When all you want for the holidays is a pretty red lip!!

 Today I want to highlight one of my favorite new products → At the Red-y Lip Duo!  

I admit, I am not usually a red lip kind of girl…that's for bold, confident ladies, right? Well, I've always wanted to rock a pretty red lip, especially for the holidays, so after seeing my consultant friends wearing it, I had to try it myself! 

 

This color looks amazing on everyone, don't you think??!!

Here's why you should consider this for yourself or as a gift:

• A dynamic duo that’s hard to beat - Smart hybrid formula of the Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick and the next-level shine of the Beyond Gloss!
• Responsibly sourced vanilla from Madagascar that gives both products their sweet scents. The supplier is not only committed to high-quality ingredients but also to improving the quality of life for their community of farmers.
• Watch this At the Red-y Lip Duo how-to video

Such a beautiful red lipstick for fall and winter, and the holiday season! Order yours today here!

 
If you're brand new to Beautycounter (or have a new email address), enjoy 20% off your first order, including the new holiday sets, AND receive our Bright Duo set, too! (*FREE* with any purchase of $150 or more!)

(Beautycounter is confident that you'll love everything you purchase. However, if you aren't satisfied with a product for any reason, you can return the unused portion within 60 days from the ship date!)

We're Back in New England!

 A lot has changed in the last 9 months...

We left Hawaii and moved back to New England in September 2021 landing first in Portsmouth, NH. We rented a cute little downtown apartment until we could buy a house. Right on State Street, we were within a mile of both of the girls. It was perfect walking lifestyle living.

Less than two weeks after arriving back on the mainland, we got a dog! Quincy is a cream Gold Retriever and we just love her!

My stepson graduated from Marine Corps Basic School and was accepted to Flight School in Pensacola. We are so proud of him!

My mom came to Portsmouth for Thanksgiving. It was freezing while she was here, but we still took her to the beach in Rye! We also walked the FASTer Way 5K and got in the Christmas spirit with a walk through the Winter Wonders Christmas lights display at Sandy Hill Farm in Eliot, Maine.

All three of the kids were here for Christmas. We walked the Marginal Way trail in Ogunquit, went ice skating at Strawberry Banke and mrC went skiing with them. It fills my heart to see all of them together.

Living in Portsmouth means we get to see the girls all the time! We're loving that we can get together for meals and let the dogs play now that Quincy is almost as big as Ralph!

In May, we traveled to Cincinnati to see my mom and family. It was our first time back there since December 2019. It was so nice to see my BFF Sandy, my aunt Debbie and just hang out with my mom. We ate a lot of pizza, cooked a little and spent a fun day exploring downtown Milford.

Last month we bought a cute little house in Kittery, Maine! It's just a 10 minute drive from Portsmouth and is in the sweetest little cul-de-sac neighborhood. Our little city girl is loving the backyard and playing ball. We are enjoying our own outdoor space and the quiet. PS - We had the best realtor in the world, Devan - follow her! 

Where are you reading this from??

Thanksgiving at the Hale Koa

Neither mrC or I have any desire to make a big Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us. Instead we treat ourselves to the traditional turkey meal at a restaurant every year we are away from family. 

This year, the pandemic made it a little more challenging because of state guidelines for restaurants. Never one to be deterred, mrC found a way for us to enjoy a delicious dinner and staycation too!

After finishing our FASTer Way 5K walk and breaking our fast with a smoothie, we packed an overnight bag and headed into town, aka Honolulu. We were staying at the Hale Koa for the night and having dinner at Koko at Kalia, one of the hotel restaurants.

The Hale Koa is the military hotel in town. We've overnighted here for early morning flights before we officially moved to Hawaii. This is also where we came to see a luau when the girls and Sean were visiting.

They let us check in early, so we had plenty of time to put on our fancy clothes and share some wine on the lanai before we headed to our dinner reservation.

I was so happy when the hostess led us to our table and it was one with a view ---> it's hard to see in the photo, but we had view of the garden, the beach and the water. Being on the west side, we were in direct line of the sun. Fortunately it was partly cloudy because the sun warms things up quickly. In the shade and with the breeze, I would have needed the jacket hanging off the back of my chair.

Unlike like the big buffet we had at Hickam AFB last year, our dinner was a set menu. Onion soup followed by the main course and then dessert (we passed). It was SO. MUCH. food. The soup was delicious. I loved the asparagus (normally don't because it's too soggy), and the turkey and potatoes were very good. mrC had multiple helpings of the cranberry sauce and neither one of us cared for the stuffing.

After dinner we walked to the store to get some snacks -> sounds funny, I know. Our dinner was at 4PM because we wanted to be sitting on the beach for sunset. I knew I would want something crunchy later.

We sat right on the sand to watch the sunset, a few surfers and one crazy guy swimming with the sharks. mrC always reminds me that sunset is the time of day that the sharks get hungry, too. Ha! 

We spotted a heart on the high rise hotel next to us. Can you see it?

