Create Active Holiday Habits

I don’t know about you, but the holidays can be a very stressful but yet exciting time of the year. With our mind on getting the perfect gift, while trying to save money causes us to lose focus on our health. So why not try these tips to help squeeze in some physical activity during these last weeks before the big day?

1.Cut back on your family's television viewing time. Limit the number of hours your children spend playing video games. Instead make a new holiday tradition. Take a brisk walk (or wheel) around the neighborhood to see the holiday decorations or grab your bike, walking shoes or head out to the nearest trails or national park.

2.Play some backyard football, Frisbee or just Tag with children and adults before the big holiday dinner or during football half-time.

3.Grab your partner and Dance or exercise to your favorite holiday music. Together with friends make a New Year’s commitment with friends to start a daily walking group.

4.While you are standing in line to buy your special person a gift, try to maintain you balance and stand evenly on both feet. You could squeeze and hold your glute muscles or even heel raises (try 20 reps of your choice). Don’t stand with your hips out the side, this places your body out of alignment and cause unnecessary stress.

5.The Mall Shopping Workout- take advantage of your trip to the mall (plan for extra time) as you prepare your shopping list also plan your shopping route. Deliberately plan to go from one side of the mall to the other and chew up as much of the mall floor as you can between each store. Make frequent trips to your car to unload and return back to your route. Use your “New York City Walk”, when you are walking from store to store. Anyone who has visited NY, knows the NY city walk. FAST !!!!

6.Most of all, don’t give up on yourself. If you miss your goal for today try again tomorrow and keep trying until you get back into the game. It’s so important to forgive yourself and see each day and an opportunity to becoming more active. The more you think about being active increases your chance to move more!

Casio Jones

Holiday Tips

I just wanted to send out a few tips to help you during the holiday season. The next four weeks is the time of the years where we can add on some extra pounds because of all the excitement and social events we attend. I hope these tips help make your Holiday season one to remember and provide a sense of guiltless enjoyment.

1. Remember Thanksgiving and Christmas are two separate days. Enjoy each day individually and not the whole 4 week. Eat and enjoy yourself only on these days will reduce the work load for your New Year’s Resolution.

2. Remember the reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We should give thanks for all the blessings God has given us.
We should give thanks for God sending His Son to be our Savior.
We should not focus on our self and turn these days into a gluttony fest.

3. 4 oz of store bought eggnog contains about 350 calories. Try this to reduce calories: 2oz of eggnog and 2oz of skim milk. Also, adding alcohol adds extra 300 calories so avoid spiking the bowl!

4. Eat your Cranberries whole or chopped rather in a sauce can reduce calories by 80%. This “Super fruit” is full of antioxidants and pretty much fat free. So please eat your cranberries no matter in what form they are served

5. Avoid the Holiday Cheer with your glass. Alcoholic drink will increase your blood sugar because they contain sugar, thus placing your body in a storage mode.
This is a sure way to put on the pounds, plus drinking before your meals will effect your will power and increase your hunger. At your parties, have a club soda with lime or lemon. And be a friend and drive someone home!

6. 22 million pounds of turkey are consumed each holiday season. When eating your 4oz of turkey try to eat white meat as much as you can. This white meat has about 20% less calories in your 4oz serving size the dark meat. Also avoiding eating the skin cuts another 20%.

7. Bean Casserole is a all time favorite, however one serving size of half an cup has 10 grams of fat and packs 275 calories. Try sautéed onions instead of fried or delete the fried onions from the dish can reduce your calories by 50 – 75%.

8. Enjoy your pumpkin pie! A slice of pumpkin pie has considerably less calories and less fat then Cherry, apple or pecan pie. Don’t worry my southern friends the same also apply to sweet potato pie are better choices.

9. ½ cup of mashed potatoes with a ladle of gravy and a teaspoon of butter has more then three times the calories of a ½ sweet potato with a teaspoon of butter.

10. The best exercise is to push yourself away from the table when you start to feel full. Take your time eating and enjoying your meal, this will give you enough time to hear when your body tells you it’s full.
Casio Jones , BS ACSM is a Health & Wellness Instructor http://www.casiojones.com/