Happy and Healthy Holidays

Greetings! I hope you had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. ‘Tis the season of eating, drinking and making merry. Did you know that nutrition professionals suggest that from Halloween to New Year’s Day the average person puts on ten (10) to twenty (20) pounds? That’s a lot of weight to remove, especially if you begin in January. The cold and inclement weather discourages many people from the choice to walk, bike or jog.

In a course I teach we discuss the concept of “moral holidays.” Examples of moral holidays include New Year’s Eve and Mardi Gras. These are occasions when people act as if they hold a license to live outside the norm (to be deviant or to sin if you will). This is not reckless abandonment, as each reveler knows that the transition back to normal or ideal life comes via resolutions of January first or the forty days of repentance during Lent. It’s a good psychological process, for sure.

I like to think of Thanksgiving and Christmas in a similar light. They are days filled with cooking, eating, drinking and socializing, none of which burn very many calories. So, dive head first into our cultural milieu of gorging, but afterwards be steadfast to adhere to the tenets of restraint, moderation and regular exercise.

Try something new this holiday season. Go against the grain. Don’t become a weight gain statistic! Maintain or even lose weight this December. You’ll love yourself for it in the New Year.

Be Merry. Stay Active. Be Happy!

Tom