ADisneyMom
<font color=9966CC>We judge ourselves by what we f
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- Jun 1, 2002
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Hi,
I know this is a long post. It is an article from our local paper which I thought was very interesting, especially step number,10.
ADisneyMom
Healthy Living: Holiday trimming
No, these strategies don't include putting a muzzle on at mealtime, but they can help you be in better shape when it's time for New Year's resolutions
Virginia Anderson - Staff
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Big dishes of warm, orange sweet potatoes.
A turkey rubbed with sage and roasted to toasty, golden perfection.
Dressing stuffed with oysters and ladled with creamy giblet gravy.
When it comes to the holidays and health, we prefer to think of those images, not rolls of mottled fat on thighs, waves of jiggly flesh around our middles, and miles of arteries clogged with plaque.
Yet as the holiday --- and eating --- season officially opens Thursday, fitness experts and nutritionists say we should think about the effects of excess holiday eating and plot a strategy to avoid extra, damaging pounds.
"We have bounty year-round," said Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Some people are saying it's a toxic environment; we're polluting ourselves with food."
The average American gains at least a pound during the winter holidays, suggest studies by the National Institutes of Health. A bigger problem is that the average adult American never loses that pound. In 20 years, a person can add 20 pounds just from the holidays.
Concerns about the growing obesity rate in the United States go well beyond vanity, as continued research shows links between obesity and a litany of diseases from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as having a body mass index, or ratio of height to weight, as greater than 30 (to assess your BMI, go to: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm).
Just as financial planners stress good money management to get out of debt, the best way to deal with weight gain is to avoid it. Nutritionists suggest having a pre-holiday strategy for eating and for exercise.
"What happens usually, psychologically, is that it starts at Thanksgiving and continues for 30 days," said Donna Cyrus, national group fitness director for Crunch gyms, a nationwide fitness chain with six facilities in metro Atlanta.
Holiday gorging can easily go over the top, Nelson said, especially because Americans overeat even on non-holidays.
"We need to make a conscious effort to link our celebrations with other blessings in life," Nelson said.
While some of the suggestions sounded a wee far-fetched (Doing sit-ups while the turkey bakes? Come on; it's all most of us can do to fit in a shower before the guests arrive), many were truly sensible and doable. Consider these morsels of advice gleaned from several health and fitness experts.
12 steps for a healthy season
1. Remember: Location, location, location. The three rules of real estate apply to holiday feasting as well. Get away from the buffet table. Move away from the dinner table after the first helping. "Think of the party as a way to socialize [instead of eat]," said Beverly Hernandez, clinical nutrition manager for Piedmont Hospital.
2. Stack the cards. When taking your turkey serving from the platter, remember that a serving of protein should be the size of a deck of cards --- and not a jumbo-sized deck. If you long for more, remember: That bird will be around for a few days.
3. Fill 'er up, and stop. Eat slowly, savor the flavors and quit when you are full. Problem is, many of us don't know when we're full; we wait until we feel stuffed. Bronwyn Schweigerdt, author of "The UnDiet: Painless Baby Steps to Permanent Weight Loss," described satiety as "the absence of hunger." A little food for thought?
4. Last call for alcohol. Avoid it, the experts said. First, alcohol and driving, of course, do not mix. Second, alcohol is empty calories. Third, alcohol lowers your willpower to stick to your eating plan. "Think herbal teas, coffees and sparkling cider," suggests Jennifer Nelson of the Mayo Clinic. Hernandez suggests having half a glass of wine, or about 2 ounces, with sparkling water, if you must drink.
5. Brunch, anyone? Eating meals late is a no-no at any time, but during the holidays, it can be especially bad because of the large amounts of food at the table. Plan holiday feasts for earlier in the day at lunchtime rather than suppertime.
6. Get a sponsor. Enlist the help of a trainer or coach if your budget permits. If that isn't feasible, pair up with a friend or family member whom you can call or turn to when your willpower is low, suggests Derrick Bumpers of Fitness Together, a personal training firm in Decatur.
