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Holiday feeding frenzy
A mere week from now — Thanksgiving Day — the gun will go off and the official “Creeping Obesity” season begins. For five weeks, a few will simply sleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in their head, while most will devour those sugar plums and any other goodie in sight.
Now, I’m a reasonable guy. So, I’m going to give you some advice to help your waistline survive the dreaded holiday party circuit and then I’ll share with you another perspective.
My advice:
Get moving. One of the most-effective ways to maintain or lose body weight is to engage in regular, sustained aerobic exercise.
Concentrate on the quality of your holiday eating and not the quantity. Focus on sampling only one or two special foods that you really like at each holiday celebration.
Never skip meals before or after a big holiday feast. This practice creates a famine-feast-famine cycle that is definitely deleterious of your waistline.
Go to the back of the buffet line. Let others go first and, if you’re lucky, the most tempting and fat-laden items will be gone by the time you go through.
Say no politely. Often, people feel obligated to eat because their host keeps putting food in front of them.
Socialize. Focus your energy on making conversation, instead of centering your attention on food. Conversation is calorie-free.
Get adequate sleep. Being tired affects your ability to resists food temptations.
And finally, schedule time for yourself and exercise during this hectic season.
Be in control of — instead of being controlled by — this year’s holiday feeding frenzy. Perhaps, you’ll be able to get into your jeans on Jan. 1.
Now for another perspective:
Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing about the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.
Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. You can’t find it any other time of the year, so drink up.
If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Never have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it! Hello!
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. Wait until January, when you have nothing else to do. In fact, that’s why God made January.
If you come across something really good on a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming a spectacle.
Same goes for pies. Apple, pumpkin, mincemeat – have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.
And remember this motto to live by: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well-preserved body but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, screaming — “WOO HOO, what a ride!”
How’s that for equal time? Happy Holidaze!
Cord Prettyman is a certified master personal trainer and the owner of Absolute Workout Fitness and Post-Re-hab Studio in Woodland Park. He can be reached at 719-687-7437 or at cordprettyman@msn.com.
Now, I’m a reasonable guy. So, I’m going to give you some advice to help your waistline survive the dreaded holiday party circuit and then I’ll share with you another perspective.
My advice:
Get moving. One of the most-effective ways to maintain or lose body weight is to engage in regular, sustained aerobic exercise.
Concentrate on the quality of your holiday eating and not the quantity. Focus on sampling only one or two special foods that you really like at each holiday celebration.
Never skip meals before or after a big holiday feast. This practice creates a famine-feast-famine cycle that is definitely deleterious of your waistline.
Go to the back of the buffet line. Let others go first and, if you’re lucky, the most tempting and fat-laden items will be gone by the time you go through.
Say no politely. Often, people feel obligated to eat because their host keeps putting food in front of them.
Socialize. Focus your energy on making conversation, instead of centering your attention on food. Conversation is calorie-free.
Get adequate sleep. Being tired affects your ability to resists food temptations.
And finally, schedule time for yourself and exercise during this hectic season.
Be in control of — instead of being controlled by — this year’s holiday feeding frenzy. Perhaps, you’ll be able to get into your jeans on Jan. 1.
Now for another perspective:
Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing about the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.
Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. You can’t find it any other time of the year, so drink up.
If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Never have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it! Hello!
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. Wait until January, when you have nothing else to do. In fact, that’s why God made January.
If you come across something really good on a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming a spectacle.
Same goes for pies. Apple, pumpkin, mincemeat – have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.
And remember this motto to live by: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well-preserved body but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, screaming — “WOO HOO, what a ride!”
How’s that for equal time? Happy Holidaze!
Cord Prettyman is a certified master personal trainer and the owner of Absolute Workout Fitness and Post-Re-hab Studio in Woodland Park. He can be reached at 719-687-7437 or at cordprettyman@msn.com.
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