Healthy Holidays

Most everyone you talk to can agree on one thing, and that is that this is a favorite time of year. There is no other time of year that carries all of the same emotions that come with every taste and smell of Christmas. It starts in early fall and begins to fade out after we have rung in the new year. It is a time of year when we reminisce about our childhoods, we are closer to our family and nicer to strangers, all of our senses are on high alert and each one carries its own memory of Christmases gone by. Ahhh yes, definitely my favorite time of year!

Now that I am married and have a child of my own, Christmas comes with all-new excitements. It is the excitement of seeing it through my 7-year-old’s eyes. Watching her light up when she knows it’s the day she and I will decorate the house before Daddy comes home from the road. Or, when she sees all of the cooking utensils laid out on the counter that we use to make our yearly Christmas cookies. Or when she takes great care in writing out her (very long) Christmas list. It fills my heart to know that we are creating traditions and memories that she can pass on to her children one day as they were passed on to me by my mother. What I don’t want Bella to inherit is the yo-yo weight that comes around every year when all the amazing food starts to roll out between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We’ve talked before about how to make a few more healthy eating choices without giving up all of the fun foods that make the season so special. Now let’s talk more about the exercise part of it. If you don’t already do a daily exercise routine, then this is the time to start simply with 10 minutes a day. After the kids get on the bus in the morning, make it the first part of your day. You can do the old-school stuff that still works to burn off calories: jumping jacks, running in place, anything that gets your heart rate up and that you can maintain for at least 10 minutes. Then you can switch to some on-the-floor moves like leg lifts on each side, and then some elongated ab work. We do elongated abs with our hands straight up over our heads; it elongates the abs and is a better form of ab work for women than the standard crunch because it helps us to not get bulky in our stomachs. If you don’t have them already, get some very small weights, three to five pounds, and do some punching with weights in your hand. Do jabs and hooks which come around from the side of your body at shoulder level all the way to the front and help shape the arms while also toning up some of that back fat that we ladies HATE so much. (You can say HATE when referring to back fat!) If you have a local gym, now is definitely the time to invest in a membership. Most gyms are always offering some sort of discount or bargain this time of year. Look for a gym that has a good variety in group fitness classes. They are the best choice because you not only have someone guiding you through your workout, but you are also less likely to give up and walk out when you are in a classroom full of people. Also look for a gym that offers a free trial with a personal trainer. That way you have someone keeping you moving in the right direction. It can keep you motivated because you are paying for something, so you are more likely to use it than if you are sitting at home where you are far more likely to choose to skip the workout, grab comfort food and get under a blanket in front of the TV. BUT if you are at the gym it is not so tempting to quit.

So while you try to be mindful about what you eat during this amazing time of year, also add to it a quick daily workout. It will not only help keep off some of those holiday pounds, but it will also be mentally and spiritually beneficial to you. When we combine mind, body and spirit, we are in perfect balance and it can only add to the amazing feelings and emotions that already come with this time of year.