7. Play reindeer games. While it's tempting to sit in front of the TV after the Big Meal, don't. Instead, get active. Take a group walk around the neighborhood.
Play aerobic charades, suggests Nelson. "Get creative. Consciously think of ways to become more active," said Nelson. Hmm . . . musical Scrabble? Ring around the roasting pan? Please, just no Candy Land.
8. Don't taste and bake. The downfall of many a holiday cook is taste-testing the broccoli casserole . . . the dressing . . . the gravy . . . the cake batter. Before they know it, these cooks have added a gazillion calories. If you test for taste, limit yourself to one bite. Or ask for help.
9. Focus on fiber. Many of Thanksgiving's traditional foods, such as pumpkins, cranberries and nuts, are loaded with fiber. Those are good choices, Schweigerdt said, not only to regulate your blood sugar but also to carry calories from other foods out of your system. Don't feel too guilty about indulging in the traditional Southern favorite, pecan pie, or the traditional Thanksgiving favorite, pumpkin pie.
10. Don't wrestle with one meal. Many people will skip other meals on a holiday to "save up" calories for the feast. Don't. Eating one meal slows your metabolism. Then, when you do eat, those calories get stored as fat because of the slowdown. "I call it the sumo wrestler diet," Schweigerdt said, "because that's how sumo wrestlers put on all their weight. They eat one meal a day."
11. Think small. Even adding five minutes a day to your aerobic workout during the holidays can make a difference. If you can't do that, park farther away from the mall or the store every trip you make. Load and unload your own groceries.
12. Give yourself a break. If you do stray from your healthful eating plan, just rein yourself back in and start anew, the experts said.
Also, recognize the stress that has come to be part of the holiday season. Think of giving yourself the gift of health, said Hernandez. Commit to better eating habits and to time for exercise at least twice a week throughout the season. Indulge yourself in a bubble bath, a cup of tea by candlelight, meditation, prayer or quiet music.
--- Virginia Anderson
I know this is a long post. It is an article from our local paper which I thought was very interesting, especially step number,10.
ADisneyMom
Healthy Living: Holiday trimming
No, these strategies don't include putting a muzzle on at mealtime, but they can help you be in better shape when it's time for New Year's resolutions
Virginia Anderson - Staff
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Big dishes of warm, orange sweet potatoes.
A turkey rubbed with sage and roasted to toasty, golden perfection.
Dressing stuffed with oysters and ladled with creamy giblet gravy.
When it comes to the holidays and health, we prefer to think of those images, not rolls of mottled fat on thighs, waves of jiggly flesh around our middles, and miles of arteries clogged with plaque.
Yet as the holiday --- and eating --- season officially opens Thursday, fitness experts and nutritionists say we should think about the effects of excess holiday eating and plot a strategy to avoid extra, damaging pounds.
"We have bounty year-round," said Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Some people are saying it's a toxic environment; we're polluting ourselves with food."
The average American gains at least a pound during the winter holidays, suggest studies by the National Institutes of Health. A bigger problem is that the average adult American never loses that pound. In 20 years, a person can add 20 pounds just from the holidays.
Concerns about the growing obesity rate in the United States go well beyond vanity, as continued research shows links between obesity and a litany of diseases from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as having a body mass index, or ratio of height to weight, as greater than 30 (to assess your BMI, go to: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm).
Just as financial planners stress good money management to get out of debt, the best way to deal with weight gain is to avoid it. Nutritionists suggest having a pre-holiday strategy for eating and for exercise.
"What happens usually, psychologically, is that it starts at Thanksgiving and continues for 30 days," said Donna Cyrus, national group fitness director for Crunch gyms, a nationwide fitness chain with six facilities in metro Atlanta.
Holiday gorging can easily go over the top, Nelson said, especially because Americans overeat even on non-holidays.
"We need to make a conscious effort to link our celebrations with other blessings in life," Nelson said.
