Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has had a good holiday season. We're about to enter the new year and the cold winter months. I have certainly had exercise issues over the holidays and have eaten my fair share of Christmas goodies. I'm now back at work after being out four months on maternity leave (VERY tough to go back), and am struggling with kids not sleeping as much as I want to. I'm hoping to get my energy back after I get back into a daily routine (and more sleep hopefully). How has everyone done over the holidays?

Ok folks, new year, new decade, new start. I've started by tuning up my diet. The good thing about eating so lax over the holidays is that now I'm pretty burned out on the sweets. My next step is hopefully figure a workable exercise program I can do during my work week. I'm also planning on catching the new season of the Biggest Loser for that added motivation - if they can do it we definitely can, right?

Motivation is sometimes very elusive but we have to come up with creative ways of making it surface. Try new things, get new goals. I challenge everyone to pick one big fitness goal this year, whether it be to run / walk a 5 K (or more if so inclined), or do an organized bike ride, or do a big hike in the mountains in the summer, etc. It doesn't have to be an organized event, just something you have to work up to doing. And by all means, make it fun!

I'd love to see everyone (yes, everyone) post on this blog as to how they're doing (or not doing) over the holidays and their fitness plans for the next year. We can do this!!!

-Vic

Eat Slower, Gain Less

This article is from the Sac State Employee Assistance Program Faculty and Staff Living Newsletter, December 2009 by Douglas R. Adams, LCSW, EAP Clinician and Cathy Connors, Psy.D. EAP Clinician. I thought this article might help us keep from overindulging during the Christmas holiday.

"It tastes so good, I can’t wait to have seconds—zoom! There’s evidence that very fast eaters who eat until they are full are three times more likely to gain weight than others who don’t eat fast. During the holiday season, try enjoying what you’re eating, but take your sweet time doing it. You just may eat less. The idea is not new. “Gentle eating” seminars are a key component to many eating disorder programs, and what they teach may be a strategy that could work for you. Pause a few seconds between bites. Engage in some conversation during the meal. Don’t adapt an attitude of denial. You can still have those seconds, you will just take a few minutes after finishing the firsts to savor the experience before getting more. Allow yourself to enjoy the company around you prior to refilling your plate. By allowing your body and brain some time
to communicate, you can reduce overeating and enter the new year in a healthier state."