up my stiff joints and muscles that I could hardly move due to surgery, stiffness, and soreness. I think A2 PT are running a top notch business. The therapists that worked with and on me were extremely courteous. Molly was so helpful in my therapy and an absolute delight to work with. She got me back to 100% in just 4 weeks and my visits were 1 day a week. This was my first experience working with PT’s and it was totally a wonderful experience. Thank you A2 Physical Therapy and thank you Ms. Molly Daugherty for working with me and making my recovery and stability improve so quickly. Should I need PT again I will call you. Again many thanks."
− Diane
"I had a lot of fear after surgery, afraid that I would not regain mobility and strength. I feel that A2 helped me achieve a higher plateau of health, motion, and strength than I would’ve achieved elsewhere. Also, A2 has taught me the exercises to go even further, to strengthen and mobilize my shoulder. I fully trust A2 and will recommend them to all my friends, family, and coworkers. They have all treated both me and my wife with a gentle kindness that is rare today and have made us feel welcome in their care. Very professional, but with a sense of caring; that is how I would describe A2. I will miss them all and am very grateful to have been in their hands."
− Roger
"I began treatment with Alika after a back injury at work. I had already been out of work 3 weeks. Alika had an immediate impact on my back health and posture, providing more relief than I had felt with chiropractic/massage. Over the following month Alika used a unique spinal technique alongside other treatments and strengthening methods to improve my condition and get me back to work. I’ve been to several other clinics in my time as a competitive athlete and Alikas therapy coupled with his attentiveness to patients problems and injuries is second to none. Would highly recommend Alika and A2 PT to anyone with back issues or P.T. needs"
− Micah