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Foreign. Guys. Welcome back to the Treatment Room podcast with your host, Tessa Zali. I am a licensed esthetician, acne specialist, and certified nutrition coach. So in today's episode, I want to dive into a question that comes up this time every single year. And that question is, Tess, how do I stay on track with my skin during the holidays when I might be traveling? I'm going to be around family and friends. I'm in a bunch of new environments. Maybe you're going to some parties. I want to talk about how we can stay on track with our skin, our body, our health, without feeling restricted, overwhelmed, like you don't have any resources. And I want to just let you know, you don't have to choose between feeling festive and fun and feeling good, especially come January 1st. And when my clients come to me and ask, how do I stay on track? I completely understand because I know they put a lot of effort and dedication and commitment into my program and they have a lot of structure in their day to day. So it's normal to feel like, well, what am I going to do if my environment changes? Does that mean all of my results are going to go out the window? And I want to remind you, no, you do not have to choose. I think there is a realistic middle ground. And today I'm going to walk you through exactly how to find it this holiday season. And before we dive in, I do want to set the tone of this episode and just clarify a few things because I understand this is a big topic like health, especially during the holidays, which come around once a year, and you might not get this time to spend with your family and friends. You don't always get to celebrate. You don't always get, you know, all of these seasonal treats that we are seeing. So I want to talk about how we can enjoy while still keeping promises to ourself. And I think that is the first thing, like, you really have to decide on what you want. You have to pre decide what your goals are and then try to align your life and decisions based around those goals in a realistic, healthy way. So you know, as much as your esthetician can want clear skin for you, that choice also depends on you and you maintaining your end of the promise and still maintaining healthy habits that you know will support you in your clear skin journey. So just a little reminder that you need to decide that nobody else can decide that. But it's also a very beautiful thing to keep promises to yourself, even when your environment changes and when you're a little bit out of your Norm. But I think it can actually be a really good just exercise and time to trial. How can you implement your healthy habits when you're not in your exact perfect environment? It really can be a little bit of a test. And the other thing I wanted to say was I can be a tough love provider and this is because I care deeply about my clients in my community and I want you happy. Sometimes that does mean choosing long term goals over temporary satisfaction. Doesn't have to be all the time, but I would really look at the average of, you know, your week instead of hyper fixating on one or two little things that could be triggers. That's not not the point. And it is true initially, especially when you're starting an acne program, you are going to be the most sensitive at that time. Most of the clients I work with have some level of insulin resistance, meaning they can be very sensitive to blood sugar spikes. They may have some sort of hormone imbalance, they may have months or years of stored up congestion in the skin and they may have very weak barrier function. So we also want to have the reasonable understanding, especially at the start of a clearing journey, you may be hypersensitive to things. And my goal for you and what usually happens is with time, as we work together, as we clear the pore out, as we get things more stable in your body, you won't be as sensitive forever, but. But it is just something to be aware of as a little bit of a reality and something I wanted to talk about. I don't think this is talked about enough. I am really grateful to one of the educators in the nutrition field named Jason Phillips. I actually had him on for a previous podcast and he's great, he's inspired me so, so much. But he is famous for talking about this concep of periodization in nutrition. So this essentially means phasing your nutrition based around your main priority goal. And something I learned from Jason is this concept of the triangle of awareness. The triangle of awareness, if you just picture a triangle, it tells us that we really will succeed the fastest and we'll have the most ease in striving for a goal if we choose one goal at a time. So I think a mistake we make in general is we tend to think, oh, is this healthy? And we tend to think of healthy as a black and white, a good or a bad. And I want to remind you, no food has a moral compass. It's not that it is good or bad, it's more so choosing foods that align with your goal. And so in the triangle of awareness. We have three points of the triangle. You can have a performance goal in one corner, you can have an aesthetic goal in another corner, and at the top, you have a longevity goal. When we're talking about acne clearing, for example, this is an esthetic goal. And to clear acne in the fastest, most successful way, you want to focus on clearing acne as your main priority. If you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, run a marathon, clear your skin, and balance a hormone or autoimmune condition, it would be very, very confusing because you may have