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This holiday season, we're here to help. And not just to help you fit into a smaller size come January. We asked Tony Horton, Chalene Johnson, Debbie Siebers, and other trainers, experts, nutritionists, and editorial staff what gifts they recommend giving this season. From workout bags and calorie counters to cutting boards and P90X2^®, we've got you covered with more than 50 great gifts.

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What do you want to receive this holiday season? Tell us at mailbag@teambeachbody.com.

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Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Check the Team Beachbody Chat Room for the next impromptu video chat. Or, if you just can't wait, log onto the Information & Education section of the Team Beachbody Message Boards for questions, answers, and scintillating conversation.

If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, just email us at mailbag@TeamBeachbody.com.

Think you're eating healthy this holiday season? Think again. Your favorite holiday foods are loaded with way more calories that you can imagine.

From the Christmas stuffing to Hanukkah's latkes to New Year's bubbly, read on to find out how many calories are lurking in your favorite trimmings . . . and how you can cut some calories here and there while still enjoying all of the holiday flavors you love.

The Mains

The Christmas bird. Though turkey is the most commonplace centerpiece of the Christmas table, the traditional bird was actually the goose. Good thing too, as while roast goose is quite moist and delicious, enjoying it with the skin on is 518 calories for six ounces. Without the skin? Still 405 calories. Then again, slathering butter on the turkey, brining it, or bathing it in gravy packs the pounds onto the healthy fowl. Don't even think about deep frying it. Your waistline—and your house—will thank you later.
Better choice: Turkey. Six ounces of dark meat—skin on—is 350 calories. Six ounces of light meat without skin? 216 calories. Here is a healthy turkey recipe to try.

Latkes. Pancakes—or latkes—are a traditional Hanukkah food because they commemorate the miracle that the Hanukkah oil lasted for eight nights. Traditionally, these pancakes were made from cheese and fried in oil, but about 400 years ago, potatoes replaced cheese as the main ingredient. This means latkes are marginally healthier than they used to be . . . but one medium potato pancake (3.5 inches in diameter) will still set you back about 100 calories (or more) each. Add some sour cream at 22 calories per tablespoon . . . and it's not long until you're not going to be happy with the scale in the morning.
Better choice: Oil is essential, but instead of deep-frying your latkes, spray or coat a cookie sheet lightly with olive oil, place the latkes on the cookie sheet, coat the tops of them lightly with olive oil, and bake at 450° F for 15 to 20 minutes. And consider trying a recipe for vegetable latkes made from cauliflower or cabbage. Here is a healthy latke recipe to try.

Holiday ham. Ah, the holiday ham. It's the second most popular Christmas dish. And while it might seem high in calories, six ounces is about 330 calories, roughly the same as turkey.
But be careful: The key here is not to go nuts with the glaze. That said, because ham is brined, it's high in sodium, so if you're watching your salt intake, stick with turkey.

The Sides

Cranberry sauce. Oh, hey! A fruit! This is healthy, right? Nope. Though cranberries on their own are healthy—and packed with vitamin C—cranberry sauce is loaded with sugar. Half a cup of the sweet side is about 209 calories and 52 grams of sugar . . . about the same as a peppermint mocha latte.
Better choice: Sweeten frozen cranberries with fruit juices instead. Yes, you're still adding sugar, but at least you're also adding some vitamins. Here's a recipe you might want to try.

Stuffing. Whether boxed or homemade, it's hard to make stuffing light since it has a bread base and it's held together with butter. It rolls in around 180 calories for a half cup, and most of that is empty carbs.
Better choice: If you must have stuffing, try a brown rice recipe or at least use a whole-grain or sprouted-grain bread like those made by Ezekiel 4:9^®. Swap out fatty meats for turkey sausage and use olive oil instead of butter. And load it up with lots of veggies! It'll be more filling and much better for you.

Mashed potatoes. On their own, mashed potatoes aren't so bad. A half-cup of plain mashed potatoes is about 200 calories, less if you make them with just potatoes and high-quality olive oil instead of with milk and butter!
Better choice: For a side with a richer, deeper flavor, try dicing up sweet potatoes. They're higher in vitamin C and other nutrients and their high fiber count goes easier on your blood sugar.

Noodle kugel. This casserole-based side dish is often made using egg noodles, potatoes, or a mix of vegetables such as broccoli or cabbage. Some recipes then call for the addition of sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter. The result is an average 2-inch square that's 212 calories.
Better choice: For a lighter kugel, consider using olive oil in place of butter, egg whites only, and relying on dried fruits like raisins to add the sweetness.

The Drinks

Eggnog. I don't imagine that you think a drink made from eggs, whole milk, sugar, heavy cream, and rum—oh, and some nutmeg—would be healthy. In fact, try 343 calories a glass. Yikes.
Better choice: Our nutritionist came up with a fantastic vegan eggnog recipe that's only 149 calories. Our version is alcohol-free, but if you want to add a splash of dark rum, well, it is Christmas and all . . . Check out the recipe below.

