*Always eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner before you go to a holiday party (that is not specifically a dinner party, of course!). Going to a party hungry is a disaster waiting to happen…you are much more likely to make poor food choices and overeat while starving.

*Don’t go to a party wearing loose fitting clothes. Wear something slim-fitting, or pull your belt one notch tighter than it should be — you will be much less likely to overeat because it will be easier to clue in to your stomach cues when you are satisfied or just slightly full.

*Eat mindfully- often people eat out of boredom, or to fill an emotional need (anxiety, stress, etc). Eating mindfully means that when you do eat, you are present, in the moment, focusing on what you are eating–its taste and texture, for example and eating slowly to fully taste the food.

*Another tip for mindful eating— whatever it is that you decide to eat, take a few deep breaths before eating to ask yourself if you are even hungry. If you’re not, put the food down and change your setting.

*At appetizer tables, choose the foods you really want to eat, put them on a napkin or a small plate (try to avoid large plates, which you will likely fill up), and then walk away and eat the food mindfully!

*Eat what you love but stop when you are full – not stuffed! There is no such thing as one “bad” holiday food that you should not consume. Any decadent food or beverage when consumed mindfully and in reasonable portions is totally fine, however, mindlessly sampling large portions of all that is offered will surely pack on the pounds.

*Choose alcoholic drinks wisely if you are going to drink. Opt for either a glass of wine, a light beer, a glass of champagne or a spirit with a non-caloric mixer…all of which are relatively low in calories.

*If you are drinking alcohol, alternate alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic, calorie-free ones, like seltzer. Also, asking for wine spritzers, which are half wine and half seltzer, is a great way to decrease the calorie content of the drink.

*Enjoy what the holidays are really all about – spending time with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

Los Angeles nutritionist Alyse Levine MS, RD, is founder of NutritionBite and Nutrition Advisor for LIVESTRONG.COM

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/alyse-levine-on-how-avoid-holiday-weight-gain/?utm_source=decembernewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=101214#ixzz18IHUXwiv

You May Actually Be Drinking Tap Water!
Case in point: Dasani, a Coca-Cola product. Despite its exotic-sounding name, Dasani is simply purified tap water that’s had minerals added back in. For example, if your Dasani water was bottled at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Philadelphia, you’re drinking Philly tap water. But it’s not the only brand of water that relies on city pipes to provide its product. About 25 percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including Pepsi’s Aquafina.

Men’s Health: Eat This, Not That!

1. It’s Like Portions to Servings
A portion is the amount of food you eat. A serving is a standardized measurement, just like a cup or a quart. Knowing the difference will greatly improve your effort to cut calories. A single serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards, while a single serving of a side dish like a vegetable or potato is the size of a tennis ball. A single serving of bread is just one slice. Practice eating portions of correct servings and you’re sure to see some weight loss.

2. All Things in Moderation
Sure, you can purchase special portion control plates that only hold small amounts of food. Or you can buy pre-packaged foods to eliminate the need to worry about portion control. That said, the simplest way to effectively control calories is to cut your current portions in half. Fix your plate as you normally would, then return half of what you’ve dished out. Moderation is key to eating enough, but no more.

3. Share and Share Alike
When you go to a restaurant, order one meal and two plates. Most restaurants routinely serve double or even triple the amount of food recommended by nutrition experts. By sharing your food you share an intimate meal with your dining partner, and ensure you’re eating only what your body needs instead of what your brain wants. If you want your own entree, ask your server to box half of the meal up for you and bring it to the table with your plate. This way, you control your portion and get lunch for tomorrow.

4. Feed Your Inner Child
Order from the children’s menu. The portions are smaller and so is the price. If the menu states it’s for the 12-and-under crowd, order it to go. You can still sit at a table and enjoy your meal. You might even get a cool toy to play with, but not until after you finish your vegetables.

5. Divide and Conquer
Make a grocery list and stick to it. Plan meals that are healthy and well-balanced, then cook up just enough food to feed your crew the appropriate serving sizes. If your family is still hungry, offer fresh fruits and vegetables instead of second helpings of potatoes and gravy. Divide snacks into small portions using resealable plastic bags or containers. Finishing off a small snack-size bag of pretzels is a much better than munching through a gigantic bag before you even realize it.

Livestrong.com

Are you interested in getting serious about your health in the New Year without breaking the bank? We are!
To make the transition from Holiday feasting to your New Years health resolutions even easier, O’Fit has launched a new set of classes with no annual membership requirement. Plus we added a unique (and hefty) savings discount to make your health and wellness lighter on your wallet.

This is the perfect time of year to get back on track with your health and fitness. As the Holidays wrap up it’s time to get into some classes to work off the extra baggage, tune-up the chassis, and get fit.

The “O’Fit Stimulus Plan for 2010” is highlighted with our new Unlimited Class Package. Pay a monthly fee, and choose from several different health and fitness classes including Cardio Intervals, Great Abs and Total Body Workout. There are up to seven different 30-minute classes each week, all at convenient times. Plus we offer corporate, office and group discounts to keep costs even lower.

And as a SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER, if you sign up for two months of the Unlimited Class Package you’ll get the third month FREE (offer ends January 31st, 2010).

We make it easy for you to stay fit and be healthy. With our relaxed atmosphere, great training programs, and affordable pricing, we’d love to be your personal training team, getting you into the best shape you can be.

For more information call Tom Jennings at (317)691-0102 or email tj@o-fit.com.

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
Buddha quotes (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

Dr. David Nieman, a professor and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State, recommends adults get at least 150 minute per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate-an vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. These minutes can be accumulated in 10 minute intervals spread throughout the week.

We’ve all been there! The diet and exercise program is going well, then all of a sudden we stop losing weight or getting stronger. The body is a remarkable machine and will adapt. When this happens you need to change your program. To often people get frustrated and give up. What they need to do is make changes and accept that plateaus are a normal part of the process. Sometimes the plateau can last for weeks or months.
Try increasing the intensity of your workouts by performing interval training, which includes bouts of intense exercise followed by easier exercise. Another option is to increase the frequency of your workouts. If you are working out 2-3x per week, try 3-4x. Try a new exercise. If you are running constantly, try adding a bike interval workout or elliptical. Finally, do not forget to rest. Sometimes people can over exert themselves and the body simply needs rest. Try giving yourself a week off and then ease back into it.

We all have heard of the benefits to drinking red wine. A recent study suggest that a glass or two of red wine may help reduce the risk of lung cancer in men, especially among smokers, according to Dr. Chun Chao. The polyphenols and anti-oxidants may work against the carcinogens and oxidative stress from cigarette smoking.

According to Dr. Fusco of Mt. Sinai Medical center in NYC, the lycopene in tomato is a natural anti-inflammatory, and the wetness of the tomato juice helps to reduce swelling. Apply large slices of tomato to damaged skin and leave on for five minutes. Remove and leave the remaining juices on the skin to dry. Rinse once the skin has dried.

Is your knee bothering you? Have you been performing knee extension exercises lately? This is the machine that you sit on with knees bent over the edge and the pad is on your shin. Then you straighten both legs to strengthen the thigh (quadriceps ) muscles. Unfortunately, this exercise is overused and it creates grinding under the knee cap. So if you are doing this exercise stop, you are better off doing a modified leg press.