Column 2, December, 2007

Have a Happy and Healthy Christmas!

All that we are is the result of what we have thought
- Buddha

Some believe our body is the product of our thoughts. Is it therefore because we think it’s normal to gain two or three extra kilos over the Christmas period, that we tend to do so?

I believe a lot of us actually use Christmas as an excuse to overindulge and let ourselves go. And, hey! There’s nothing wrong with that, if you’re happy with the end result! After all, it’s about what makes YOU happy. Just don’t get to the end of the holiday season feeling cheated with your current fitness and health status wondering where it all went wrong, as if the whole thing was Santa’s fault!

Decide exactly what you want in terms of health and fitness, believe it’s achievable, imagine what it feels like to have it now, then take action to make it your reality!

Setting Health and Fitness Goals for Christmas

Be pro-active and take a few minutes now to write down your health & fitness goals for the Christmas period.
Write goals in the positive, and make sure they’re specific and measurable. For example, reword “don’t drink too much at Christmas functions” as “enjoy up to 3 glasses of champagne or wine at functions”. This way it’s measurable, and you’re focussing on enjoyment, rather than deprivation.
Make a list of all the benefits to you if you achieve your goals.
Put these goals somewhere that you can read them every morning.

You may like to use a few of the tips below as a starting place when writing your goals.

Christmas parties

On the day of your Christmas function, eat as normal, limiting only the size, but not frequency of your meals through the day, to offset the few extra calories you may consume later.
Have a small low calorie snack before you leave home, so that you don’t arrive starving eg apple and a slice of low fat cheese, cottage cheese and tomato on rye crackers, a single portion of porridge with trim or low fat soy milk.
Decide before you leave home how much you intend to eat, as it’s easy to lose track when platters continually file past.
At parties, opt for sushi, teriyaki salmon kebabs, char grilled vegetable skewers, crostini, salsa dip, pumpernickel rounds with salmon, mini pitas with Cajun chicken rather than the less healthy choices like spring rolls, samosas, chips, creamy dips, salamis/chirizo, petite croissants, spinach and feta triangles.

Alcohol

New Zealand has a culture of binge drinking ≠ I am a New Zealander therefore it’s OK to binge drink!

Ask yourself, “How much alcohol does it take before my ability and desire to train, work, function tomorrow is affected? What do I want to achieve in terms of health and fitness over this period?”

Consider:

water alternated with alcoholic beverages
diet mixers, and requesting single shots of spirits to reduce sugar, alcohol and calories
low alcohol alternatives eg low alcohol beers (though be aware ‘light’ does not always pertain to the alcohol percentage but the taste).

Car trips

Take healthy, portable snacks and bottled water with you so that you’re not relying on gas stations to calm those between meal hunger pains.

Apples, summer fruit, tinned fruit in juice, low fat tuna & cracker packs, muesli bars (check the labels)… are all easily portable and don’t require refrigeration.

Holiday eating

To start you off on the right track, take your usual breakfast on holiday. Make it a high fibre, low fat, filling start to the day to set you up for good eating habits throughout the day.

Plan to go to the supermarket the day you arrive to stock up on healthy snacks and quick meal options to last a few days until you suss out the healthy eating out options in the area.

BBQ’s

The great NZ style of eating where you are totally responsible for the portion size of your meal, and the quality of food that goes in your gob. So enjoy a wonderfully social occasion!

Fill up on low fat, low carbohydrate salads (half your plate), and leave the other half for lean barbecued meats/fish/seafood/vegetarian patties/chicken kebabs (palm size serving) and some grainy bread with a smudge of olive oil, chutney or avocado.

Christmas day

Rather than gorging, enjoy a little bit of everything on offer, as no-one really enjoys being soo full they have to lie down for hours!. Some individuals find bingeing may also trigger a period of destructive eating and exercise habits, so learn from past experiences.
Gift wrap left-over Christmas goodies like cake, chocolate, gourmet cheeses etc on boxing day, and give them to visitors. This is wise if you find it difficult controlling portions of high fat/high sugar foods.
Get up Christmas morning and do some form of enjoyable exercise, like walking, swimming in the ocean, cycling etc… Speaking from experience you’ll find there are very few people or cars about (great if you’re a cyclist), so it’s a brilliant time for quiet reflection on all the good things in your life, as well as time to dream and set goals for the year ahead

Holiday activity

Most people have more time to exercise when they are on holiday, but it may require a little forward planning and flexibility with the type of exercise you do.

If you’re not training for a specific event, this is a great time to try a new sport like golf, sea kayaking, surfing, boogie boarding, water skiing, sea swimming, tramping, beach volleyball, windsurfing. Enlist a few mates, and have a fantastic summer!

All the best for the festive season...

Marnie Oberer