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Tree of Fitness tip:
Our
yoga videos and
meditation CD's
make great holiday
gifts!
Shopping. Traffic. Lines at the cashier. Lines at the return counter. Office parties, family get-togethers, and school pageants. Baking. Wrapping. Decorating. The holidays are already so full of tasks above and beyond your usual responsibilities, it may seem unfathomable to think you can maintain any semblance of fitness in spite of it all. But with a little planning and a miniscule investment of time, it is not only possible, it may just be essential!
The best approach to surviving the holidays fitness-wise is to set your goals to maintain your body at its current weight and fitness level, rather than lose weight or tone up more than you are at this moment. This can be accomplished with the help of some simple, attainable steps:
- Begin each meal or snack with a serving of fresh fruit or veggies. This will serve two purposes: it will help you achieve the USDA's "5-a-day" recommendation--which means better nutrition to keep your body healthy through holiday stress; and it will help stave off your appetite.
- Similar to above, try preceding a holiday indulgence with at least a half serving of a fruit, vegetable, or even a hot cup of tea. Then enjoy a smaller quantity of the treat. You'll feel more satiated, and the non-fat fruit or vegetable accompaniment will help offset the usually higher-fat content of holiday goodies.
- Be picky when it comes time to selecting your holiday treats. Make sure you're eating something truly unique to the holidays. Cheese and crackers, or chips and dip, for example, are available all year long, and therefore can be passed up for that seasonal slice of pumpkin pie.
- It is very important to continue exercising through the holidays. This is the one step that will surely minimize the impact of your food choices and help you avoid weight gain.
If you're schedule won't allow you to participate in a group class, consider
fitness or yoga videos, which can be
a real life-saver during this time of the year!
- When you entertain, have a plan for what happens in the hours following all of your guests' departures. Since you're probably going to be exhausted--and, as the host or hostess, possibly a bit hungry, this could be a dangerous time. To ensure you don't nibble a season's worth of calories as you clean up, try this unwind:
- In advance of the party, set out a mini-meal or snack for yourself, one that balances some nutrition with some special treat. For example, an apple with 2-3 cookies, and a small glass of eggnog. Set this up on a small plate or tray, and tuck it into the fridge for access after the guests are gone.
- When the guests have left, follow these next steps before you do anything else:
- Change into something comfortable, find a space where you can sit quietly for 5-10 minutes, and play favorite soothing CD;
you might consider our
Meditation in Nature CD, which provides gentle verbal cues to help you
calm down and relax.
- Make yourself a cup of hot tea or decaf coffee, and have a seat in this spot--perhaps in front of a window to see the nighttime landscape.
- For the next few minutes, sit quietly and comfortably, sipping your coffee or tea, and just relax. If you're finding it hard to sit still, concentrate on your breathing--don't change it, just observe it. Let your thoughts slow down.
- When the time is up, you can emerge from this quiet time-out and enjoy your mini-meal or snack. Enjoy this at the table, rather than while on the clean-up fly. When you're finished with this treat, you can then start the clean-up.
- This strategy can also be applied following your own return from a holiday party.
- Try to confine your holiday indulgences to just the days you're actually participating in a holiday event. For the days you're simply following a normal schedule (albeit with more shopping and errands than usual), try to stick with a "normal" eating structure.
- Holiday treats that tend to be lower in fat include candy canes, Lifesavers candies, Rice Crispy treats, caramel apples (without nuts), low-fat hot cocoa, Peppermint Patties, and pumpkin pie. The higher-in-fat goodies generally include cheese, nuts, fudge, butter cookies, pecan pie, eggnog, and solid chocolate. Choose carefully!
- One additional step worth taking: try to get enough sleep! The last challenge you need is to stay awake and alert while sleep-deprived, since you're more likely to turn to sugar and caffeine in order to do so. Plus, you will be less motivated to exercise.
The holidays are stressful, there is no doubt about that; fortunately, a few small steps can help minimize the impact of that stress. Think about it this way: if you maintain a healthy but moderate fitness program through the holidays, you just might clear the way for a New Year’s Resolution that has nothing to do with fitness or losing weight! –ep
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