'Tis the Season

In my last entry, I talked about the holiday season and all the food that comes with it.

This entry is about the "C" word--not Christmas, Cookie Monster, or Curlup, but "Calorie".

Why talk about calories? Because people gain more weight during the holidays (2 months) than they do the rest of the year (10 months)!

Body weight is all about calories, keeping a balance between how much you burn and how much you eat. It's simple math, really. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you burn more than you eat, you lose weight.

A calorie is a unit of energy. Food contains energy, so the more energy in a food, the more calories it has. Here are a couple of examples:

1) A medium banana = 100 calories.

2) A can of Coke = 200 calories.

3) A cheese stick = 100 calories.

The trick is to eat foods that fill you up without laying on the calories: ones with water in them (fruits and vegetables) or ones with protein (lean meat, cheese, nuts, eggs). Not only do those kinds of foods have more nutrients and vitamins, they will keep you fit and trim.

In the example above, you could have either #2, the can of Coke (200 calories), or #1 AND #3, the banana and cheese stick (also 200 calories). Which is better? The banana/cheese combo. It's the same amount of calories, but is more filling, better for you, and will help you maintain healthy weight. So, go out and THINK about what you eat. There are healthy choices all around. You just have to look for them.

Last post's answer: Kwanzaa was begun in 1966.

New question: how many calories are in a pound of body fat? I'll have the answer next time. . .

Now that Halloween is past, we have entered my FAVORITE time of the year--the holiday season!

Unfortunately, with all the holidays--Halloween. . .Thanksgiving. . Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. . .New Year's--there is also plenty of candy, sweets and food, which CAN mean extra pounds if you aren't careful. In fact, people often gain more weight during "the holidays" than they do the rest of the year.

So, what can you do to make sure you enjoy the season, but don't look like Santa when you're done? Here are some ideas:

1. Be physically active. ANY kind of movement counts, even walking the dog, sweeping, and taking out the trash. Of course, more intense activity will help burn off that extra piece of candy, but as long as you move, you can't go wrong!

2. Enjoy the sweets, but take it easy. Don't make an entire meal of M&Ms or Snickers. Have one (or two) a day and continue to eat healthy (more on that in another blog!).

3. Drink lots of water. It's cheap, has no calories, and fills you up so you won't be tempted to snack.

Over the next few weeks, until the New Year, I'll be sharing some other ideas on how to get or keep your body fit and trim. Stay tuned!

Here's a question. See if you know the answer: What year did people begin to celebrate Kwanzaa? Post your answer!