Walking back to the hotel, we got to see all the festive lights ready for the next holiday.

In the morning, I sipped my coffee and watched the sky light up from our lanai while mrC was still sleeping. 

After he woke up, we took our coffees and went to sit on the beach for a bit before heading off to our leg day at the gym.

We have learned to make the best of holidays away from family. I hope you had a wonderful holiday, too!

FASTer Way 5K 2020

 

For the second year in a row, we kicked off Thanksgiving Day with the FASTer Way 5K for a cause. Even though we are no longer runners, it just feels good to get out and move before feasting later in the day. 

All participants were provided a training plan with registration. Runners received a four week plan and walkers received three weeks. mrC and I didn't really need a training plan since we walk to the beach as often as we can.

Just like last year, the weather was absolutely perfect and there were a ton of people out walking, running, biking. We suspect they were doing the same thing as us, working up an appetite.

Instead of just turning around at the Lanikai Monument, we did what we always do and went down the hill to the water to check the turtles.

We also detoured off the walking trail in Kailua Park. First we sat on our favorite bench and just stared att he water. This is one of our favorite past-times. Then we went down to the beach and asked a friendly gentleman to take a pic - he thought we were tourists!

We don't really need an excuse to get out and walk, but it felt good doing something to give back on Thanksgiving. The event generated a donation of $50,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

How do you kick off your Thanksgiving day?

To learn more about the FASTer Way, click here.

You Overate, What Can You Do Now?

Well, hello everyone!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope you had a wonderful time. Here in Hong Kong, mrC and I had a great strength workout and then had some yummy turkey meatballs for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I have so much to be thankful for this year including people like you reading this blog and many family and friends who have been so supportive of my journey to becoming a coach for  FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and turning my passion for fitness and love of teaching into the most amazing job ever! 

Last week I talked to you about how to enjoy the holiday and stay on track.

Some of you might have set a goal and told yourselves you wouldn’t over over-indulge, you promised you wouldn’t eat too much or drink too much, but despite having the best intentions, maybe you are feeling a little bloated and experiencing eater’s remorse. 

First of all, ditch the remorse. Never, ever feel bad about enjoying your celebration or holiday and the food and drink that goes with it!

Instead of looking at the day with a “what have I done” attitude, let’s think about “what you can do now” and move forward. 

If you celebrated with a little bit too much food and drink, don’t panic. Even if your pants are feeling tighter today, it’s easier than you think to get back on track. 

 So, if you overate, here’s what you can do now:

1. Show yourself grace. Don’t spend the day beating yourself up. This will only make you feel stressed which can lead to cravings and making poor choices. You can’t turn back the clock or erase what happened, but you can accept it and move on.

2. Get back to your normal routine. Definitely resume your regular eating schedule as soon as possible and plan ahead if you are going to be out Black Friday shopping! Make sure you have healthy snacks on hand. Start tracking your food again if you took the day off. Extend your intermittent fasting window by an hour or two to give your body a little more time at digestive rest. Then eat meals with a balance of carbs, fats and protein. You could do a regular macro day and get in a good strength training workout or go low carb and get in a 20-minute high intensity interval training workout. Whatever you do, don’t binge exercise to make up for binge eating. Over-exercising is a stressor on the body that leads to fat gain instead of fat loss.

3. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will help your metabolism and wash things down and out of your body. That heaviness you’re probably feeling is a combination of water retention, extra glycogen (stored from all the carbs you ate) and waste in the digestive track. All of this “weight” will eventually be balanced out by drinking plenty of water and resuming your normal meals.

Most people who head into a holiday already eating healthy and working out the right amount, will not over over-indulge, but if they do they will be able to bounce back easily because of the healthy habits they have formed. 

If you want to learn these healthy habits, you can sign up for my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® that will start on DEC 31 with Prep week. Click here for more information.

I also have a FREE holiday challenge if you are looking for a fun way to stay motivated and have some accountability. The 12 Days of Core Challenge starts DeC 10. You can join here. 

I hope you found today’s information useful. If you did I’d love for you to share it for others to see. Let me know that you read by leaving a comment. I love comments ;)

Remember, don’t look back at what you could have, should have done. Focus on starting fresh today. You are always one choice/day away from getting back on track.

12 Days of Core Challenge

The biggest holiday of the year is just around the corner, so it seemed like it would be a great time to launch a fun challenge to help you stay focused through the craziness and channel some winter energy! Are you ready for the 12 Days of Core Challenge?

Get ready because it is time to build some fab abs with 12 days of exercises that will have you feeing strong and toned. I will be here cheering you along as you reach and CRUSH your goals. You are going to create a strong core that will help you reduce injury, improve your posture and generally make completing daily activities easier!

Here's how the 12 Days of Core Challenge works:

Each day I will give you a daily core exercise (with video). The fun part is that just like the song, you will add on each day. You will complete the exercise for the day and then complete all of the previous days as well. I will be giving you serious ab inspiration throughout the challenge too. You will receive a FREE Macros to Muscles guide, intermittent fasting tips, fun holiday recipes and tips to avoid the Holiday 15!

