Sharing tips for my friends who are scared of flying, nervous, and anxious about air travel.. just like yours truly. I reached out to the Pilot to write a guest post, and am also sharing some of the tips I’ve picked up!

Friends out there know I hate to fly. They also find it ironic and hilarious that my husband is a pilot who loves to fly. All of these years later, he still gets disappointed when a flight is canceled. He still recaps his best flights to me (even when I zone out at the acronyms and hand signals #adhd). When we fly together, I feel so much less stressed. I know he could handle things if something went awry, and I can nudge him when I hear a sound and he tells me what it is. However, when I fly alone, I spend pretty much the entire time clutching the armrest, sweating profusely, and saying Hail, Mary over and over in my brain. (Unless there’s zero turbulence and I can read a book.)

On my last flight with the girls to Hawaii – it was just me solo- I was feeling particularly scared about flying over the ocean. The worst part is that I have to play it cool for them because I don’t want them to be nervous, too. The kids are traveling professionals; they watch a movie or play the Nintendo Switch and eat lots of snacks while we fly.

A couple of things helped me on this flight:

– Before boarding, I checked out the radar to see how many planes were in the air at that moment. It made me realize that my flight was so insignificant to the thousands that take off and land each day.

– Got this tip from the fear of flying Reddit page: pretend like you’re on a bus traveling safely from point A to point B. This helped so much!!

– I made sure I had lots of things to keep me distracted. I read an entire book on the way to Hawaii and it kept me engaged so I didn’t have time to think about the fact that I was in a metal box in the sky.

– Good ol’ CBD. I have it with me, and even if I don’t need to take it, it’s comforting to have on hand. (This is the one I use. Full transparency, I used to partner with them and am still an affiliate. My code FITNESSISTA still works for a discount!)

I asked the Pilot if he would help me with a guest post about tips for my fellow nervous flyers, and here’s what he wrote!

My real-life Top Gun 😉

Tips for anxious flyers (from a Pilot)

Good morning, friends. The Fitnessista has her hands full this morning, so the Pilot’s here with some tidbits to help anxious flyers. Let me begin by saying that these aren’t tips on how to be more zen during air travel. Suggestions for the best soothing music to listen to and which decaf herbal tea will best calm your nerves is a bit out of my lane. However, I’m happy to share a little peek behind the curtain of what’s happening during your flight to make you feel a little more at ease. If you’ve got nerves of steel and turbulence doesn’t bother you, then a

Homemade Vanilla Pudding is a classic dessert that simply doesn’t get the love that it deserves. So, often we reach for chocolate or caramel or peanut butter to satisfy a sweet craving, but I’ve come to appreciate the awesomeness of a great vanilla dessert.

Vanilla does not equal boring, my friends.

Vanilla Pudding

This is an old-fashioned Betty Crocker recipe that I tried years ago straight out of the red and white checkered cookbook that I was gifted when I first married. You just can’t go wrong with the classics.

Pudding is such a simple dessert and I grew up making pudding with the handy boxes of instant pudding that you can buy at every grocery store. Just add milk and you’ll have a tasty dessert waiting in the fridge.

That said, homemade pudding? It’s a whole new ballgame these days. There is nothing store-bought that compares to it.

And I’m happy as can be to tell you that it takes just a few minutes to stir up a pan of homemade pudding and it’s every bit as tasty when served warm or cold. If you’re in a hurry? There’s no mandatory chill time while it firms up.

So, technically? Homemade can be faster AND tastier than a box of “instant” pudding!

Pudding Ingredients

• sugar
• cornstarch
• kosher salt
• milk
• egg yolks
• butter
• vanilla extract

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Sharing ways to boost your metabolism for my friends who are over 40, but these tips can absolutely help anyone who is trying to improve their metabolism.

Hi friends! How’s the day going so far? The kids are back in school this week (I can’t even believe it) so we’re finding our way into the new school/soccer/dance routine. Our internal clocks are still ticking at Hawaii time (3 hours earlier than it is here in AZ) so that first 6:30 wakeup is going to be REAL lol.