different protocols. And I think if understand this and understand there may be certain foods for an acne protocol that, you know, you might be advised to eliminate for a time. It is not saying that food is good, bad, unhealthy. It is just not ideal for the phase you are in. And I think if you think about your goals in phases, it's a lot easier to imagine aligning your habits to suit that goal. I have had a lot of different health pursuits in my life. I have had times I've needed to really focus on nutrition for Hashimoto's and my thyroid autoimmune condition. I've had times I had to go lower histamine because of histamine overload. I had a long time where I really focused on nutrition for acne and acne clearing. And now that I'm kind of in maintenance with that, I actually have a different goal of body recomposition. And so my diet looks like, you know, more refined carbohydrates than I've ever eaten and high protein diet. And I still, you know, keep a, a mindful approach to eating to reduce inflammation. And I, I do consider my other goals, but really keeping in mind that my main goal is increasing muscle and losing fat. That is really the framework for my diet right now. And I just wanted to say this before we get into the episode to help you understand your goal and to kind of prompt you to think about what is your main goal right now. And if you understand that, you can also think about how do you want to feel come January 1st? Do you want to feel you kept your promises to yourself for the most part, or are you okay with, you know, sacrificing some progress for enjoying the holiday season? You might be somebody who, you know, that actually sounds like what is best for you and in your best interest to fully enjoy the holidays, but that is changing your goal. If we are really trying to indulge and get clear skin at the same time, it can be difficult Right. So we're trying to choose one goal and generally align our habits to suit that goal. And what I will say is, you know, it can be easy to complain, oh, I can't have this. My life is different from my friends and my family. Why can't it be easier? But I just want to remind you that we are so lucky to be able to focus on these things and to have the means to even pursue a goal like clearing our skin through nutrition and lifestyle changes like that, honestly, is a luxury. And it's funny because I've been in so many phases with my nutrition and lifestyle that, you know, eating a ton of refined carbs or eating more refined carbs, I should say, it's really not excess, but that sounds like, you know, somebody's dream. But now I'm eating this way. I kind of miss the way I used to eat when clearing acne was my main thing I was concerned with. And so honestly, because I felt so good, because it was so low inflammatory and so just keep that in mind. Like, there may be a time where you look back and you think that was such a beautiful time of transformation. I, you know, was so blessed to have the resources to even pursue that goal. And, you know, you have your whole life to focus on different goals. But if you have pre decided that clearing acne is your main priority, you don't want to use the eight week holiday season as a free for all. I coach with a little bit of tough love because I have been the client on the other end. And I know that sometimes you really need somebody to remind you of what you promised yourself and help you through those hurdles when you don't exactly know how to do it yourself. I want you to have your best, most energized, most confident life. And the reality is that does not happen by accident. It happens through consistency, discipline, and staying connected to what actually supports your body, especially during the holidays. So if you are looking for a coach who will say, go crazy, it's the holidays, nothing matters, that is just not me. I'm here to be your big sister and, you know, tell you how it really is and tell you what it takes to clear your skin holistically, if that is what you are doing, you know, it is, it is possible. And I really want people to know that it's possible to treat and clear your skin without prescriptions, and I think even without facials and extractions. But if you choose this route, it definitely does require more consistency and commitment. If that sounds good to you, keep on listening. Let's get into the tips. I have so many and these are all tips that I implement myself. Okay. Starting with the first one. So my best tip for anyone who is traveling, whether it's to your parents or you are just, you know, traveling all over during the holidays, the best thing you can do is stop at the store when you get to your destination. This is something I have done on every single trip I have taken this year. Whether it was going home to the Bay Area to stay at my best friend's, whether it was going to Hawaii recently for my sister's wedding, going to Nashville for her bachelorette. The literal first pit stop I make is just stopping at a grocery store. It could be any grocery store. It could be a Whole Foods, it could be a Walmart, it could be a Target, it could be a Trader Joe's. It could be any store that you have in your town. Does not have to be bougie or expensive. I want you to grab a few high protein anti inflammatory staples and you will be set up for 80% of the trip. If you think about it, going out to eat is an enjoyable experience, right? It's great. But when you do that every single night or when you go on vacation and that is your only option, and you do that for three meals a day, for multiple days, it doesn't feel good. And I don't know