Fit--Not Fat--for the Holidays

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By Marilynda Longoria
Pulse Staff Reporter

It starts with Halloween sweetness and doesn't end until you've partied away the New Year. By that time, you've eaten your way through three months of leftover chocolate and turkey trimmings. It's time to nip this holiday health hazard in the bud.

You don't even have to be in reasonably good shape to start working out and feeling like a new person. By following these simple rules for weight loss, you can sail through Thanksgiving, turkey, gravy, stuffing and all, without ever having to give thanks for your fat jeans.

1. Get Moving! A report issued by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force found that about 40 percent of the American population are completely sedentary. Even the most couch bound of us should be able to handle at least a 30-minute walk three times a week. According to the Shapeup America Scientific Advisory Committee, even a moderate exercise routine broken into 10-minute blocks can have significant benefits. Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your chances of Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, breast cancer and colon cancer. As a Palo Alto student, you are entitled to use the exercise facilities here as a fringe benefit of your education.
2. Eat lean. Take stock of what you've been eating and cut the fat from whatever will cause you the least pain with the maximum benefit. That doesn't mean that you have to give up your favorite fajitas, but there could be a better way to eat them. Don't fill them so full of fajita meat, and substitute that flour tortilla with a corn one. Learn to love vegetables. Prepared correctly, they can spice up any meal.
3. Drink at least eight glasses of water each day. For those of you who hate water and prefer a sweet spot of soda, try water with a little slice of lime and sweetener. Now you've got a low-cal glass of lemonade! One glass of water is equal to eight ounces, so no excuses about the human body not being able to hold that much. Water does more than just hydrate you; it can give your body a little pick-me-up after a sweaty workout session. It can even hold off a voracious appetite. A glass of water before dinner will fill your stomach so that you don't overeat.
4. Have anything you want, in moderation! Moderation is the key to every healthy diet. You can still have your favorite guacamole, but limit your intake to a fraction of your normal portion. You can even eat this Thanksgiving if you remember that it's not what you eat, but how much you have. Go ahead and have a little of the stuffing, but drizzle it with gravy, don't drown it!
5. Visualize yourself thinner! Sure it sounds like psychobabble, but it's really nothing but a mental boost during those times of discouragement. Instead of thinking of your struggles, think of the pay off. Go ahead and look at those jeans from two years ago, and know that you won't be pining if you stick to your guns and a treadmill.

Making the decision to exercise and eat right will not only make you feel healthier, it may save your life. In 1998, a study conducted by the Scientific Advisory Committee found that weight-related conditions were among the leading causes of preventative death in the U.S., second only to smoking, which resulted in 300,000 deaths.

“The link between obesity and an increased risk of premature death is similar to the association between smoking and lung cancer,” said Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General.

Health and weight maintenance shouldn't only be a seasonal concern, they should be a lifestyle concern for the more than one-third of U.S. adults who are overweight and obese. The risks are too great to neglect. Almost all cases of adult-onset diabetes can be prevented through weight loss and exercise. Between half and three-fourths of all coronary heart disease could be prevented by adequate physical care.

By sticking to the big five, you should not only be able to coast through this Thanksgiving, but even be around for many more to come. Taking care of yourself will become easier as you learn to apply these guidelines in the real world. Your life may depend on it.

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