Recovering from the Holidays

The holidays are a time for laughter, fun, and of course lots of food!  But if you’ve indulged in too many of Aunt Betty’s gingerbread men or spent too much time at the eggnog bowl, your 2007 is probably already feeling a wee bit tighter around the middle.

            The good news: getting back into shape after the holidays does not have to be a new year’s nightmare.  I took some advice from Reader’s Digest, coupled with some of my own know-how, and have come up with this list of tips for getting back on track after a holiday health hiatus:

• Set Goals.  And write them down; keep a journal of your success. 
• Be reasonable.  If you’re trying to lose a little weight, 1-2 pounds a weeks is a realistic and healthy goal.  If you just want to get back into the routine of exercise, aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio (fast-paced walking, jogging, elliptical machines, biking, aerobics) on at least 4-5 days out of the week.  No need to run a marathon every morning!
• Take breaks.  If you overdo it, you’ll lose interest fast, and your body will go into repair mode rather than rebuild mode.  Take a rest day each week.
• H₂O!  Drink lots of water!  I can’t stress this enough!  Not only is water vital to your normal body function, it can also help you lose the first couple of pounds of your goal.  Water’s benefits are countless: it re-hydrates winter-dried skin, gives a feeling of freshness, and remains calorie free.  Also, when you think you’re hungry, you really might be thirsty.  Instead of giving into a fleeting craving, drink a glass of water instead.
• 3 vs. 5...  Rather than eat a big breakfast, lunch, and dinner, split those meals up and eat five lighter ones throughout the day.  This will help you avoid becoming so hungry that you overeat at mealtime, and you’ll burn more calories each time you digest one of these smaller meals.
• Watch what you drink.  Not all holiday yummies are in solid form.  But hot chocolate, eggnog, cider, and alcohol can all have as much sugar and calories as solid foods.  Soft drinks are another source of empty, meaningless calories.  This means that you’ll drink one, but you won’t get anything out of it, and you’ll still be hungry despite the high number of calories you’ve just consumed.  And, they really have no nutritional value.  I suggest avoiding them completely, if possible.  Try water, unsweetened tea, or natural juice instead.  I love hot tea with a little honey, or calcium enriched Simply Orange juice. 
• Size up your portions.  Read the nutrition labels on your products.  Make sure that you’re taking into account serving size and the amount of calories, fats, and nutrients of the amount you’re eating.  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA- the people who actually make this stuff up) has published a guide to understanding food labels on their website.  You can find it at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/foodlab.pdf.
• Be your own chef.  Cooking for yourself allows you to control what goes into the foods you eat and how much of it you want.  Food Network is all about getting people to fend for themselves in kitchen.  Their website features an entire section devoted to healthful eating.  Go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_health/ to see all the tasty, healthy meals that are just a shopping trip away.
• Exercise.  The very best way to get in shape and stay in shape is through correctly controlling your diet and achieving routine exercise.  Take advantage of warm days to go for a walk or bike ride.  Invest in a pilates tape or DVD that you can do at home in your own time.  Exercise is the only guaranteed way to get in shape and not only will you look better, you’ll feel better, too.

Sources used for this article:

The Reader’s Digest Association, 20 Ways to Lose Weight After the Holidays, available at http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=14485

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label, available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html

Food Network, Get Healthy, available at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_health/

Article written by Lindsay Hendryx