about you, but for me, halfway through I am missing my kitchen. I'm missing the most simple, basic meals because I know they make me feel good. I can count on feeling good. I can count on feeling energized and knowing how my body responds to certain things. And I have the comfort of knowing the ingredients I am cooking with. So again, during the holidays I want you to focus on the big picture. Like how are you doing on average most of the days? And when you have the option to prepare yourself, do you take that opportunity or do you just rely on what is convenient, accessible and around you? Because if you are doing that, I would say just you cannot expect the same results of somebody who is putting in the preparation. So when you go to the store, I would recommend grabbing one to two proteins. It could be salmon, chicken, turkey, ground beef, steak, whatever you like. It could be pre prepared or it could be raw if you know you have access to a kitchen. I honestly like to do a M of both. I like to pick up a fresh meat. I love the Trader Joe's filet mignon. It could be anywhere though. But that's one of my like recent staples. I'm loving it. Tastes like butter. And I love having like a fresh steak in the fridge. But I will often get canned tuna that's already prepared or some pre prepared turkey from the whole food salad bar. And little things like that help me throw together bowls, salads, sou little meals and that way I know I have something prepared on hand if I start to get hungry. It's really easy when you set yourself up for success and you have pre prepared protein. I would also recommend grabbing some complex carbohydrates. I think brown rice, sweet potatoes and squash are some great options, especially during the holidays. You can also pick up some veggies, some fruit for fiber. Coconut yogurt is a staple for me. I've also been really pleasantly surprised to find it in a lot of airports. So that is nice to know. You can often find that at a little stand. I like to pick up a nut milk. My favorite is macadamia milk. I use that for my matchas or for my coffees. But you could also do coconut milk, you could do almond milk, you could do pistachio milk, Cashew milk are so many delicious options. I really like the brands Elmhurst and Mulk. I also like to pick up some chia seeds. This is really easy to throw into the coconut yogurt. Or I will make a little protein chia seed pudding. I like to use the Koia shake. I use that with the chia seeds so you don't, so you don't get a clumpy, weird texture with the protein powder and you just let that chill overnight and then in the morning you top it with some fresh fruit, maybe some nut butter and you have a delicious acne supportive breakfast. And last but not least, I really like to bring my own protein powder. I don't think it's essential if you are getting enough protein from the meats. But for me my protein intake is a little bit higher and we're going to talk more about protein further along in the episode. But for me I like to have the option to make a shake if I need to have something to reach my protein goal. It's also easy to add to the coconut yogurt for some flavor, some extra protein. You could also mix it with water or a nut milk in a pinch and you have an easy snack. So I think just having a few things really gives you stability and routine. Knowing that you will probably have a few meals out or meals with family and friends who are cooking, maybe some treats here and there. But this way you've pre planned and you've set yourself up for success at least 80% of the time. In tip 2, I want to talk about having gentle boundaries with yourself. So personally I don't subscribe to the narrative that the holidays is this stretch from October to January. That means you are just splurging non stop and having whatever you want. I think this is a misconception that having whatever you want whenever you want. It is balance and balance equals happiness. I find as humans and as a coach, humans crave structure, humans crave routine. We thrive on routine and we actually feel better and we feel happier having some gentle boundaries with ourselves. So you can ask yourself what are these specific meals or occasions that you genuinely want to indulge in? I'll give you an example. For me, it's my mom's Italian sausage stuffing. Now this is not gluten free, it's not anti inflammatory, it's bread soaked in salt. But it's literally the best thing ever. It does have some protein from the sausage, I will give it that. But there is value in that food because it's so delicious. It's so nostalgic for me. And there is nobody that comes close to my mom's stuffing recipe. I look forward to it every year. I love telling her how good it is and I know that makes her happy. And it's just something I look forward to all year and I really only have at Thanksgiving. So for you I would just think about like, what are those indulgences that make the holidays meaningful? It might be the holiday dinner itself. It could be a special restaurant you love going to with your friends or family. Maybe it's a treat at your company party or a seasonal treat that comes around once a year. I will give you another example. I love the Peppermint freeze from Press Juicery. And this is an indulgence that, you know, I'm not gonna have all the time, but it reminds me of the holidays. I love going with my friend Ashley for my birthday and getting that as a little treat. So I think there might be some things that you know are just your tried and true holiday classics that cannot be duped and you want to pre decide and indulge in that. And then