The Holidays are not the only time people can struggle with a binge meal - we struggle with it all year ’round! Birthdays and events every-other-weekend make for repetitive speed bumps in the quest for our optimum physiques. But the problem does not only lie in the food we eat at those events - it lies in our attitude toward food itself.

Below is a video from last year that I thought you may enjoy as well. It was my Holiday Pre-Binge workout that I shot exactly one year ago…wow, has time flown by.

Food is for nourishment, for growth, repair, and sustainability.  When we purposely avoid food the day of (or days leading up to) a “bad” meal, we train our metabolism to temporarily slow down.  This is a natural reaction our body makes to save energy: Low calories in equals low calories out. The when we “save up” for that bad meal, our bodies respond to the calorie-deprivation by storing the bad stuff.  The more frequently this happens, the more likely it will add up as excess fat.  It’s all very simple.

I know.  You’re thinking that it’s not easy to think like that when you’re faced with that giant piece of cake you haven’t had in months!  That’s why in this week’s Made Fit TV episode, I explain why it’s good to eat when you want to be a little naughty with your nutrition.  I show you certain foods that work for your body (and not against it), allowing you to have your cake and eat it, too!

Thanksgiving kicks off my favorite time of the year!  To me, it’s like a “pre-Christmas” with family, good food, and warm decor - I love it!  But for many, the food can be both a blessing and a curse!

As a health and fitness professional, I have to always be the one to see the silver lining in every situation to keep people motivated, healthy, and happy.  It can be so easy to give in to temptation and not only “fall off the wagon”… but go flying off the wagon and crashing into a barn!

It is a common assumption that the average person gains about 5 pounds following the Holidays.  Do you want to spend the extra effort in losing that Holiday weight just to break even to where you were before you gained it?  Didn’t think so.  Now, one day of binging won’t turn you into Shrek.  But if you don’t already lead a healthy and fit lifestyle, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

In this week’s Made Fit TV video, I provide a quick recipe that can eliminate some extra sugar from that favorite side dish cranberry sauce.  I provide that recipe below, along with a bonus recipe: Mashed Cauliflower!  It’s a great alternative to buttery, fatty mashed potatoes, and may even taste better!

Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients: 12oz bag of cranberries, juice and zest of one orange, 1/2 cup of splenda

1. Empty the cranberries in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water on medium heat (may need to sit longer if frozen)

2. Stir frequently as they berries start to cook down and crack open

3. When most of the berries have softened, add in the orange zest and juice, allowing to simmer on a lower heat

4. After 3 minutes, add the splenda or any other sugar substitute of your choice

5. Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes, turn off stove and cool

Servings = 6

Servings size = 1/2 cup

Nutrition information: 32 calories, 0 fat, 8.5g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 4g sugar, 0 protein

Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients: 1 cauliflower head, 1 garlic clove, 1 can chicken broth, fat-free cream cheese, fat-free sour cream, salt, pepper

1. Cut up the cauliflower removing the stems

2. Bring a can of chicken broth or 2 cups of water with a bouillon cube to a boil

3. Gently place the cauliflower into the broth and lower the heat to medium, cooking the cauliflower for about 5 minutes

4. Chop up one garlic clove into minced pieces

5. Strain the cauliflower, but DO NOT rinse, and put it in a food processor

6. Add the garlic, 2 tbsp of both the cream cheese and sour cream, and 1 tsp of both salt and pepper to the cauliflower

7. Pulse every few seconds and scrap the bowl to get all of the cauliflower mixed until it is a thicker, yet mashed potato, consistency

8. Don’t over-mix unless you like them smoother

Servings = 3 cups

One serving = 1 cup

Nutrition information: 42 calories, 1g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3.5g protein

I answer many viewer and client questions and comments through Made Fit TV, Facebook, Twitter, and many other video websites.  I love giving advice and helping people not just reach their health and fitness goals, but help them find the right path to getting there.

The most popular question I receive that people want to know is “How can I get rid of my flabby stomach, thighs, and butt?”  It’s such a brief question with a not-so-brief answer.  Now, just because the answer isn’t brief doesn’t mean it isn’t simple.

In this week’s episode of Made Fit TV, I answer the question of how to firm up your trouble areas with 5 tips.  These tips are the blueprint of living a healthy and fit lifestyle - minus the flab!  In addition, see if you can live up to the challenge that I pose for you at the end of the video.  I know you can do it… but, do you?

The back is such an important area of our bodies that gets the most used, abused, and ignored.  It is literally the core of our bodies - and when it’s out of whack, we’re left virtually useless!

Of course, we need every muscle group for our body to function to its fullest capabilities.  But, our cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions must be properly conditioned and stretched to prevent back pain, poor posture, and injuries to the spine and muscles surrounding it.

In this week’s Made Fit TV episode, I show you some killer back moves that will strengthen and shred your upper and lower back.  The benefits of training your back not only include less pain and strength, but sexy muscle tone and less back fat!

Key check-points when training back:

1. Keep your head facing forward

2. Avoid rounding your back by sticking your chest out

3. Keep your lower back straight by sticking your butt out

4. Lift by contracting your back muscles - NOT your arms