Fit In Real Life

A Healthy Holiday Eating Strategy

It's just two days 'til Thanksgiving and I know what you're thinking: "How am I going to get through this day without demolishing my healthy diet?" Fortunately, Melissa Kirdzik, my fabulous dietitian during my year as Shape magazine's Weight-Loss Diary columnist, is here with her best advice for a happy, healthy Turkey Day. Melissa, what do you say?

 

Like any other meal of the year, if you know there's a chance you may overdo it on not-so-healthy fare, plan to get in a workout or some sort of exercise. Many towns have turkey trots and pie runs for you runners out there. If you're not a runner, try to make it to the gym for a quick workout. If you're pressed for time, try for at least 20 minutes of high-intensity cardio to rev your metabolism. 
 
Break up dinner and dessert with a walk outside or some sort of family activity. I know a few people who will be Wii bowling with their kids during the day. If you prepare ahead by making any dishes that can be fully or partially prepared the day or so before, you'll have more free time on Thanksgiving morning.
 
Make sure to eat breakfast and don't graze while cooking. Try to stick to eating lighter every few hours. Remember, it's not a rule that YOU have to get completely stuffed.
 
Limit calorie-laden beverages. Drink water throughout the day, and sip on peppermint tea after meals to aid digestion. Limit juices, punches, cider and eggnog.
 
During the meal, eat slowly -- you'll register feeling full more quickly. Put your fork down between bites, eat the turkey and veggies first,then the stuffings and casseroles, if you must.
 
Offer to help with the clean-up and dishes -- the host will love you and you'll get to move around. Plus, it's harder to keep reaching for pie with dirty, soapy hands. 

 

Don't forget to enjoy the day, of course. And if you go overboard? Get right back on track the next day and pump up your workout a bit to compensate.
 
I'll leave you with this: A typical Thanksgiving meal has about 7,000 calories. Here are some average calorie counts for some of the dishes you may be eating:
 

• Turkey, 4 oz. serving:  160 calories without skin, 210 with skin
• 1 cup mashed potatoes:  240
• 1 serving sweet potato casserole: 300
• 1 medium sweet potato: 100
• 1 cup stuffing: 150
• 1/4 cup cranberry sauce:  110
• 1 pumpkin muffin:  200
• 1 piece cornbread (1/8 recipe, 2 oz.): 200
• 1 pat butter: 40
• 1/4 cup homemade gravy: 40
• 1 serving green bean casserole: 300
• 1 slice pumpkin pie (no whipped cream): 340
• 1 slice apple pie:  410
• 5 oz. wine: 130
• 5 oz. champagne: 98
• Lite beer: 50-65
• Regular beer: 100-200

Thanks, Melissa, for stopping by with this great information. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! 
 

License to Chill

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the connection between my mind and my body. I've thought about it in terms of body image -- how the way I think about my body affects the way I feel as I move through my day -- while researching and writing my book (on sale April 13th, people!). But I've also been thinking about stress and how stress feels in my body. It's got me contemplating something that I've often considered, but usually quickly dismiss: Yoga.

 

I think you all know me well enough by now to know that I tend to dismiss the "woo woo" in life. The thought of sitting in a room chanting makes me want to run for the hills. My inability to sit still is legendary. But I'm starting to notice some ill effects of stress in my body: A nightly headache. Tight shoulders. Lower back pain. Insomnia. Clearly, I need to address this.

 

I've had a lively discussion with a few writer friends recently, all of whom are regular yoga practitioners. They claim that not only do their bodies feel better, but they've strengthened the connection between their minds and their bodies. Some have learned to use yoga breathing techniques to help them relax when they're stressed at their desks. Others have said that the heightened awareness that yoga brings has them brimming with ideas (lack of ideas can be a real problem for writers). I have to admit I'm intrigued.

 

Another experience that's got me thinking about all this is a fitness class I took a few weeks ago. It combined cardio and core training, but at the end of class, the instructor did what I can only call a guided imagery kind of thing -- we all laid down on the floor, she dimmed the lights and took us through a breathing exercise while she talked. Maybe it was because I had somebody telling me what to imagine, but I found it fairly easy to play along and I sure did feel relaxed for the rest of the day. My point, and I do have one, is that maybe I do have the ability to connect my mind and body, if I just focus.

 

So yesterday, I did it -- I researched yoga studios and found one that's close enough to get to, but far enough away where I won't run into anyone I know (no public shaming!). They offer an introductory package of three classes (no long-term commitment!) and a class that's designed for absolute beginners (no looking like a dork among experts!). Though I find the thought really uncomfortable, I'm going to give it a try and, if all goes according to plan, I'll take my first class next week.

 

Tune in for that report!

 

On Tuesday, Melissa will be here to tell us how to get through Thanksgiving without having to break out the elastic-waist pants.

Tea Time!

It's here! It's here!

 

I'm talking about the holiday tea line from Celestial Seasonings. Yeah, I'm a geek.

 

It's no secret that I'm a girl who loves her coffee. I was never a fan of tea; in fact, a college friend and I couldn't eat breakfast together back then because I hated the smell of tea and she hated the smell of coffee (thankfully, we had lunch). But last year, my dietitian, Melissa, talked me into trying green tea. She raved about its health benefits, so I gave it a try. It may be good for my health, but the taste was...how shall I put it?