there might be other things that, that you can kind of find healthy dupes for. You know, like conventional ice cream. You can go to press and get a dairy free frozen treat that tastes incredible. Let's see. You can also look at recipes for holiday drinks online. There are a million and one ideas for Starbucks drinks. There are ways to reduce the sugar. Opt for a dairy free milk and still get a little taste of the holidays. So if that is something that's super, you know, fun and festive for you to do during the holidays, maybe it doesn't mean every time you pass a Starbucks you have to get. You know, I don't even know what they have at Starbucks for holiday drinks but it doesn't mean you have to get one every single time. Maybe if you know that's something you love to do, you can do a little TikTok research in advance, find a lower sugar dairy free option and make that something that is a fun occasion to go to and indulge in. But I think mindset shift is so important. Definitely allowing yourself to enjoy and do not attach stress or shame and to your indulgences. Just remember every day is a fresh day to move on from whatever happened. There is no reason to sit in guilt and spiral. If anything that stress is going to do more harm than the treat ever would. So seriously enjoy it and just know that the next day is a day to move on and make new choices. Next, I wanted to talk about some holiday meal ideas and some swaps to get you excited and help you prepare in advance. So these are some skin friendly blood sugar balanced anti inflammatory ideas for Thanksgiving, Christmas and really any holiday meal. So let's start with protein. Of course this is usually like the main event and so there's so many options, so many, so many things you can do with this. You could do a herb roasted turkey. You could do a slow cooker turkey breast. You could do salmon with herbs and lemon. You could do a chuck roast, you could do a steak or roast beef for your veggies. And I love this that this is also such a seasonal part of the holiday. And personally I love like all the real foods. I I think that is really set up for us in a great way where we can enjoy the simplicity of a good vegetable such as a roasted brussels sprout with balsamic. You could do garlic green beans with olive oil. You could do herb roasted carrots. I also love balsamic glaze on carrots. You could do a simple mixed green salad with olive oil, lemon and pomegranate seeds high in antioxidants and you also get that really festive pop of red for your starches. Again, some of my favorites would be sweet potato and I think a great way to enjoy sweet potato is mashed sweet potato. I don't know why I forget about this during the majority of the year and it's just so Thanksgiving vibes to me. But sweet potato mash with coconut milk, some cinnamon and sea salt is so delicious. It hits that savory and sweet flavor palette that is just my favorite. You could do a cauliflower mash. You could do roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil and rosemary. Honestly nothing better than rosemary. You could do butternut squash I think is so delicious on its own. You could drizzle it with olive oil. You could make it more sweet or more savory. You could do a roasted chickpea dish or chickpea pasta. And then I wanted to talk about some fun little add ons. So if you love to bake around the holidays, you can do lakanto or allulose seasoning. One of my favorite fitness creators, Mandy Bagley is such a baker and she makes incredible baked goods with generally like allulose or a sugar free sweetener. For flour swaps, I personally really like almond flour. You could also do a coconut flour. Simple Mills is also a great brand. Both Simple Mills and lakanto. If you're looking for like a pre made baked good mix, I think those are great brands to look at with very simple ingredients that use lower sugar alternatives. If you are baking with chocolate, one of my favorites is Lily's dark chocolate. It is sugar and dairy free. I know there are also a lot of other brands. Or you could get the store brand chocolate that is dairy free and sugar free. I've been seeing that more and more. I also like the HU dark chocolate. They use coconut sugar so still has some sugar so you want to enjoy in moderation. But it is a lower glycemic sugar for milk swaps. I personally love macadamia. That's what I use and all of my hot drinks. Or when you're baking you could use it as well. You could also use almond or coconut milk. And then I had a couple little like sauces and dishes and desserts I wanted to share with you. I think I'm gonna make this into a carousel post on Instagram so you guys can reference it. But my handle is ysdtessa. It'll be linked in the show notes. But yeah that way you can see it visually. Next I have a clean holiday gravy. And again the beauty of this is like it's the real ingredients from the real food. So you can use the pan drippings from your turkey chicken or turkey bone broth. Also super supportive for our skin health, onions and herbs. Arrowroot powder to thicken instead of flour and just simmer until it is glossy and it's super delicious. I will be slathering that all over my leftovers this holiday season. Next, I have a very simple no added sugar cranberry sauce. Again, for me, this isn't about diet culture. I really just appreciate real foods and I think something like cranberry sauce, I would so much rather have the real thing than a gelatin from a can, if you know what I mean. So you can use fresh cranberries, fresh orange juice and cinnamon. And just simmer that until it is thick. If you want it