While some of the suggestions sounded a wee far-fetched (Doing sit-ups while the turkey bakes? Come on; it's all most of us can do to fit in a shower before the guests arrive), many were truly sensible and doable. Consider these morsels of advice gleaned from several health and fitness experts.
12 steps for a healthy season
1. Remember: Location, location, location. The three rules of real estate apply to holiday feasting as well. Get away from the buffet table. Move away from the dinner table after the first helping. "Think of the party as a way to socialize [instead of eat]," said Beverly Hernandez, clinical nutrition manager for Piedmont Hospital.
2. Stack the cards. When taking your turkey serving from the platter, remember that a serving of protein should be the size of a deck of cards --- and not a jumbo-sized deck. If you long for more, remember: That bird will be around for a few days.
3. Fill 'er up, and stop. Eat slowly, savor the flavors and quit when you are full. Problem is, many of us don't know when we're full; we wait until we feel stuffed. Bronwyn Schweigerdt, author of "The UnDiet: Painless Baby Steps to Permanent Weight Loss," described satiety as "the absence of hunger." A little food for thought?
4. Last call for alcohol. Avoid it, the experts said. First, alcohol and driving, of course, do not mix. Second, alcohol is empty calories. Third, alcohol lowers your willpower to stick to your eating plan. "Think herbal teas, coffees and sparkling cider," suggests Jennifer Nelson of the Mayo Clinic. Hernandez suggests having half a glass of wine, or about 2 ounces, with sparkling water, if you must drink.
5. Brunch, anyone? Eating meals late is a no-no at any time, but during the holidays, it can be especially bad because of the large amounts of food at the table. Plan holiday feasts for earlier in the day at lunchtime rather than suppertime.
6. Get a sponsor. Enlist the help of a trainer or coach if your budget permits. If that isn't feasible, pair up with a friend or family member whom you can call or turn to when your willpower is low, suggests Derrick Bumpers of Fitness Together, a personal training firm in Decatur.
7. Play reindeer games. While it's tempting to sit in front of the TV after the Big Meal, don't. Instead, get active. Take a group walk around the neighborhood.
Play aerobic charades, suggests Nelson. "Get creative. Consciously think of ways to become more active," said Nelson. Hmm . . . musical Scrabble? Ring around the roasting pan? Please, just no Candy Land.
8. Don't taste and bake. The downfall of many a holiday cook is taste-testing the broccoli casserole . . . the dressing . . . the gravy . . . the cake batter. Before they know it, these cooks have added a gazillion calories. If you test for taste, limit yourself to one bite. Or ask for help.
9. Focus on fiber. Many of Thanksgiving's traditional foods, such as pumpkins, cranberries and nuts, are loaded with fiber. Those are good choices, Schweigerdt said, not only to regulate your blood sugar but also to carry calories from other foods out of your system. Don't feel too guilty about indulging in the traditional Southern favorite, pecan pie, or the traditional Thanksgiving favorite, pumpkin pie.
10. Don't wrestle with one meal. Many people will skip other meals on a holiday to "save up" calories for the feast. Don't. Eating one meal slows your metabolism. Then, when you do eat, those calories get stored as fat because of the slowdown. "I call it the sumo wrestler diet," Schweigerdt said, "because that's how sumo wrestlers put on all their weight. They eat one meal a day."
11. Think small. Even adding five minutes a day to your aerobic workout during the holidays can make a difference. If you can't do that, park farther away from the mall or the store every trip you make. Load and unload your own groceries.
12. Give yourself a break. If you do stray from your healthful eating plan, just rein yourself back in and start anew, the experts said.
Also, recognize the stress that has come to be part of the holiday season. Think of giving yourself the gift of health, said Hernandez. Commit to better eating habits and to time for exercise at least twice a week throughout the season. Indulge yourself in a bubble bath, a cup of tea by candlelight, meditation, prayer or quiet music.
--- Virginia Anderson