For today’s post, I’m sharing some ways to help boost your metabolism, especially if you’re over 40 (even in your 30s) and notice that results have slowed. Metabolism is the body’s natural process of turning food into energy and your metabolic rate can determine how quickly your body can burn calories. It also affects your body’s ability to lose or gain weight, and is affected by a variety of factors including a person’s age, body composition, hormones, thyroid function, sleep, and so much more. I’ll often hear friends and clients note that metabolism declines as you age, but there are ways you can boost (and repair) your metabolism after you hit the age of 40.

Friendly note here that if you suspect that your metabolism isn’t functioning the way it should (especially if you’re hitting all of the basics like fueling, sleep, hydration, stress management, and fitness), reach out to your health care provider for a personalized action plan. A functional practitioner will help you determine root cause and help you rebalance your body. This is not medical advice and intended for informational purposes only.

10 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism After 40

Strength train

Muscle is the best insurance policy for your metabolism. Muscle is *hungrier* than fat and since it has a higher caloric demand, it burns more calories than fat does at rest. Strength training can also help to protect bone density as we age, and from a functional standpoint, so many strength training exercises support our everyday movements as we age. If you don’t currently strength train, meet with a local certified personal trainer to develop a personalized strength routine. If you need help, I have a few 1:1 online fitness coaching spots open for fall! I’m happy to help ya accomplish your fitness and health goals. My application link is here.

Eat MORE

It may sound counterintuitive, but pretty much all of my nutrition clients need to eat more and increase their metabolic baseline following longterm dieting and deprivation. (Years ago, I was in this situation myself!) Each time you diet down to a certain weight, you may notice you regain the weight and that the results don’t last. Afterwards, you might even have to take more extreme measures to get the same results because the metabolic baseline has been decreased. The body wants to achieve homeostasis, so each time you cut your calories, it will decrease your metabolism to encourage your body to hold onto what it can. As your weight goes down, your calorie burn per day also goes down! If you know that you’re not currently eating enough to support your needs, try adding an additional 100 calories per day for a f

This Italian Red Wine Roast Beef slowly cooks in the crock-pot creating an unforgettable dinner with almost no effort at all.

This smells absolutely fantastic as it slowly cooks through the day.

Crockpot Roast Beef

I could hardly wait to taste this pot roast the first time I made it and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Seasoned with a light blend of Italian spices and then cooked in red wine, served with Baby Red Potatoes and Roasted Green Beans this roast is happily eaten by every member of the family.

I’ve been making this Red Wine Roast Beef for a few years now and it never fails to impress. This recipe was originally inspired by a recipe I found over at allrecipes.com. I’ve simplified it over time and the whole family enjoys it.

The aroma, while it cooks, is almost as amazing as the resulting meat. I could eat this roast beef every week all year long with no complaints.

Red Wine Roast Beef

What really makes this Italian roast beef recipe stand out is the red wine that it cooks in. I use a dry red like cabernet or a merlot to fill this roast with delicious flavor. (Not a big wine drinker? I buy these tiny bottles of wine and stash them in the pantry. I use one small bottle each time we make this roast recipe.)

The red wine gives this meat a whole extra dimension of taste. It tastes better than any roast beef I’ve had at a restaurant but is incredibly simple and easy to make. This is a standard dinner time main dish for us by now but we never ever get tired of eating it.

I first made this pot roast with red wine by baking it in the oven. The meat was perfectly tender and fell apart on the fork easily. I had a feeling the recipe would work well in the slow-cooker, too and I was right.

Apple Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Well, I’m hooked. These Apple Sausage Breakfast Burritos are the yummiest Breakfast Burritos I’ve had so far. It’s a little cheesy, a lot of fluffy eggs and Aidell’s Chicken Breakfast sausage which completely makes the whole meal. I’ve already got my mind whirling with new recipes to use that breakfast sausage in and I’m generally not a very big breakfast meat person. I’ve had too many flavorless, overly greasy sausages that I kinda just stopped eating it. Then Macey’s was sampling Aidell’s and it was wonderful.

This kind happens to be my favorite, at least so far, because of the extra ingredient…

Apples. The apples add the tiniest bit of a sweet crunch to the breakfast sausage. We love it and it pairs perfectly with the cheesy eggs.

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