We have another holiday season upon us that involves families gathering together and celebrating. It coincides with one of the loveliest times of the year when we can enjoy spending some time outdoors and admire the blossoming of spring.
Along with the family gathering usually comes the Big Meal. Every family has their own traditions, but it likely involves lots of cooking and an equal amount of eating!
My club has a spring theme and yours probably does too. The spring theme shows people in bathing suits or other summer clothes, playing outside and having a great time. It doesn’t show them sitting at a dinner table laden with an enormous amount of food, healthy or not.
Our message is clearly that the people in our displays are healthy and fit and are having lots of fun in the summertime to come. Is this message contradictory to what is really happening in our members’ lives? Or does this offer the club as a solution to their holiday concerns?
I hope that we are seen as a solution. Many of the same advice we give our members during the winter holiday season can be offered now. We can help them get through the overeating often associated with the holidays by making the following suggestions:
1. SET A PLAN, STICK TO A SCHEDULE! Choose the foods you eat carefully and monitor yourself. Write down what you eat or expect to eat. Don’t throw caution to the wind. Continue to work out consistently and drink lots of water.
2. NEVER SKIP MEALS! Eat lighter, low fat, higher fiber meals before an evening festivity. Select small servings of the holiday specials and skip the kinds of things available all year round. Know that it’s OK not to sample everything.
3. NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE HUNGRY! Have a healthy snack before you leave home to go to a family gathering. Don’t starve yourself beforehand so you’re so ravenous that you can’t control your appetite.
4. STEP AWAY FROM THE BUFFET TABLE! Put yourself at a safe distance and enjoy the company of someone you haven’t seen in a while. Opt for a smaller plate, eat slowly and don’t go back for seconds!
5. BEWARE OF BEVERAGES! Sweetened drinks have a tremendous number of empty calories. Keep it simple with an iced beverage and, of course, more water.
6. REMEMBER THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS! It is to gather with those you love, not to consume food. Be a social butterfly and seek companionship, not calories!
We always want our members to see us as the healthiest place in town where they will get support for the best lifestyle choices they make. Help them now!
Judith Samuels, M.A. is a certified nutrition and wellness consultant and master personal trainer at Sport&Health Clubs in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. She can be reached via e-mail at judi@judisamuels.com.