sweeter, you could add a little monk fruit. I will also be drizzling that on my leftover turkey and there's so many creative ways you could use it as a sauce or maybe add it to a wrap. That would be super yummy. Next, I have a bone broth turkey soup that you could make post holiday with your turkey scraps. Bone, broth, carrots, celery, onion, herbs, cauliflower, rice or sweet potato. Super soothing for digestion and skin and just so cozy during these cooler months. I feel like there's nothing better than having some yummy nourishing soup on your stovetop. And then I wanted to share a couple of dessert ideas. So first I have a berry crumble. The base is frozen berries with lemon and cinnamon. And then for the crust or the topping you could use almond flour, coconut oil and chopped nuts. Just excluding peanuts. As they are higher androgen, they tend to increase sebum in the skin and make people break out. Peanuts used to be my biggest trigger. I had no idea they were triggering my skin. But I would have gobs and gobs of peanut butter every single day. And yeah, my skin was not loving that. So any other nut butter like almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter is definitely a favorite with a lot of my clients. Or just any of those nuts and then you want to bake it until golden. Last but not least for my treats and I could list a ton more, but these are just two of my personal favorites. I really love like a berry pie or anything pumpkin pie flavored. So for my pumpkin pie bars you can use pumpkin puree, coconut cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Use an almond flour crust that is lightly sweetened with allulose and this is delicious. You could even add a little protein powder. I will link two of the protein powder brands that I work with. My favorites are Sprout Living, especially their vanilla Lucema. And I love my Koya family, especially the pre made drinks I think are so life saving. A lot of my clients will ship a case to their office or if they're busy moms. That is a great way to get at least 20 grams of protein in your Matcha or your coffee before you even have breakfast. But you could definitely add a little bit of the protein powder to your pumpkin pie bars. Oh, you could also make a little protein drip. I've been loving doing this. You would just take protein powder, add a little bit of water, mix it up and then just drizzle it over the dessert. And then I also just wanted to share that I think Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration. I love like making a board for the new holiday season and I will do this throughout the year, like spring, summer, winter. I just like to get inspired and see things visually. So if you like to make things in the kitchen, definitely use Pinterest. And you can use phrases like Whole 30 or Paleo. I'm not saying I subscribe to those as diets, but they can be great keyword searches. If you are looking for a so to speak cleaner dessert option, there are so many out there. So whatever you tend to crave like sugar cookies, lemon bars, whatever it is, you can probably find a healthier alternative. So make use of Pinterest or you know, your favorite blogger, anything like that, somebody that posts healthier recipes. I am definitely going to try to post more on my social media too. Tip number four is to make a dish that you already know supports your goals. So I think you know a topic that comes up often is what do I do when I'm going to a party and I just don't know what is going to be there. I would definitely recommend a eating something in advance. So you go to the party, you know, 80% full and you can still try some things but you aren't dependent on what is available to you. And I would again also just bring something that you can contribute. And you know I always appreciate when there's a healthier option available at the party. And so your dish could be sweet potato mash, it could be cauliflower mash, it could be turkey soup, it could be herb roasted veggies, could be your berry crumble, your pumpkin pie bars. But again I would just encourage you to use Pinterest. Use other resources. If you have a favorite go to dish, there is probably a way to make it acne supportive or to make it more supportive of your current goal. Next, let's talk a little about travel snacks and my plan ahead strategy for travel. This is now ingrained in me just as I would pack my toothbrush and my skin care. I always bring some snacks with me. Food and health, nutrition, fitness, it's just all part of my life now. So this is kind of on autopilot. And I definitely, you know, didn't come out of the womb this way. But, you know, as we grow into our goals and as we have more experiences, honestly, that feel like kind of a maybe it was a missed opportunity. Maybe you felt like, you know, it was a little bit of a fail or you just weren't able to stick to your goals. You learn things, and so even those moments really help to shape you on your journey. So nothing is a waste. But I'm a big fan of packing some reliable snacks. So some that I recommend would be like a low sugar natural beef jerky or beef sticks. You could opt for beef, chicken, salmon. There's so many great options these days. I really like to pack an apple. I think that travels super well, especially green apples. Great for gut health. We love anything bitter. And then nuts are such a easy staple for travel. You could choose pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts. And if I have time before a flight, I really like to make my own little trail mix and bring it. So that has cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut