Healthy Holiday Tips

Here are some great strategies to make your holiday festivities a little bit more healthful.  You can also find these tips on the bulletin board in the fitness center.

Plan a workout before a holiday party or big meal.
     In the one or tow hours after intense exercise, our bodies are more sensitive the hormone insulin, which helps transport sugars to our depleted muscles.  All the starchy holiday dishes like mashed potatoes or sugary cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie are excellent for glycogen replenishment.  And protein from the holiday turkey will help repair damaged tissues.  Don't forget we are open on Sundays, so you can fit that workout in any day of the week.

Offer to bring a healthy dish to holiday parties.
     For appetizers, you could bring a vegetable platter with low-fat dip; a colorful fruit platter with a dip made from nonfat yogurt blended with a dab of fat-free cool whip garnished with roasted chestnuts; whole wheat pita triangles served with hummus; or baked tortilla chips with chunky salsa and/or fat-free refried bean dip.

Eat four to six smaller meals rather than "saving yourself for that special feast"
     Not only do smaller, more frequent meals enhance metabolic activity (meaning you burn more calories during the day,)  you're less likely to binge on those holiday treats.

In contrast to our "sports mentality" to pick up the pace, when eating, SLOW DOWN!
     It takes at least 20 minutes for our brains to signal that we're actually full, which means a slow eater will consume less calories before feeling full than someone who races through their meal.  So rather than attempting to finish your plate first, see if you can outlast the competition by being the last to finish.

Try recipe modification
     Prepare a batch of muffins using a traditional recipe with oil and another batch substituting applesauce.  Of course the recipe modification enhanced the nutritional value of the muffins, but in a test, tasters actually rated the flavor and overall satisfaction of the modified muffin recipe higher than the traditional recipe.