All I want for Christmas is a self cleaning house and some really cute shoes.

A girl can dream, right?

Well, it’s time to stop dreaming and time to power shop because apparently today is one of the last days the post office will guarantee packages to arrive before Christmas. So, if you still have shopping to do as well, I thought I’d share a few of the things I love and a few things I think I’d really love to have under my Fitness Tree this year.

And since Fitness & Spice is where fitness, food, and fashion get a healthy shake, I’ll give you a few gift suggestions in each category. Let’s get the shopping spree started with…

Gifts Fit for the Fitness Fanatic

• A Treadmill Desk. I would love a TrekDesk for my home office…this contraption gives the word “workout” an entirely new meaning. It’s a little pricey but I’m you’re worth it!
• Road ID. Don’t tell my brother, but he’s getting one of these customized wrist bands for Christmas, that way he can’t return or regift it. Road ID is the dog tag for runners, or any athlete for that matter, that can be personalized with the owners “in case of emergency” information.
• fitbook. I remain the (self-appointed) president of the fitbook fan club. fitbook is a 12-week fitness and nutrition journal and goal setting system. I use mine every single day to keep my goals in check. And in case you missed it, fitbook rolled out two limited edition fitbooks this year, one that is pretty in PINK and the other that is decked out in BLACK…for those of you with a bit of a dark side.

Gifts Fit for the Food Lover

• The Best of Clean Eating. The editors of Clean Eating Magazine compiled 200 of their favorite recipes and created this cookbook. I would know, they just sent me a copy and it gets my seal of approval and a coveted spot on the island in the Fitness & Spice Test kitchen.
• Reusable Snack Bags. Words to Sweat By, the creators of those whimsical gym towels and key chains I’ve told you about, now has an equally witty line of reusable snack bags perfect for packing up your own healthy 100 calorie packs…healthy for you and the environment.
• The Protein Bakery. Score some “brownie points” with Santa by giving him (or her) a sampler pack of Oprah-approved, all natural, protein-packed cookies, blondies, and brownies. These freshly baked treats are perfect for stuffing into the stockings of anyone on your list with a healthy sweet tooth.

Gifts Fit the Fashion Forward

• Count Me Healthy bracelets. These bracelets are fabulous. Not only are they an elegant piece of jewelry, but each one comes with 12 beads that can help you keep track your healthy-living goals. Pretty and smart? Pretty smart if you ask me! You add one bead at a time as a visual representation of a milestone toward your goal…whether you want to drink 12 cups of water a day, drop 12 pounds, or remind yourself how many weeks are left until your next race or special event, it’s up to you.
• String-Ring. You know how they say you should tie a string around your finger to help you remember something? A don’t-forget-me-knot, if you will. Anyway, this company enhanced that concept and turned it into a charming ring you can wear everyday. Maybe you need a gentle nudge to be a little more patient (like I do) or a reminder to eat more vegetables, this ring can be your discrete cue to help you become an even better version of you.
• Tube Socks. Fashletics created a sassy set of knee-high socks to remind us to LIVE LOVE LIFT. Can you think of a more fitting stocking stuffer? I think not.

Now I really must go clean the house and finish shopping because it’s beginning to look a lot like fitness!

Tis the season to be jolly.

And stressed out. And tired. And overfed.

My advice?

KEEP CALM AND GET YOUR WORKOUT ON.

You’ll feel better jolly.

Now it’s your turn. What do you do to relieve stress?

Fill in the blank…

KEEP CALM AND _____________ ON!

Now I really must go to the gym just as soon as I make a quick trip to amazon-dot-calm!

There are many things that don’t look so fresh when dehydrated: Plants, fish, and your skin just to name a few. So instead of looking like a fish out of water all winter, be sure to drink plenty of water, I wouldn’t want you to wilt.

If plain water bores you to tears than you need to drink some more water to replace those extra fluids you just lost, crybaby.

Wait! Who are you calling a crybaby?

Ok, so I guess that makes me a crybaby. While I can guzzle water like it’s my job during a workout, I often grow tired of water by the end of the day. So, if you are anything like me, you just might like these…

5 Ways to Add a Seasonal Splash to Your Ho Ho H2O

• Cinnamon sticks – Fill up a bottle or pitcher of water and toss in a cinnamon stick or three and refrigerate overnight to give your water a hint of flavor.
• Peppermint extract – Add a drop (I said a drop!) of peppermint extract to your water for a festive and refreshing flavor.
• Cranberries – I like to freeze fresh cranberries and use them as ice cubes. Ok, they don’t add a ton of flavor, but they sure dress up a glass, don’t they?
• Orange slices – I don’t need to explain this one, do I?
• Pomegranate juice – Freeze POM Wonderful juice in ice cube trays and drop them into your water bottle for a healthy pump of flavor.

Drinking enough water throughout the winter will go a long way in keeping your skin glowing from your face to your feet. That, and a little lotion—we can talk about that later because…

Now I really must go drink some water and tell Johnson & Johnson there really will be no more tears.

Celebrity personal trainer Valerie Waters, the maker of my beloved Valslides, says,

“You are one workout away from a good mood.”

You know what?

She’s right.