shreds, goji berries, or lily's dark chocolate. Or maybe some cacao nibs. I also love dried sweet potato. Normally I get this from Costco. And then of course, protein powder I think is great to bring. So I could add it to water, I could add it to a coconut yogurt. You have, you know, a lot of little situations you can work with if you bring protein powder. And the most important thing I do at the airport is I try to keep my meal schedule consistent. So, yeah, I like to have my snacks, but I don't go crazy on the snacks. I don't feel great if I'm eating a lot during a flight. Because your digestion is already a little bit more in flux. And our digestion prefers to have some breaks rather than just like continuously eating the whole day or the whole flight. So I really like to stick to my consistent meal schedule. I always have breakfast, lunch and dinner, so that stays the same even when I am traveling. So for example, if I had a flight at 11am, I would have already had breakfast before I left for the airport or brought something with me. And I would make sure before I got on that plane, I would have either brought a meal with me or I would stop and get a meal in Hawaii. I got a poke bowl. It was delicious. I Got half brown rice, half mixed greens, salmon, cucumber. And then, you know, you can really find something at any airport. I've done this in all different states. Like in Texas, I got some kind of meat and I got like cooked beans and it was really amazing. And that was, you know, a high protein, blood sugar, balancing meal. So don't feel like just because you're traveling you can't stick to your goals. I really actually wanted to test this out because I hear sometimes clients say, oh, I was traveling, I couldn't stick to my goals when I was traveling. And sometimes I think that is just a little bit of a myth we tell ourselves. And you know, the reality is like, you just decided you didn't want to in that moment, that's okay too. But we have to be real, we have to be honest. It's not that our environment made it impossible. We are making active decisions throughout our day. And generally you have the option to choose if you want to support your goals in that moment or not to. But I have found in pretty much every airport I've ever been to, I can always find something that works with my plan. Tip number six is movement. And how can we be gentle and also strong and realistic with this? So I think this really depends on what is your current fitness routine. If you are not somebody who goes to the gym regularly, it's probably not realistic to think you're going to dive into a whole fitness routine over Christmas break. Maybe. But I would say just trying to stick with what you already know makes you feel good. I am a big believer in rest. I think we should rest more, have more rest days, have more deload weeks. And especially if you're somebody who tends to over train, I tend to push the boundary of almost over training. So for me it can be a really good idea to take a week off during the holidays, go on some light walks, but skip the gym, give myself a mental break from it, give my muscles a break from it. And you will be surprised that you will probably not lose progress. You may actually gain progress because our muscles grow in our rest period. But movement is also huge for blood sugar, for acne, for mood, for inflammation, honestly, everything. So I do want to share some tips for those of you who like to stay active. So one thing I do is when I am booking a hotel, this takes maybe 10 or 15 extra minutes, but it makes my trip so much better. I look for a hotel with a gym and a kitchenette. That way I know I can make some meals when I want to. Maybe I can squeeze a couple of gym days in and it's definitely not as regimented as it would be back home. But I do like having the option. Sometimes it's nice after a flight to get in the gym and get a little workout in and that could even help with your sleep. And yeah, I think just giving yourself the option to reach your goals is one of the best things we can do. If I am home, so say I'm back in the Bay Area, which I will be for Christmas. I know that my friends generally like to stay active and so my best friend Steph has a amazing gym that she goes to and we really like to go together and just make a day of it. It's like a bonding experience experience. We feel like we're having a little spa day, we get to work out together and it's so much fun. So doing that with a buddy is great. Or you could also ask your friends, you know, if they're going to any workout classes, Pilates, things like that are always fun to do with a friend and maybe catch up together afterwards. Something else I do. This definitely shows my like gym bro side. But if I am driving home to see family, I will put dumbbells in my trunk. And that might sound a little weird, but again it makes the trip so much better when I can squeeze in a 20 or 30 minute workout at home because I know I will have extra time. And you know, sometimes really pouring into yourself during the holidays really can help you to manage stress and just remind yourself that you deserve some self care and dedicated time. So I know I'm nicer, I'm going to be more enjoyable to be around if I have some workouts in my holiday routine. I also wanted to just say that short workouts still count so it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You do not need to go to the gym for two hours to make progress. In fact, you probably don't need to be spending that much time in the gym. Short workouts can still be super effective. There's