Article:
Get a Head Start on Smart Holiday Season Strategies
by Roslyn Franken
In October we celebrate Halloween
and Thanksgiving. Then start the Christmas and other religious holiday parties as early as
November finally ending with New Year's Eve. No matter where we turn whether at home, at
the office or even in shopping malls and restaurants, we find ourselves celebrating which
means food, food and more food. As a result, it is not uncommon to gain 10 - 15 pounds if
not more during this festive period. Then come January 1st, we sit back
crying the holiday weight gain blues making our New Year’s resolution to lose weight
and get in shape, just like the year before.
Why do we do this to ourselves
year after year? What can you do differently this year? Let’s look at how to
make the most of September to set the stage in your eating and lifestyle habits to help
avoid the holiday weight gain blues.
WHY you tend to overindulge on
your favourite holiday foods
We'll start by looking at WHY you
tend to overindulge on your favourite holiday foods. With all the socializing it is easy
to get so caught up in the immediate gratification that the calorie-loaded holiday foods
bring that you completely neglect all the long-term consequences of each of those less
healthy food and portion size choices you make. Then with added wine and other alcoholic
consumption it becomes easier to let your guard down and completely lose control.
For example, picture the infamous
cheese and cracker tray typically served at most holiday parties. Very high in fat, it
doesn’t take much for the calories to start adding up. The next time you see those
innocent looking cubes of cheese, remember that a 1 oz cube of cheddar cheese, for
example, has about 120 calories. So if you’re standing there eating cube after cube
or mindlessly going back for a few cubes here and there throughout the party, you can
easily pack on nearly a day’s worth of calories with only 10-12 cheese cubes. If you
love nuts, let’s take cashews for example, just think that ¼ cup serving has 220
calories and loads of fat. The problem is that you can easily eat lots of cashews without
ever realizing how many calories you’re taking in. If by the end of the party
you’ve eaten a few handfuls you can easily pack on another 800 – 1000 calories.
So now between the cheese and cashews alone you’ve eaten nearly two day’s worth
of calories and that doesn’t even include the calories taken in through the main meal
or other appetizers.
You don’t need to count
every calorie you eat
You don’t need to count
every calorie you eat, however, you do need to start paying attention now to the portion
sizes you’re eating of foods high in fat. The same goes for foods high in sugar as
they too are very high in calories. This doesn’t mean you have to cut out all cheese,
nuts or sweets from your diet. I am simply recommending to eat these foods in more limited
quantities on a more limited basis and recognize that even many small portions can quickly
add up.
Start adapting your exercise
routine
September is also the time to
start adapting your exercise routine for the colder weather. If you’ve been walking,
swimming or playing golf all summer then consider skating, skiing or snowshoeing during
the winter. If outdoor activity is unappealing then consider indoor activities such as
joining a gym, taking dancing lessons, indoor swimming or investing in some great exercise
equipment or DVD’s. Where there is a will there is a way. Saying that you can’t
do any exercise because it’s too cold outside is no excuse. Either dress up warmly
and get out there or get moving indoors.
Start moderating your eating
habits and getting into an exercise routine now so that the holiday season doesn’t
get the best of you. When tempted to overindulge or avoiding your exercise remember how
discouraged you felt last year when you gained too much weight over the holidays. Avoid
the holiday weight gain blues and instead make healthy choices to come away feeling proud
of yourself.
Roslyn Franken is
a proud cancer survivor and acclaimed author of The A List: 9
Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living and Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors. She is a motivational speaker and host of the How to Thrive after 35 internet radio
show. Roslyn also offers one-on-one
coaching by telephone and email conveniently accessible world-wide. For more
information, send email to info@roslynfranken.com
or visit www.roslynfranken.com.
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complete statement with it:
Roslyn
Franken is author of The A List: 9 Guiding
Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is a Weight Loss Coach and
Motivational Speaker on positive living solutions for positive results for greater health,
success and quality of life. She hosts How to
Thrive After 35 Internet Talk Radio and is co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.
Diagnosed
with cancer at age 29, Franken fought back to become a long-term cancer survivor. Then at
age 39, at her heaviest weight ever, and concerned for her health, she decided to fight
back once again, only this time to overcome her battles with food and weight once and for
all.
Roslyn
owns Roslyn Franken Group, committed to helping people lighten up their lives one bite at
a time by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, balanced lifestyle, and positive
outlook.
For
more information, visit www.roslynfranken.com
or view her video at http://www.roslynfranken.com/highlights.wmv
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