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Grand County, here are 60 ways to stay fit and healthy during the holiday season

Jackie Wright / The Fitness Trail
Grand County, Colorado

The average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is approximately five to seven pounds. And, this does not occur because we eat one or two holiday meals. It is because we begin eating on Thanksgiving and then continue doing so until New Year’s Day and we tend to miss our workouts as well.

While it is important to enjoy holiday traditions as these traditions can enhance our lives on many levels, it is also important to avoid continuous overindulgence and lack of exercise. Therefore, for the next six weeks, I will be providing you with 60 ways to stay fit and healthy during the holiday season. The first 10 are as follows:

1) Try drinking a glass of water prior to most meals. This will help you to feel full and may assist you in making wiser food choices.



2) Try drinking a glass of water prior to and following each alcoholic beverage that you consume. This again may help you to feel full, perhaps helping you to avoid drinking too much and the water may help prevent the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

3) Eat a light meal before attending holiday parties. This may assist you in making wiser food choices while there, and you may also eat less.



4) Choose foods at holiday parties that are healthy, lower calorie choices and save yourself for those really special dishes that are unique to this time of year. Remember to look at portion sizes when choosing those special dishes. Enjoy a taste but not the entire pie.

5) Make certain to adhere to your exercise program. This is not the time to miss your workouts. Not only will exercise help you cope with the holiday stress, you may also continue burning calories throughout the holidays.

6) If you have not begun an exercise program, do not wait until the first of the year. Now is the time to integrate an exercise program into your life. Then, by the time you welcome the New Year in, you may already be on your way to accomplishing your health and fitness goals.

7) Try a new activity or sport. Cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice skating are all great forms of exercise that are fun and burn those additional holiday calories in the process.

8) New Year’s resolutions are rarely successful for the long term. Often, these resolutions are neither realistic nor attainable, at least not within the desired time frames. Rather than waiting until the ball drops in Times Square, set your health and fitness goals now.

9) Follow the SMART method of goal setting. Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals and write the goals down. Written goals are more likely to be achieved.

10) Take time to relax each day, even if it is only for a few minutes. Designate time for relaxation, quiet reflection and stress reduction. Try deep breathing techniques, low intensity stretching, a massage or meditation.

Next week, look for 10 more ways to stay fit and healthy during the holiday season.

” Jackie Wright can be reached at her e-mail address: NSFGL@comcast.net or her blog at skyhidailynews.com


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