a lot of data showing now that a 45 minute workout when programmed correctly can be just as effective as a two to three hour workout. And I would just say like keep that in mind. If you only have 10 or 15 minutes and your schedule is super packed, that is better than doing nothing. And the holidays might be a time that's more about just maintaining your progress. Maybe you're not going to build a ton of muscle in this time, but you can still maintain what you have. Maintenance is absolutely still a Win. And then last but not least, on this topic, I really wanted to just highlight walking and how amazing it is for our blood sugar, our hormones, our sleep. And this is something that, you know, a lot of us can do. And it does not have to be long, rigorous walks. It could be two to three 10 minute walks, even after meals. And what I love about walking is say you don't have any access to to a gym or equipment. Generally you can walk wherever you are staying. I know the weather can be a challenge in a lot of states, but even if you're bundled up and just getting out for 10 minutes and you know you don't have to drive to the gym, you don't have to change outfits, it's something you can fit into your day to day. And walking is something I also encourage with my acne clients because most acneic people have some level of insulin resistance. Walking is going to help shuttle glucose into the muscle. This lowers blood sugar, spikes, it supports digestion, it reduces inflammation, it improves your mood and it helps your skin. So if nothing else, trying to squeeze in some woks and is a beautiful way to support your skin goals. Tip seven is sleep. This is your holiday superpower. This is your moment to hopefully rest and recharge. And if you feel like your sleep schedule has been off, you've had a super busy year. I hope this can be a restorative time for you. I cannot even tell you guys the difference quality sleep has made in my life. I got an aura ring this year and funny, I've lost it like three different times and I've repurchased it because it is now an essential part of my wellness routine. This is not sponsored. I genuinely am so attached to it because having those insights on my steps and my sleep especially has shown me that I have been in a sleep deficit for so long. And when I first started my fitness journey, you know, there was a lot of like no days off type of mentality. And I thought to progress in the gym I had to go as hard as I possibly could every single day. I thought rest days were bad. I thought it was better to do a workout late or super, super early in the morning, even if it cut into my sleep. And now I understand that sleep is actually way more important than a workout ever could be. And I have come to realize how foundational sleep is for not only our skin health, but our hormone health, our mental health, our body composition. You cannot expect to build any meaningful muscle or lose fat if you are not getting adequate sleep. Learning that has been like so counterintuitive to this go, go, go mentality. And now I really prioritize sleep above anything. If my body's telling me it's too tired, if I am waking up a little bit more in the night, I know I probably need to adjust my training and I really need to rest more and get more sleep. And I love the OURA ring because it will show you how many hours of sleep sleep you got that night. And I used to operate from what I would guess around six or six and a half hours a night. But because I had no awareness about that data, no idea it was something I should work on or improve and, and testing out, getting more sleep and feeling what it's like to get seven hours or to get eight hours or even nine. Feeling good is such a good source of encouragement. It's the thing I always come back to when I have to make choices about my health. I remind myself, how did I feel when I made the, you know, the healthier choice? I remind myself of how amazing and how well slept I felt with eight hours of sleep, how I woke up, woke up feeling chipper and happy and excited for work versus feeling like, oh, no, I have to start the day and I have no energy. How the heck am I gonna pour into all these people who are relying on me when I am exhausted? So I just came here to say sleep is so, so important and I want us all to get more sleep as much as you realistically can and need. I also love that it's getting dark early. This is such a good cue for our body to get in hibernation mode and to get in bed early. So the other thing I wanted to point out is you need to think about, okay, do I have to wake up for something or do I usually wake up at a certain time? If so, what time do I need to go to bed to get enough sleep? I think something we also forget is that you need to account for, for the time it takes you to fall asleep. So for me, I know I need at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour, as a really good cushion to give myself enough time to fall asleep. And that way I can fall asleep not feeling like rushed or pressured and doing sleep math. So sleep as much as you can during the holidays and you will notice it helps your skin, your stress, your mood, and your cravings. Two things I really notice with new clients that start with me. I did want to talk a little bit about protein and it ties in with sleep when it comes to blood sugar, which is such A driver for acne. So when most clients start with me and we do something called a 24 hour diet recall, where they write down everything they consume, consume that day, and we often find that the client is having less than half of the recommended