Monday, December 16, 2013

Feeling frazzled or fat? Try this.

I didn't mean try this (photo)

Last week, I was the guest on Sarah Stanley’s Wellness Chat; the topic was Breaking Old Holiday Habits. I know some of you were busy (this time of year I can’t imagine why) and others do not tweet (many of my friends it seems are twittersaurs) so I thought I’d give you the gist of what we discussed.

You don’t need me to tell you holidays are hard. There’s spending and anxiety about dept. Then the cold and darkness can cause mood to take a serious dip. Some of us are too busy with parties and travel and others are lonely. It’s really the perfect storm for emotional eating, so what do?

Watch ProcrastinEATing. Procrastineating = “when I get home from this trip I’ll exercise" or,“on Monday I’ll get bag on the wagon” or this time of year January 1st resolutions beckon. When you feel yourself postponing your wellness ask yourself what you can do now, some ideas:
Fill a water bottle, loving these new bigger Bars
Wear your Fitbit; I have the flex dying for the force model.
Drop and do push ups; try for 10 real ones.

Rather than spending all your energy at treat avoidance how about a Green Day?
Goal: for one day have something (naturally) green at each meal. For example a green juice or omega 3 eggs with kale or spinach for breakfast.
I loved this juice.

Pre-tox- are you in NYC on 12/30? Spin, Sweat and Prep for New Year’s Eve with a special ride hosted by Foodtrainers. Get a sneak preview of, The Little Book of Thin and insider tips of how to enjoy the biggest party of the year without wreaking havoc on your body.  6:30 pm, Swerve Fitness be there or be square (or maybe rounder)

From pre-exercising to the Pre-Eat. When I tell clients to Pre Eat I get the same look from clients my kids give me when I tell them to wear a hat.  “Do I really have to?” They do if they don’t want to freeze or get sick (is that a myth?) and you do if you don’t want to overeat or gain weight. Fill a nutcase with seeds or nuts and have it 30 to 60 minutes before the party or. Holiday dinner.
Ah Gingersnap Organics, how I love the Go Chili seeds
If the winter blues are setting in, double your D. Especially in Northern latitudes, we’re not getting any D from the sun. Try 2,000 IUs or International Units. Vitamin D is important for appetite control, mood and immunity. These little Blue Bonnet bottles can go in your desk drawer or makeup case.
And some promising holiday news, the “Holiday 5” or tendency to pile on the pounds this time of year is a myth. Average weight people tend to gain less than a kilogram (2.2 pounds) despite feeling like we gained more. If you’re overweight the statistics are a little less cheerful. Come January 1st if you’re looking to make changes or did procrastinEat you know what to do, sorry tis the season for me and my “Little Book”.
What do you find most stressful this time of year? Are you a procrastinEATer or pre eater? Do you take Vitamin D, which brand?
Happy (and healthy) Holidays

6 comments:

  1. I love my Fitbit as it keeps me accountable when it comes to my daily steps. But you already know that! :) I also do push ups and a little yoga every day no matter what. You can always find 15 minutes... I think pre-eating is a very smart strategy, and your nut case looks so convenient!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always Pre-Eat!!! Save me!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. bc you're "smarty" cassie not dumby cassie, what do you pre-eat?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I definitely do a good job of having something green at every meal (although not typically breakfast, I get my purples and oranges at that time!).
    This time of year the toughest thing for me is staying away from all the goodies that are everywhere. I find my chocolate addiction just grows and grows, so I try to keep extra dark around the house (less sugar, more nutrients, you know....that's my excuse!).

    ReplyDelete
  5. no problem methadoning it with the super dark Gina, it's a strategy not an excuse. Happy Holidays to you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this..."Ask yourself what you (I) can do now." The wait until Jan 1 mentality to eat healthy, exercise, what ever, drives me crazy. Yes, I do tend to eat more treats than usual this time of year, but keeping up the exercise, (and green juice) is so important to my sanity over the holiday season! Love those chili seeds, and, yes, I do D, but no double Ds for me :-)

    ReplyDelete