Hi there...

You probably think I have forgotten about you in all the excitement of the holidays - I have to admit it was a tiny bit hard to pull myself away from the chocolate cake, fruitcake, coffecake, and birthday cake on top of that - not to mention the Godiva truffles, chocolate covered cherries and rum balls - I never had a chance!!! So I'm pretty proud of myself to have gotten through one day in the last week without cake or chocolate! I'm sure I gained a couple of pounds (I hope that's all, but I'm not getting on the scales to find out!), but it was delicious, and I know I'll be back in my usual routine come next Monday, so just trying to enjoy it while I can without going crazy. The only thing that saved me was working out - the thought of that last bite of cake kept me from rolling over and going back to sleep, so there I was burning it off bright and early the next morning. Don't wait until next Monday to start getting back in shape - you can maintain somewhat of a normal weight as long as you are willing to burn some of those extra calories. Your metabolism stays elevated up to four hours after a workout, so you burn a lot more than you think - and the faster you move, the MORE calories are burned. This is a great time to pick up the intensity - all that extra sugar in your body gives you extra energy; that extra energy will also help you to keep your resolve for the next few days - small portions, lots of water and lots of exercise. You may feel a little sluggish at first, but your New Year's Eve imaginary endorphins will kick in after five or ten minutes, and you can take off. You'll be the one having the time of your life come the New Year! Melissa

Four days left...

We spend all month getting ready, and we know about it a year in advance, so why do we have so much left to do at the last minute?? Well, it wouldn't be Christmas if we were all organized and everyone was calm - it's part of the excitement and anticipation. And hey, excitement burns calories! Your heart rate is up from all that running around, burning off party food, office treats and that last sip of eggnog. However...being excited and hanging out at the mall aren't going to burn near enough calories to balance out all that fudge or the cheese ball - you have to fit in your workouts; maybe not daily, but as daily as you can make it. Working out also relieves stress, gets you out of the house and lets you be your normal self for an hour. I'm pretty sure they don't play Christmas music at the gym, so for once, you might even find yourself lingering on the treadmill! Melissa

Tis The Season - Part II

Pretty much starting from tonight, it is going to be non-stop festivities until New Year's Day - it will all be fun and it will all be fattening. Here are a few tips to help you (and remind me) of how to enjoy the season without gaining 10 pounds: 1) you probably will gain a couple, so don't panic - if you panic, you'll just eat more, and trust me, it won't make you feel better. Drink extra water and eat light and healthy when you're at home, and get your exercise time in - THIS will make you feel better; 2) Don't go to any party (or even dinner) hungry - a light fat/protein snack and a huge glass of water will stabilize your metabolism and let you have a little more control when it comes time to manage your splurge; this can be an apple with some peanut butter, a HANDFUL of nuts and a yogurt, a slice of cheese and 5 whole grain crackers, or even a small bowl of cereal or oatmeal. You know you won't be eating right away when you get to your party, and this will help you to pass on some of the nibbles. This is where you to want to start your plan for guiding you through the evening, however; you can get nuts, or party mix, or cheese any time of the year, so skip it now and go for something special - like that huge bowl of shrimp or that funny raw stuff everyone else likes but me; 3) look at the buffet or dinner menu before you start filling your plate, and decide what your five favorite things are - doesn't matter what you pick, but aim for five; put them on the smallest plate available and move away from the table or sit as far away as you can, eat slowly, and enjoy every bite; 4) if dessert is in the other room, don't even go in there (this won't work from me, but you can give it a try); same idea if you do go in there - aim for two or three things on a small plate, and have a bite or two of each (this is my plan)...good luck - this is always my downfall; and 5) after dessert, you are DONE - no going back for more, eating off someone else's plate, or taking any home - there is more where you are going tomorrow! This is a time when your host or hostess goes all out to make things special and especially good - it may take a little practice, but try to enjoy it all in moderation so that you will truly enjoy the festivities without any regret. And of course, if you blow it, walk an extra mile, drink more water, and try again the next night - you can do it! Melissa

a LITTLE nip of nog...

As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over, the Christmas eggnog comes out. Christmas only comes once a year, so what's the harm, right? Well, 580 calories and 19 grams of fat per cup is what!! Eggnog is a luxurious drink - it's made up of quality ingredients (eggs, cream and sugar); it is often a toast to health and well-being for a happy holiday season, and it's one of many traditions to celebrate this special time of year. For this reason, and the added fact that the colder the weather, the higher the consumption of heavier drinks (mulled wine, hot chocolate, special coffees), you have a high chance of gaining a pound a week if you have one of these every day and don't exercise. Even a caramel brulee latte from Starbucks is 580 calories and 20 grams of fat! If you have one of these lattes in the morning, a glass of wine with dinner, and an eggnog that night, you're screwed come New Year's Eve - you'll still be wearing your Santa suit. So, a few tips: 1)mix whole eggnog with nonfat eggnog - I'll be honest with you, the fat free just feels like it is, so you won't be happy with just the fat-free; 2) mix 1/3 eggnog with 1/3 fat free eggnog and fill rest of glass with fat free whipped cream (leave a little room for the bourbon and sprinkle of nutmeg - that sprinkle of nutmeg takes more room than you think...); 3) have a dish of lowfat eggnog ice cream instead; 4) make it in a shotglass - there won't be much room for the eggnog! and 5) don't buy it - that way you're not tempted every time you open the fridge; it's the one thing you can look forward to at the neighbor's Christmas party. Virtually all eggnog sales are between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so when it's gone, it's eleven months til you see it again - it's not that you shouldn't have it, but go crazy on the nutmeg and easy on the nog! Melissa

Congratulations!

