Diabetes And Exercise

Tip #6:  Lift your holiday goodies a few extra times before you eat any of them!  Do some resistance training with your treats to put them to really good use.  Anything will do: a plate full of holiday cookies, a pumpkin pie, your frozen turkey, the Christmas ham.  If you have some light weights around the house, grab them as well and lift them as many times as you can.  For a greater challenge, you can always try lifting your children or grandchildren!  Building more muscle mass with weightlifting will also make your body expend more calories around the clock.

Tip #7:  Stuff the turkey, not yourself!  Exercise your willpower enough to pass on at least some of the holiday edible temptations.  I’m certainly not saying that you can’t eat any of the scrumptious, tempting holiday fare, just that you need to exercise some self-control and eat a little less of it.  Use your remaining strength to push yourself away from the table before you are as stuffed as the hapless turkey.  Wait at least 10 to 20 minutes for “seconds” to allow adequate time for your first helping to settle in your stomach. 
 
Tip #8:  Half as much is twice as good!  Abstinence rarely works long-term, and it makes you feel like you’re missing the celebration.  So, don’t skip all of the holiday treats.  Instead, take half of your usual serving of dessert and eat it twice as slowly as you normally do.  I promise that you’ll feel just as satisfied in the end and much less guilt-ridden (and who needs more guilt during the holidays?).
 
Tip #9:  Banish the holiday blues forever!  Anxiety and depression affect many of us during the holiday season.  One good way to banish the blues is to follow these tips to keep your blood sugars and your waistline in check during the holidays.  Another way to banish them is to help others.  So, share these helpful tips with everyone you know or meet (whether he or she has diabetes or not), and everyone will end up healthier and less in need of a diet or healthy resolutions when the New Year rolls around.

Tip #10:  Finally, don’t stop following these tips after the holidays are over!  Apply any or all of them to the non-holiday season as well to live a healthier, happier, and more fit life.  Keep in mind that good ol’ Saint Nick didn’t get that big belly he has just by overindulging and lazing around during the holidays!

For more information on all of the mental benefits of physical activity, please consult my new book, The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan: Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight.  Check my Web site (www.shericolberg.com) for more details or to order a copy today.

Read Dr. Colberg-Ochs’ bio here.

For more information on Sheri Colberg-Ochs, visit her website.