So, if you’re feeling as cuddly as a cactus, or as charming as an eel over the holidays (or any day for that matter) do your co-workers, your family, your friends, your dog Max, and yourself a favor and go workout. No matter how busy, stressed out, grouchy, or worn out you are, take the time to exercise because I’d hate to see the Grinch steal your fitness. Not only will a good workout improve your mood, studies show you could end up with the strength of ten Grinches plus two!

Now I really must go workout, grab a can of Who-Hash, and trim up the tree because it’s beginning to look a lot like fitness!

I recently conducted a survey of the top fitness professionals in all the land.

No I didn’t.

But if I did, I would have I asked them some really important questions pertaining to working with new clients wanting to begin a workout regimen. I would have asked questions like: What are the best days of the week to workout or start a workout program.

Here’s how the experts probably would have responded…

The Best Days of the Week To Workout or Start A Workout Program (in no particular order):

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

I also would have asked the professionals the best time of day to workout. Here’s what they would probably say, again, in no particular order.

The Best Time of Day To Workout

• Morning
• Mid-morning
• Noon
• Afternoon, or
• Night

Any questions?

Now I really must go get a quick bite, 89% of the trainers I didn’t survey suggest eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day. The other 11% of respondents didn’t answer that question because they had to take a lunch break.

How to lose weight in 10 easy steps:

1. Eat less.
2. Move more.
3. Eat less and move more.
4. Eat better stuff.
5. Move heavy stuff.
6. Eat slower than that.
7. Move faster than that.
8. Move further tomorrow.
9. Move every day.
10. Keep moving.

Repeat.

Results guaranteed or I’ll give you your money back!

Now I really must go move this and eat a little less of that!

Nine times out of ten I follow the rules.

I mean some rules are set for good reason, right? For instance, I can appreciate why camera phones are not permitted in gym locker rooms. It’s a legitimate health hazard. People could go blind if they encountered photos of naked ladies who spent way too much time in water aerobics.

But yesterday when I found myself in a new section of the gym locker room to avoid a group of aforementioned naked water aerobic queens, I couldn’t help but break the rules and pull out my camera phone.

You would, too, if you discovered pretty women like…

…worked out at your gym.

And life guards like…

…work at the pool. What’s that you say? That doesn’t say Pamela Anderson? See! My eyesight IS going! I blame the Bare Naked Ladies.

Do you have any characters at your gym? Or any interesting locker room sightings?

Now I really must go workout before Sandra Bullock shows up in the locker room and gets on my Blind Side!

I started a new workout program this week designed by my boyfriend Chad Waterbury.

Ok, he’s not my boyfriend. But, he is pretty hot which is probably why he named his program Body of F.I.R.E., that and because F.I.R.E. is an acronym for: Full Body. Intense. Resistance. Exercise. — which just so happens to describe the program perfectly.

You know what I love about this program? This plan incorporates a lot of old school moves like jump roping, push ups, squats, jumping jack variations, and planks–you know, the kind of stuff that often requires little or no equipment but a lot of heart. And speaking of heart, if you put your heart into it, you will get the benefits of strength and cardio training quite efficiently in every workout.

Here, watch this video of celebrity personal trainer Valerie Waters (the maker of Valslides that I’m always talking about) and Chad Waterbury give you a taste of part of the workout I did just yesterday:

10 sets of squats and 10 sets of push ups–you pick the variation, no rest between sets. 10 reps in the first set,  9 in the second, 8 in the third…you get the idea! This is a great little workout you can do in the privacy of your living room, garage, yard, or playground when you’re short on time but want to squeeze in a great full-body workout. Try it. I dare ya!

Now I really must go call my Dad, FIRE up my vocal chords, and sing him a quick round of Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday, Dad!

We are quickly entering cold and flu season so I thought we should kick things off with a few gentle reminders…

You might be too sick to workout if…

• You used a search engine to research symptoms and/or remedies for pneumonia, bronchitis, swine flu, or Bubonic plague in the last 24 hours.
• You feel like you could throw up and it’s not because you just had the hardest training session of your life.
• You accepted a delivery of flowers with a card that reads “Get Well Soon!” on the same day.
• You stuff the pockets of your gym shorts with tissues and/or cough drops “just in case.”
• You need to say the words “excuse me” and you’re not in anyone’s way.
• You start sweating before you step foot in the gym.
• You slept with a bucket beside your bed last night.
• Your nose runs faster than you do.
• You lift more tissues than weights.
• You called in sick to work.

If any of these things apply to you STAY HOME! It’s not going to kill you to miss a workout. I promise.

Now I really must go to the gym in hopes that I don’t catch anything except a medicine ball!

I love cardio as much as I love root canals.

So I love it when I find a workout that makes it a little less painful to get through while giving me killer results. In fact, I find a good cardio session to be a lot like going to the dentist and getting a shot of Novocain…it still hurts but it makes the trip a little easier.

In my spinning class last week we did the following bike circuit and I liked it so much I repeated it on my own spinning bike at home. Here’s the drill:

• 1 minute seated sprint
• 1 minute seated climb
• 1 minute standing jog
• 1 minute standing climb
• 1 minute seated sprint
• 1 minute active recovery

Repeat 6-8 times

You know what I like about this workout? You can tweak it to fit other types of cardio equipment. Not only that, there’s a lot of variety and a lot of resistance. Speaking of resistance…I probably should stop dragging my feet and make my next dental appointment.

Now I really must go brush my teeth and get ready to conquer my next cardio drill!