If you want to have yourself a Merry Little Fit-mas, then I've got you covered. My goal is to help you keep your head in the game and give you the accountability and motivation you need to avoid gaining any extra pounds during the holiday season!

To join the 12 Days of Core Challenge, simply click here to join the private Facebook group and get ready because the fun begins on December 10!

Have a question? Leave it in the comments or send me an email at amycainefitness@icloud.com

Are you joining me for the 

12 Days of Core Challenge? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Recipe for Enjoying Your Thanksgiving and Staying on Track

Hello everyone! It is already Thursday and in just one week, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a special time of year. We enjoy our family and friends, we give thanks and we focus on FOOD! Sometimes that focus is too negative and people start to feel guilty about the thought of indulging in their favorite holiday dishes. 

Today I want to remind you to ENJOY! The world won’t end if you eat too much or drink too much or skip a workout. But I also understand that some of you will still want to find a way to enjoy all the food and stay on track. 

This post is for people who are trying to stay on track during Thanksgiving and are looking for a little guidance. Because there are really two options: go crazy and eat & drink everything and feel GOOD about it (yes good) OR have a plan in place to eat healthy but indulge with moderation and feel GOOD about it!

I never want you to feel guilty about eating!

I already gave you some tips on how to avoid the Holiday 15, so what can you do specifically for Turkey Day? Here’s a recipe for enjoying your Thanksgiving and staying on track:

1. Keep doing Intermittent Fasting - this really helps you control your appetite and prevents over-indulging too much. Prepare for the day by extending your fast by an hour or two on Wednesday. You can also do this as a follow up on Friday. 

2. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you’re drinking alcohol, try to follow each drink with a glass of water. 

3. Make calculated choices: Eat your salad and other non-starchy vegetables first. Fill your plate with all the turkey! Save the starchy vegetables and fruit for last.

4. Plan to workout at some point: early on Turkey Day is popular -> in my hometown, I used to run the Thanksgiving Day Race in the morning and enjoy all the yummy food that night. Or make sure you get in that Leg Day workout on Saturday and skip the treat if you over over-indulged on Thursday. You could even do a low carb day on Friday and get in a quick HIIT workout! Just get right back to it!

5. Thoroughly enjoy the foods you love and skip the ones you don’t! Spend you macros on your absolute favorites. Don't waste them!

If you’re already focused on healthy eating and exercising the right amount, you will not derail yourself on one holiday! You can absolutely enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving dishes and stay on track!

My tips incorporate strategies that we use in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program. Learn more here.

I hope you find these tips helpful. If you do I’d love for you to leave a comment below letting me know!

4th of July Week: Holidays and Working Out

Let me start this post by saying (because I haven't blogged since last week's Weekly Wrap), Happy Independence Day America!!

I think we would all agree that staying on track with fitness and food choices can be extra challenging during a holiday. My week was busy. I allowed myself some grace and that took the pressure off. In the end, I enjoyed myself and my choices didn't throw my nutrition off by much.

The key to my success is everything in moderation. I don't try to be perfect, just the best that I can while enjoying life. Plus, it's bloody hot in Hong Kong and a strawberry daiquiri is quite cooling ;)

Monday & Tuesday:  I stuck to HIIT workouts. I always do my workouts fasted, but Monday's elliptical sprints kicked my butt! On Tuesday I took my Tabata workout to the park. It was hot, humid and the total body session was tough! I like the way a tough workout feels when it's over though. I guess that's why I keep doing them.

Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday: Strength training days. This week's arm workout included 10 to 1s. This looks like an innocent workout, but it's haaarrrd. My arms felt like they would fall off and I was only using 3 pounds by the end. Leg Day took place in my old fitness center in Shenzhen. It was fun and a little weird to be back in my old workout space.

We celebrated the 4th of July twice this week. On Wednesday we went to a friend's cookout. It was fun showing off our patriotism. I was so excited to have a cheeseburger off the grill. We don't have one here and we miss it a lot.

On Thursday we attended the Celebration of the US Consulate General's 175th year in Hong Kong as guests of the US Consulate through my work with the American Women's Association Hong Kong Hosts program. It was probably one of the fanciest and highest security parties I will ever attend. US Consul General Kurt Tong was obviously there, but so was Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Carrie Lam (she's the top political official in HK). It was an impressive event.

Friday & Sunday:  I did my normal active rest day yoga which I am really enjoying again. Then on Sunday the weather stayed dry long enough for a morning paddle. It was picture perfect right until we were literally pulling the boards out of the water. Then it rained.

As I mentioned earlier, we went to our old neighborhood in China to have dinner with friends on Friday and see what has changed (because things are always changing in China!).

So after a fun filled, super busy week I still managed to get in every workout and not go too crazy with my eating and drinking.

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!