Beyond
Walking

By Ronda Gates, MS

Ronda Gates, MS, is a pharmacy grad who traded her white coat for a pair of athletic shoes and never looked back. Her health promotion business, LIFESTYLES, provides motivational speaking, program development, and fitness assessment services to support people making a lifestyle change. She has developed health promotion programs for many organizations nationwide.
Visit www.rondagates.com for a complimentary subscription to Ronda’s weekly email newsletter.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

— Henry David
Thoreau

Here Come The Holidays

The shorter and rainy days of November signal the pending arrival of the six-week holiday season launched at Thanksgiving and ending at the New Year. It’s a time when the traditional holiday lights designed to brighten the inside and outside of our homes, stores, schools, and work spaces remind us that the season of giving also means heightened expectations by friends and family and a variety of social events sure to crowd an already busy calendar.

These festivities can be a challenge to those of us who cope best when we stick to our fitness and nutrition routines. Nevertheless, when we find ourselves short on time, healthy eating and regular exercise can be the ball we drop as we juggle a hectic schedule. That, combined with a plethora of holiday food options, can set the stage for caloric overindulgence, despite our best intentions. Soon, caught up in the excitement, we discover our clothes feel snug. A subsequent glance in a mirror or ascent of a scale and we discover that indulgent lifestyle has added a few pounds of fat to a fit frame.

Although “a few pounds” may not seem like a lot, it is. You can get a good physical look at what three-to-five pounds of fat look like by piling that many pounds of butter in your basket the next time you visit the supermarket. When it’s time to lose that extra weight, you need to decrease your caloric intake or exercise enough to metabolize 3,500 calories for each pound of fat added to your frame. Although a challenging 60-minute exercise session can burn up to 500 calories, you would need to exercise 21 more times to work off three pounds.

Fear not. The weight gain cycle can be managed, or perhaps prevented, with planning and realistic strategies. This holiday consider using some of these tips for a smooth transition without gaining a single pound.

1. Schedule Exercise
Scheduling exercise with the belief that this is as important as any other item on your calendar is especially important during busy times. Even if you’ve been doing the same fitness routine for months, schedule and write down your exercise plan on your calendar to help you stay committed.

2. Carry Your Exercise Gear With You
If you find it too easy to pass up going to the gym after you return home, take your exercise clothes and gear to work. If you change clothes before you leave the offfiice you will be more inclined to stop at the gym or take your walk before you head home.

3. Plan in Advance
A successful weight loss strategy, advance planning, is a great skill to adopt during holiday time. Know what you’re going to eat or drink before you get to a party. I’ve asked clients to fax or email a daily plan of what they plan to eat that day. It’s a commitment that requires honor to maintain. Successful clients have gone so far as to re-submit their daily eating plan if it changes during the day. Like a “to do” list, crossing out the day’s intake can be very satisfying when you stick to your plan.

4. Exercise Harder, Not Longer
If a busy schedule is keeping you from exercise, consider working out harder rather than longer. Most of us tend to get into a routine and exercise at an easy to moderate intensity level. To keep unwanted pounds at bay, add sprints to your walking, cycling, swimming or running routine. For example:
• Exercise at an easy to moderate intensity for three minutes.
• Challenge yourself by increasing intensity to “hard” for 30-60 seconds. Repeat for 20-30 minutes, changing your intensity and duration

5. Make Small Changes in Your Diet
During the holidays, delicious treats appear in places you’ve never seen them before. If you are intrigued, focus on the word “sample.” I’ve never known a second, third, or fourth cookie or piece of candy that tastes any better than the first one. You can also:
• Ask for dressings or sauces on the side
• Skip the appetizer or, if eating at a restaurant, make the appetizer your meal.
• Consider splitting an entrée with a friend.
Remember, when managing caloric intake, little changes can add up and make a big difference. A bit of restraint doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your favorite foods, it simply requires paying attention and/or making adjustments in your choices.

6. Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol can pack on loads of empty calories, and too much can make you feel sluggish and less likely to exercise the next day. Alternate a glass of alcohol with a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime.

7. Get Moving
The holidays tend to include a lot of sitting and eating, especially at family gatherings. Take charge this year and plan an event that will get the whole family moving. Schedule a family walk, go tobogganing, or host an ice skating party. Your family’s lungs, hearts, and glutes will thank you!

Holidays, special events, and vacations are a time for celebration and a time to treat yourself. With planning you can keep extra calories at bay and breeze through the season without adding inches to your waistline.