Thriving Through the Holidays

As the days darken and the air takes on a crispness, the approach of HOLIDAY SEASON can bring high levels of stress around family gatherings, office parties and the general over-abundance of bad-habit foods. Take heart! There are ways to not only survive the holidays, but have an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Focus

Remember you have all the tools you need to stay on track with your plan to improve your overall health.

Remember you have support in family and friends that have seen you through all your changes and challenges so far.

Remember that food is just that: food. The emotions and rituals and gatherings that include food can be enjoyed with or without all the caloric trimmings (take a lesson from the Whos down in Whoville...)

Tips

Encourage family and friends to gather around activities rather than food. Try suggesting a walk in the park if the weather is nice or going bowling if it isn’t. Visiting and making that emotional connection is not dependent on food being available at every sitting. 

Get creative! There are lots of ways to update old family recipes to make them healthier and there are literally thousands of healthy recipes available that can become new traditions. Have a “bring something you’ve never made before” pot-luck or challenge participants to make a dish representing a favorite healthy aspect of the season.

Opt for non-alcoholic beverages and water water water. 

Stick to serving sizes: 2-4 ounces of lean meats, 1 tsp butter or oil, 1/2 cup of cooked whole grains...

Enjoy lean meats, lots of veggies, have sweet potatoes instead of white ones, and have one favorite dessert per week (remember, it’s only the first two bites that really satisfy the taste you’re looking for). Spoil yourself by choosing the very best of everything! Don’t settle for imitation or low-quality foods.

Avoid unknown dips and spreads, mashed potatoes, fatty gravies and anything made with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

And please don’t forget to MOVE. It is vital that you keep up your exercise program throughout the year. Exercise helps you deal with stress, gives you a great excuse to take a break from family and festivities, and it helps you handle any extra calories that make it through. 

Maintaining Weight and Wellness During the Holidays

Below is the press release going out this week to Bay Area news centers, many thanks to William Freed of Motv Marketing!

Get REAL! for the Holidays!

Get REAL! – Realistic Eating & Active Lifestyle™ Presents Three Quick Tips to Maintain Weight and Wellness During the Holidays

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – December 7, 2010 –  Getting through the holidays while maintaining a healthy weight poses a challenge for even the most fit of individuals.  For the rest of us, the eating and drinking associated with holiday get-togethers can mean packing on pounds that can add to lifelong weight gain.*  To avoid those extra holiday pounds, Get REAL! – Realistic Eating & Active Lifestyle™ presents three simple and memorable holiday tips for maintaining holiday health and wellness:

• Drink Water – lots of it!  A simple rule is one glass of water per cocktail or glass of beer/wine.  You’ll avoid lots of alcohol calories, fill up faster and be less tipsy at the end of the night.  Not to mention, feel better in the morning!

• Eat Realistically – holiday drinking and eating is about celebration, not about deprivation.  Focus on eating lightly throughout the day not starving yourself before a big dinner, and eating protein to maintain energy and stoke your metabolism.  When indulging, get really picky about your choices.  Don’t just settle for a commercial sheet cake; hold out for great aunt Sally’s fudge made with love especially for you!  Experiment with smaller portions of high-calorie treats like cheese, bread and cookies/sweets. Studies show that it’s really the first two bites of anything that you get the most taste enjoyment out of anyway so make them count!

• Be Active and Reduce Stress – take a walk at lunchtime, take the stairs, walk around town to visit with neighbors/friends if possible.  Most any activity will increase your metabolism, so go for it!  Get plenty of sleep and avoid spending lots of time in front of TVs and glowing computer screens.

While following these tips is no guarantee that you won’t gain any weight during the holidays, they are a good start and part of a reasonable, achievable way to maintaining health and wellness, and reducing stress.  This practical approach is integral to Get REAL!™ – a lifestyle program created by Clinical Nutritionist and Counselor Kia Sanford, MS/CN, an expert in working with individuals and groups around the country to help people find an individual path toward long term health.

Get REAL!™ holds participatory workshops, field study and hands-on cooking experiences around the country, that enable students to “put it all together” and take control as they embark on a healthy way of living for the long term.  In addition to Get Real! ™, Ms. Sanford offers private, one-on-one services in clinical nutrition and psychotherapy through Kailo Nutrition & Counseling. For more information about Get REAL! ™, please visit www.GetRealLifestyle.com.

* According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, average holiday weight gain is less than two pounds, but can add to lifelong weight gain because it is never lost.  See:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=10727591&dopt=AbstractPlus