 

Nasty.

 

When I complained, she encouraged me to try different flavors. So I tried strawberry-and-rose green tea. Didn't like it. Then I tried cinnamon apple green tea. That was decent, but I still didn't love it. But when I tried the "Candy Cane Lane" decaf green tea from Celestial Seasonings?

 

Now that's my cup of tea (sorry...couldn't resist).

 

According to Melissa, two to three cups of green tea each day will give me an impressive antioxidant boost that, research says, will help lower my risk of heart disease and stroke, boost my immune system, stoke my metabolism and help protect my cells from the risks of exposure to things like smoke and chemicals. Wow. But then she said the magic words that'll make any 40-year-old woman sit up and take notice: Green tea allegedly helps fight premature aging and improves your complexion.

 

All those health benefits and fewer fine lines, too? I'm convinced!

 

So if you see me in the supermarket, basket full of Candy Cane Lane tea, I hope you won't think I've gone and lost it. I'm just trying to buy a year's supply worth during this short holiday season.

 

Do I Dare Mess With It?

Thanksgiving dinner, that is.

 

It's my turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for the family -- 21 of us -- and I'm pondering the age-old question that confronts me every time I host a holiday gathering. Do I serve the traditional favorites, made the traditional way, or do I mix things up with some new recipes and foods that people may not be familiar with?

 

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Cooking Light magazine and this is the time of year when they bring out their best healthy holiday recipes. Leafing through the glossy pages, salivating over the pretty pictures while reading calorie and fat counts, I gotta tell you: I'm tempted.

 

Case in point: I usually make a do-ahead mashed potato dish that's really delicious, but involves sour cream, butter and cream cheese -- not exactly what you'd call healthy. However, during my year with Shape, I became a huge fan of the sweet potato (which I'd never even tried in my life, since my mom didn't cook them). I often eat a baked sweet potato for lunch -- they're loaded with vitamins and fiber -- but I can't get anyone else in the family to appreciate their orangey goodness. Do I dare force a new sweet potato dish on the entire family, or do I give up and serve the traditional mashed potato favorite?

 

I'm curious to know how you handle hosting holiday gatherings in your home. Do you keep it healthy, even though your guests may long for butter-laden side dishes? Or do you tell yourself it's just one day and keep it traditional?

 

How do you know when it's time for a new tradition?

Ready or Not, Here They Come

As I drove to school to pick up my daughter yesterday, I was flipping through the channels on the radio when suddenly I heard it -- the unmistakable sound of jingle bells. That's right...on November 10, one of the local radio stations had already started its schedule of 24-hour, non-stop holiday music. I don't mean to sound like a Scrooge or anything, but really? November 10?

 

That's just not right.

 

Just hearing those jingle bells made me tense up. I have a calendar and yeah, I knew the holidays were coming. But I'd managed to convince myself that I had more time before I had to start thinking about the shopping and the events and the presents and the food.

 

I'm going to choose to see the silver lining in all of this and realize that the early focus on the holidays will encourage me to plan well. How will I make sure I get my workout in during this busy time? How will I make sure I eat right and drink enough water? These things require planning, too.

 

So even though I'm not exactly feeling the holiday spirit yet, I'm going to take this time to get myself organized and know what I need to do to keep myself healthy in the coming busy weeks. With that said, here's some advice from the Discovery Health Channel for managing food -- and all its temptations -- during the holidays.

 

Ho ho ho!

 

On November 11? That's just not right.

 

 

Catastrophe, Stress & Motivation

Sorry about the missing post on Tuesday, but when I woke up that morning and turned on my computer -- nothing but a blinking cursor. All day. The diagnosis? Catastrophic hard drive failure.

Breathe with me now...

Yes, I had an article due the next day that I needed to work on. Yes, I had JUST saved the final version of my book manuscript the day before. And, yes, when the computer goes down, the emails don't stop.

It was actually an interesting experiment. As the IT guy sat in my office, trying to figure out what was happening, I found myself in the kitchen -- with my hand in the kids' Halloween bags. It was absolutely mindless consumption of chocolate. Because really, what can consuming multiple mini Snickers bars really do for a writer on deadline whose computer has kicked it?

Nothing.

But I was nervous and mad and upset. Instead of punching a wall or doing jumping jacks, I chose to deal with my nervous energy by swallowing it. And that, I think, is very telling. As things get busy and stressful in my life, it's more important than ever that I create a plan for dealing with my feelings -- one that doesn't involve chocolate. Maybe gum will work.

Anyway, that's the story behind the missing post.  As a bonus, here's Melissa with a great tip on getting motivated to exercise.  

The 10 Minute Rule

This is a simple way to get over a big "I don't want to exercise" hurdle. When you just aren't in the mood to exercise, the thought of climbing steps for 40 minutes isn't intriguing or you look at the treadmill and feel your legs go weak...tell yourself you will be happy with 10 minutes of exercise. That's enough time to get your body warmed up, get the blood flowing and to start feeling good. Nine out of 10 times, you'll find some sort of motivation and keep going. Then, you'll feel even better about yourself for going above and beyond. 

Worst case scenario? You really only do 10 minutes and burn off that little candy bar left over from Halloween -- and don't eat the other two that were staring you in the face before the gym. 

Thanks, Melissa, for the motivation!