amount of protein, which generally, I would say one gram per pound of body weight is advisable. The individual could need a little bit more or a little bit less, just depending on, you know, your individual needs, your activity level, if you are strength training. But generally that is a good rule of thumb for most people and most people really find that they are not anywhere close to that protein goal. So you want to make protein a priority at every single meal and you want to think about, okay, what do I weigh? Is this kind of my normal body weight? And use that number to find the number of grams of protein that you need daily. For a lot of people, I think usually this is at least three meals and maybe one additional snack or protein shake to hit your protein goal. So I noticed that with new clients and I also find a lot of my clients are overstressed and they're so under slept. And these are the same clients that tell me they have hormonal breakouts and they are constantly craving sweet treats. So my little magic formula for this is fixing protein intake and fixing sleep. And you will probably find your cravings are dramatically reduced and you are able to keep your blood sugar stable. And then you can decide on intentional treats. Maybe it's a bone broth, hot chocolate, maybe it's a little fruit or a cleaner dessert option before bed instead of, you know, going all out on sugar and dessert right before bed, not getting the best sleep, feeling hungover in the morning, and noticing more inflammation and breakouts. When you get your cycle tip number eight, I wanted to touch on skin care and your travel checklist. Obviously we want to stick to our routine every single day, but especially when we travel because this is where more unknowns enter the picture. Travel can flare dryness or congestion fast. When you are traveling somewhere, please make a checklist and make sure you have what you need. If you are my client, you have your personal chart that I made you print out your chart and make sure you have everything thing that you need to travel because this also happens, you know, over the holidays. Clients text me, I forgot my active or I forgot my moisturizer, what do you recommend from the drugstore? And I will try to find, you know, the best option that I can, but I would much rather you not need to buy something else and stick to what we know works that was specifically chosen for your skin. So double check, make sure you have everything before you leave and then when you're leaving the hotel again, make sure you have everything that you brought. Okay. Before takeoff, before travel, I do have some tips I recommend to of course cleanse your skin before your flight. Double cleanse. Upon landing, hydrate a little bit more intensively than you probably would at home because the plane travel, changing climate, it can just really draw the life out of our skin. So using hydrating serums, moisturizers, hydrating masks are all great. But stick to your routine. This is not the time to try a million new face masks or actives like stick to what we know works. Two products that I do recommend bringing on a trip is a hydrating mask mask and some type of oil control or congestion mask. I will link two of my favorites from Glymed in the show notes. But I love this because masks are really easy instant gratification tools. No, they're not going to be the bulk of your routine. But if you're noticing you're a little more dry or a little more oily, you have a little more congestion and blackheads and having those options can really help you to offset. My next tip is that I wouldn't say you have to skip makeup on flights, but if you're going to use makeup, I would really recommend mineral makeup. I'm such a big fan of like Jane Iredale or Priya cosmetics. Those minerals are actually protective and having that protective layer between your skin and the environment is actually going to be to your benefit. So there's nothing wrong with wearing something like that on a flight as it will be more protective. But I would not recommend loading up on a bunch of like congestive makeup on your flight. And then when you land I recommend to do a little reset routine. Do your double cleanse, hydrate, do a mask. You could do both your hydrating mask and your congestion mask. And then early to bed you will feel like your skin is starting the trip with a clean slate. Okay, so in closing you guys, you do not need perfection during the holidays. You need alignment. You need to pre decide on your goals and you need to make intentional choices. You need habits that make you feel good, not deprived. You want to choose your indulgences wisely, but do not beat yourself up. We're not staying in shame if we go a little bit off plan. Remember, every day is a fresh start. Eat your protein, walk after meals, try to sleep as much as you can. Drink water, bring a dish if you're going to a party, stop at the store. And most of all, remember that how you want to feel come January 1st starts with what you are doing right now. And I just want to say in closing, I am so proud of you for caring enough to listen to this. If you are listening to this, you are already ahead of 90% of people. You care about your body and you want to make the best choices possible. You are doing amazing and I hope you have a happy, healthy holiday season. I love you guys. Please tag me if you like and share this episode. Maybe send it to a friend who needs some holiday skin tips. Tag me in your skin friendly recipes. I cannot wait to see. And I love you guys. Happy holidays and I will talk to you in the next episode.