Wine. As alcoholic drinks go, wine isn't so bad. Red wine is higher in the antioxidant resveratrol but white wine is supposedly better at reducing free radicals and improving cardiovascular health. A glass of either is about 120 calories.
Even better: Select an organic wine. These don't contain the sulfites that some people are allergic to and that may prevent you from sleeping well.

Champagne. Want a great hangover? Go for the bubbly. The bubbles will actually get you tipsy faster¹, which can lead to one nasty headache in the AM. Plus, each flute contains about 133 calories, and they go down quickly . . . so it's easy to ratchet up the calories quickly.
Better choice: Cocktail. Water.

Resource:

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1719780.stm

What are your favorite holiday foods? Tell us at mailbag@teambeachbody.com.

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Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Check the Team Beachbody Chat Room for the next impromptu video chat. Or, if you just can't wait, log onto the Information & Education section of the Team Beachbody Message Boards for questions, answers, and scintillating conversation.

If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, just email us at mailbag@TeamBeachbody.com.

It's easy to compare LES MILLS COMBAT with mixed martial arts training. With a blend of karate, tae kwon do, capoeira, boxing, muay thai, and jiu jitsu, COMBAT's 60 days of high-energy workouts—coupled with an amazing soundtrack—will help get you in fighting shape in no time, sans the obvious downside of being locked in a cage with a large, cauliflower-eared man intent on clobbering you senseless. But with or without a terrifying opponent, the two do have a few things in common: They both require serious commitment.

Hard work and a solid diet play a huge role in your fighting strategy. The COMBAT workouts and Eat Right for the Fight Nutrition Plan have you covered, but there are other ways you can prime your metabolism and speed up recovery time in order to unlock the best results your body will ever see. Here are three that kicked ass with our test group.

1. Get some serious sleep. Getting a good night's sleep will improve your LES MILLS COMBAT results. Your body does most of its recovering when you're asleep. The muscles that you'll break down during Core Attack will rebuild faster if you get 7 to 9 hours of restful sleep each night. And guess what that means? You'll be able to push yourself even harder in the next round.
   
   But that's not the only reason you want to get enough sleep. According to a recent Harvard study, sleep deprivation reduces insulin sensitivity¹. Carbs are your body's favorite source of fuel and they play a vital role in the Eat Right for the Fight Nutrition Plan. But if you're not getting enough sleep, your insulin (a hormone crucial to carb metabolism) can't do its job properly—and that means you won't have the fuel you'll need for the fight. In addition, lack of sleep stimulates production of the hormone ghrelin, which tells you to eat, and it decreases the hormone leptin, which tells you to stop eating. In other words, when you skimp on healthy sack time, you're more susceptible to unhealthy snack time and less able to know when to push your plate away.
2. Eat frequent small meals. Whether or not 6 small meals a day actually boosts metabolism has become a subject of debate, so let's stick to the facts.
   
   People who skip meals thinking it'll help them lose weight often end up overindulging later in the day. When you can, try to create a regular eating schedule, as it will help you avoid this roller coaster. And the less food you consume in one sitting, the more effectively your body absorbs it. Let's take protein, for example. Protein is made of amino acids, your body's building blocks. They're responsible for the repair of all your tissues—including the muscles you're going to break down doing COMBAT. While your body will generally absorb as much protein as you can eat, only so much of that protein can be used at one time to build tissue—about 30 grams on average. The rest is converted into fuel. So if you spread your protein across the day, you can utilize more of it to build muscle.
   
   But that said, there's the other side of the coin to consider . . .
3. Fast for faster results. New research from the Salk Institute in San Diego shows that mice who fasted 16 hours a day were more prone to burn fat, even when they ate the same calories as mice who ate around the clock².
   
   Why? One of the researchers' theories is that the digestive system, like most of the rest of your body, benefits from a recovery phase. Moving food through your system and releasing digestive juices and enzymes to break it down all takes muscle. And, as you learned above, muscles can benefit from a little down time.
   
   We're not suggesting you fast 16 hours a day. We still stand behind our small, frequent meals advice—but there's a middle ground. Eat 3 to 6 sensible meals a day and, after you finish dinner, stop eating for the night. No TV time glass of wine. No midnight snack. Give your digestive system a chance to rest, just like the rest of your body. 

Obviously, you're going to give it your all once you embark on your LES MILLS COMBAT quest to become a lean, clean, sexy machine, but why stop with exercise and diet? Make this a no-holds-barred fight. As any mixed martial arts fighter worth his or her salt will tell you, it's the only way to fight the good fight.

Resources:

1. Buxton, O. M., Pavlova, M., Reid, E. W., Wang, W., Simonson, D. C., & Adler, G. K. (2010). Sleep Restriction for 1 Week Reduces Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy Men. Diabetes, 59(9), 2126-2133. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20585000.
2. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=560

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Questions about your workout program, diet, the latest newsletter, or anything wellness related? Check the Team Beachbody Chat Room for the next impromptu video chat. Or, if you just can't wait, log onto the Information & Education section of the Team Beachbody Message Boards for questions, answers, and scintillating conversation.

If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, just email us at mailbag@TeamBeachbody.com.