Only 3 days left until TURKEY Day!!! Thanksgiving is the kickoff of the holiday season as well as an overexposure to extreme amounts of high calorie and high fat foods and drinks. Is it too late for you to make health a priority? NO, it’s NEVER too late! The key is for you enter into this season with an attitude of health, so your awareness will allow you to subconsciously make better decisions.

For the most part, many of the holiday parties and events we attend are outside of our home. Your fridge and kitchen will be filled with the foods that you love. That being said, what are the odds that ALL of the items at any specific event (outside your home) would be your favorites? Maybe, some…….. but definitely not all. Therefore, you don’t have to eat everything that is offered to you, especially if you don’t like it. You can choose to sample small portions of a variety of the available food/drink items without offending the host or consuming your total allotment of calories for the day at one time. Remember, save room for the high calorie and fat items that really mean something to you, that way – it’s worth it!

Keep exercise and activity a part of your daily schedule. If you can’t get to a gym over the holiday, always keep a pair of sneakers handy. It’s as simple as taking a walk after your thanksgiving dinner with family or friends, which will allow you to sleep sounder and keep your body active. Last, but not least, Thanksgiving day is 1 day out of 365! If you’re unable to maintain a strict diet for that 1 day – you have 365 more days to make up for it!!! Enjoy yourself and this time with your family and friends, as long as you jump back onto the healthy train the next day, I think you will be alright!

 Susan Bujko – In addition to her Piyolet certification Susan is certified by Yogafit, is a Balletone MBA, a Healthy Mom’s perinatal specialist and has trained with the National Posture Institute. She spends most of her working hours with personal training clients at Memorial Athletic Club for Women.

Jennifer Doctorovich – Jennifer graduated from The California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Acting.  Upon moving to NYC to pursue her theater career, she embarked on a completely different path.  She became a master Urban Rebounding teacher (Equinox and Crunch) under Jeff Berns’ team. While there, Jennifer taught Bosu, Core training, and Reebok Coreboard classes.  When she moved back to Houston, Jennifer continued teaching (Fi tAthletic, The Met, Center Club, Plus One) adding spinning and fusion Pilates to her list of fitness skills.  That’s when Jennifer started to take an interest in holistic health and wellness.

In 2008, Jennifer became certified as a nutritional therapist from the Nutritional Therapy Association in Olympia, WA.  Her emphasis is on wellness, behavioral modification, and stress.  This focus lies primarily on digestion, blood sugar handling, adrenal fatigue, nutrition for athletic performance, mental health and nutrition, balancing hormones naturally and even skin care.   As a writer, she has been featured in American Fitness Magazine, Total Body Magazine, and Livestrong.  She was also the beauty editor for www.fittobetiedonline.com.

Gabriela Donatti  - “I have been active my entire life, starting with ballet and other forms of dance and gymnastics. I was a competitive gymnast all the way until high school and that was also when I started Capoeira, which I continued to practice for almost 6 years. After graduating I found the newly opened Yoga Studio, and not having access to gym classes, I began going there and discovered a whole new depth to yoga. Since 2008, my practice has transitioned from being one more form exercise to a way of life for me. I finished my 200 hour certification in March 2011. While I still love including all types of fitness in my life, I find that yoga is what brings all of my background full circle. It is something that keeps me emotionally healthy as well as physically fit. I like exploring different kinds of yoga, but my practice is vinyasa based. I like teaching faster flow classes, because I think it lets the dancer in me shine through the most and I love to challenge students. I have found it so rewarding to help others in their yoga practice, sharing my passion for health and movement. I encourage my students to flow freely, have fun, and most importantly, take the peace and balance I hope to give them in my class and carry it out with them into their daily lives.”

Amy Marek – I am a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BS in Exercise Physiology.  I have always been interested in health and fitness.  Growing up I was a competitive gymnast, enjoyed playing volleyball and basketball, and was a cheerleader through highschool.  I love running, hiking, horseback riding, playing with my dog and any activity that gets my body moving!  In college I experienced a back injury and it was through this incident that I found pilates and eventually yoga.  I am new to this area of fitness but am learning that the mind body connection is key to physical and mental health…especially for injury prevention!  Through my current job at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Cardiac Wellness Center, I have expanded my knowledge of exercise to work with high risk individuals in their exercise program after major and/or minor cardiac events.  I also do personal training and taught FIT group exercise classes throughout my time at Texas A&M.

Michele Stamos – At a very young age I was unknowingly committed to a life of physical fitness. I have always been fascinated with the human body—its anatomy, its kinesiology, and its movement patterns. I moved to Houston in 1998 was able to begin my practice in the two disciplines by taking classes from others. In 2001, I began working towards my certifications in yoga. My first education with yoga came from Robert Boustany in Hatha yoga in 2008. After years of teaching and finding my own method and style I sought further education with John Friend (Anusara yoga) and as of late, Baron Baptiste (power Vinyasa yoga). I continue to grow in my own personal development every day, and love seeing what the two disciplines (Yoga and Pilates) bring to my students. I opened the studio (Happy Belly Studios) in February of 2011 to bring my love of both physical movement principles to everyone, young and old. I continue to be inspired every day, and am empowered by the students who come to my studio as I see positive and powerful changes in each of them.

Katie Thompson – Katie found her passion for fitness and dance at a very young age. From ballet classes at age 3 to professional dance teams after college, she has always incorporated both into her everyday life. Katie has devoted the past 8 years to practicing yoga and Pilates.

Shannon Wairegi – Shannon is fascinated by the mind-body connection.  She studied BioEngineering at Rice University before moving to NYC to model and study Dance, TaiChi, Pilates, and Yoga. She combines her experiences and knowledge to teach clients how to change their bodies and also their lives. Shannon moved back to Houston after a horseback riding accident to undergo surgery which has given her new levels of appreciation for different body conditions.  Shannon has competed in several marathons and triathlons.  She works enthusiastically toward her client goals within realistic time frames.  She takes her skill of movement knowledge to do more than exercise the body, she has a talent of sculpting her clients bodies to their heart’s content, always using proper body mechanics and improving/maintaining alignment.  Shannon truely takes her clients on a joyful fitness retreat.