This is for all of the finishers of the White Rock Marathon!! My son and I volunteered on the course yesterday, and it was a blast! We were at the 6-mile mark, and what was so amazing is that I saw MANY runners who sure didn't look like they were going to be able to run TWO more miles, much less twenty, but guess what - they did it! A very high percentage of runners don't look like athletes, or even runners, but they don't let that get in their way. Every day, or nearly every day, they are all out there training - no excuses. Regardless of the weather, how many hours they worked that that week, kids are sick and they didn't get any sleep - whatever, they perservered and made it to their goal. Oh, what a feeling! There is nothing like finishing your first marathon - sticking to it, overcoming physical and mental obstacles, and doing something not everyone can do. Point is, you can be a winner too - it doesn't take special ability or a perfect body; you just have to get out there, do the work, and cross the finish line. That medal says it all - good job! Have a nice week, Melissa

The Christmas Fruitcake

You might be thinking of your old uncle, but I'm referring to the real thing - I'm one of about four people in the world who actually LOVE fruitcake! The rest of you just make the same old joke about the same old fruitcake, but it's a tough little cake so you can't hurt it's feelings. It's tough for a reason - it has been around since the 1400's; the Crusaders carried it to feed themselves during long periods away from home, so it was made in such a way that it wouldn't spoil (hence, the rum). In Europe, during the 1700's, the fruitcake was baked one year to be eaten the following year to celebrate a successful year of harvest (the more rum, the better the celebration). They were outlawed in the 1800's because they were considered "too rich" (hmmn...the rum?) The Queen of England broke through all that (she's never been known to be a teetotaler), and it became popular and necessary at every tea - she would save hers from one birthday to the next, which was believed to show restraint, moderation and good taste (but actually just fermented some more, which is why it tasted so good). It was also the custom in England for unmarried wedding guests to put a slice of fruitcake under their pillow at night so they would dream about the person they would marry (see, something good comes out of everything - maybe some of you might want to try that!) AND, it's not the worst as far as desserts go either - one average slice is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat (and most of that is from the nuts, which is a healthy fat - rum doesn't have any fat, good thing), and 6% of your iron. I like mine warmed up with a HUGE scoop of fat-free cool whip - even for breakfast! Oh go on - give it another try - it's a great way to start a day! Melissa

Mr. Peppermint

The tree goes up, lights and ornaments follow, and candy canes are the finishing touch. For some reason, in our house, they don't get eaten, so every year the candy canes get bagged up and sent to the office, where somebody will always eat them. But did you know that peppermint soothes your stomach after too much "eggnog", relieves the stress of annoying relatives, soothes a headache from listening to too much Christmas music, AND relieves motion sickness from flying around all night in your sleigh! It acts as a decongestant when you're all stopped up because you're allergic to poinsettias, and stunts bacteria floating around at the mall as you wrap up your last minute Christmas shopping (that's what you get for waiting...). So, unwrap one of those candy canes - at approximately 100 calories and and no fat, it might be just the thing that keeps you in the spirit! Melissa

The Fat Man

I suppose no one wants to see a skinny Santa, but there IS a reason why he's so fat and Rudolph is so buff - who's doing all the work? There's Rudolph at the front; he's sweating, his heart rate's up, and his blood is pumping so hard it makes his nose red! Then look at Santa - he's just sitting in the sleigh, all bundled up, back against the presents (stuffed animals in front to make him more comfortable), holding the reins and ho ho hoing. And, the other reindeer get bigger the further back they are, so really Rudolph, Comet, and Cupid are doing most of the work. It'll pay off though, when they get back to the North Pole and all of the other reindeer are envious of their powerful physiques. Do you want to be a reindeer or do you want to have to stuff yourself into a red suit come Christmas? If you want to be like Rudolph, you have to push yourself - work out hard and don't be afraid to get your heart rate up and sweat like crazy - it won't do you much good to just show up, sit on some machine and hold onto the rails like you're going to fall off. If you do have to put on the red suit anyway, the best present you could give yourself is a pillow - Rudolph will apppreciate it too! Melissa

Oh no!

All of a sudden, it's December and everyone else has their lights up, the tree decorated and all their presents wrapped - how did they do that?? They stayed home, that's how; didn't make it to the gym, or out for their morning run or even to their pilates class. They'll the ones who'll be sorry come New Year's Eve when they have to squeeze into that dress that fit perfect when they bought it last weekend or the button's too tight on their shirt (and they have that funny little gap) - either one of those can spoil a great party! Take the time now to get your workouts in - they are great stress relievers and calorie burners; that yoga or pilates class will help you to relax and organize your thoughts; the relatives are coming and they're bringing their pets, the lights keep going off on the tree, and your prime rib dinner now includes two vegetarians - you're going to need to be calm, and it will help if you're pants fit. And, what's a better excuse than you're meeting your trainer when it's too early too drink wine and everyone's driving you crazy?? Staying healthy is a gift to yourself, so don't panic - somehow by Christmas Eve it'll all be done! Melissa

It's going to be a merry month!!

I just love December - and I just found the perfect way to start it off - PEPPERMINT WHIPPED CREAM!! AND it's lowfat!! There really IS a Santa! Only 15 calories a squirt, 1 gram of fat and 1 gram of sugar - but it tastes awesome; just think - lowfat chocolate ice cream, light hot chocolate, even straight up if you just need a little fix - have a great start to your month! Melissa