Let me tell you 'bout my bessst friend...

This is my water bottle. Or, during the holidays, my best friend. It goes everywhere with me. It's quite banged up, scratched, dented, and generally covered in battle scars because, well, we've been through a lot together. Pancake breakfasts, cookie exchanges, office parties, bar-b-ques, and yep even a few cocktail parties (I'm not afraid to be tacky in the name of health). We're so close and such good pals that I've come to rely on it through thick and thin to keep me from getting too thick and help me get (and stay) thin.


Would you like some hot chocolate with whipped cream and a shot of irish? Water to the rescue!


A plate full of cookies? No, I can't eat and hold a plate AND my water bottle at the same time!


Just a few bites of these delicious {insert food here} that so-and-so only makes for Christmas so you better eat a whole bunch right now? Nah, maybe next year. I've got my water.


Okay I know water isn't much of a match for hot chocolate and cookies, but I can guarantee that getting the car afterwards feeling fresh, healthy, vibrant, and filled with the goodwill of time spent with friends (and not stuffing your face) is. Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels. Nothing. I promise you 150%.


As a recovering candyholic, this is a rough time of year for me. Sometimes those #$*%ing little Hershey kisses still call to me, paying me compliments and making all sorts of promises I know they won't keep. But I've been fit and I've been fat. Fit is better, and if something as simple as keeping my water bottle nearby helps me remember that, then hand me a roll of velcro and strap that sucker to my hand!


When you encounter holiday parties over the next couple weeks, tote along a friend. A visual (and physical) reminder can go a long way towards making sure that you remember how you want to feel in January.


Now get out there and get healthy!

Holiday Party Tips: Getting Real About Special Food

I know I told you yesterday that we were going to talk about the R in creating SMART goals but I changed my mind. It's my blog and I can do that!  Instead, since its Friday and I know you probably have parties and whatnot this weekend, I want to shove a few more healthy holiday hints down your throat.  Did I say shove? I meant suggest. Strongly suggest.

Today, it's about getting real about “special” food!

Yall, we are lucky enough to live in a country where food is bountiful. We have 24-7 access to Wal-Mart, which carries every vice you can eat. Sure, your mom only makes her special peanut butter cookies once a year, but what’s to stop you from making it in the middle of July (don't do that)? The point? There is no such thing as “limited time offer” when it comes to food.

So, consider this when you head out this weekend:  instead of placing so much emphasis on the food traditions surrounding the holidays, create memories by interacting with your family in a new way that is not food-related. Institute an annual Christmas jog through the park. Break out the puzzles. Play freeze tag. Whatever, just remember – people are a limited-time offer, not food.

It bears saying again: people are a limited-time offer, not food.


Focus on the people.
 
And have a lovely weekend.  We'll talk about setting realistic goals once we come back to the reality of Monday. :)

Turkey Day Tip Number TWO!

This always freaks me out.
This is just WRONG!

Here's the thing - one day of overeating is not going to wreck much of anything. You'll feel like crap and retain a lot of water, but if that's okay with you then put on your stretchy pants and worship at your food altar on Thursday.  I'll wait.


But four days of overeating is another story. The average Thanksgiving meal is about 3,500 calories, equal to a pound of fat. If you're on a sensible weight-loss plan, that is about one week's worth of hard work. That may be a bargain for you, I don't know. I have to practically chop off a limb to lose a pound so it is not worth it for me.

Just so we're on the same page, you won't actually gain a pound unless you eat like 5,000 calories, because your body is still going to burn about 2,000 just laying around watching football.  But still.  Be reasonable.


So if you do that on Thursday, and then eat the leftovers on Friday, and then get the Christmas baking started on Saturday, and then figure by Sunday that you're so far in the hole that the diet will start over on Monday, its not unrealistic to think that by that point you may have sacrified a full week of hard work because you "deserve it." I'm just sayin', it's science.


SO! If you want to avoid that, make a plan. It should look something like this:


1. On Thursday, be sensible. Enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving foods and counteract the calories with some exercise and lots of water. A Thanksgiving walk is a great family tradition to start!


2. On Friday, go back to your normal routine. Give away the leftovers or make less food on Thanksgiving so you don't have as much left over. Eat normally, exercise a little extra, and be thankful for how great you feel as a result.


You do not have to give into the Thanksgiving gluttony hype!  I promise, there is no winner. 

It's not too late to register for your local Turkey Trot!

Tomorrow, one last Turkey Day Tip!  

Turkey Day Tip Numero Uno

This is one of those weeks when I am not very popular.  The nutritional finger-wagging routine doesn't have many fans in a week that has an entire day dedicated to eating.  I'm not sure that it really has many fans in a normal week, either, but I do it anyway. 

BUT!  I would be a completely useless Healthy Heather if I did not implore you to remember that you CAN celebrate Thanksgiving without taking a step back in your fitness goals.  It's what I do.  If I didn't say this, I honestly would not be able to sleep at night.  Well eventually I would but it would not be quality sleep and I value my sleep so listen up! 

I am only going to say this 15 million times between now and the end of the year.

Check out this Thanksgiving Meal Calories Calculator to give yourself an idea of what you're looking at...and then decide how much of your hard work you're willing to throw away.

Tomorrow, making a Turkey Day Survival Plan.  For the calories, just so we're clear. I can't do anything about your family.

Good day! :)

A Giveaway!

The Giving Tree has been placed in my office's lobby, and the wish list of the families we have adopted for the holidays has been sent out.  Which means that for me, 'tis the season to be crying.

 

Each year my heart aches for the children who have items like coats, pajamas, or food on their Christmas wish lists.  I go through Target with my buggy, loading it up with diapers and tiny little jammies and shoes, fighting back the tears because I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of need just in my little community.  And for good measure, I throw in a completely whimiscal and unnecessary toy or two because everyone deserves something completely whimsical and unnecessary on Christmas. 

Even the grown-up kids!

Anyway, this post is more about emotional wellness than physical. I hope you can find a way to give of your time, talents, and if you have them, your resources to help make the holidays emotionally healthier for your community than it may be otherwise.  We all know the toll that stress can take on our health all year round, and the holidays have a way of mixing stress, guilt, and pressure to live beyond our financial (and caloric) means into a recipe for disaster.  Even just a few of us can help alleviate that stress through the simplest of healthy actions:

• Donate blood and literally give the gift of health. Find your local blood center here.
• Contribute to a local charitable organization that provides health services to needy folks, like this one in New Jersey. There may be one in your community. 
• Give to families whose children are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. You can find a link for how to locate a Children's Miracle Network hospital in your area here.

It's easy to give during the holidays because we are in a giving mood, but need exists for families around us all year long.  Don't stop on December 24 - please, give. Give and give and give and give! 

And then give some more.

It's good for your heart. :)