Health and Wellness
News You Can Use
November 2016
Focus on your health over the holidays
the food is available. Learn more
about why you might be eating when
not hungry.
Recipe
Healthy recipe:
Roasted pumpkinapple soup
yy Slow down. Enjoy each bite and put
your fork down while chewing, then
take a drink between each bite. This
gives your body enough time to trigger
your brain that you are satisfied (not
necessarily full).
yy Pay attention. Do not eat in front of
the TV or computer, or while standing
in the kitchen or talking on the phone.
When you do these things, you’re
more likely to lose track of how much
you’ve eaten.
yy Use technology. As we continue to
If you listen to talk around the office, you
might hear that the average person gains
seven to ten pounds between
Thanksgiving and Christmas. However,
several studies show that the average
weight gain during the winter holidays is
just one to two pounds. But that isn’t
good either. Most people don’t lose the
weight they put on during the holidays,
according to a report in The New
England Journal of Medicine. That means
much of midlife weight gain can be
explained by holiday eating.
This is known as “creeping obesity,” and
unless you can avoid holiday weight gain,
you will find it difficult to avoid the creep.
Five strategies to
maintain your health
and weight through
the holidays
your better judgment, leading to less
healthy and higher calories choices for
the rest of your meal. Even if you had a
“food party plan” for making healthy
choices, it may evaporate after a few
drinks.
5. Stress can be a major part of the
holidays, and financial stress usually
tops the list. To combat financial
stress, plan ahead, create a holiday
budget for presents, travel and food,
and stick to it. A slightly leaner holiday
is far less stressful than paying back
debt for the next six months!
Practice mindful eating
over the holidays
3. Create a food plan and stick to it for
parties, family gatherings, potlucks
and church events. Your plan might
look like: sticking with the veggie tray
for appetizers; carrying one drink for
the entire evening; eating the protein
and vegetables while skipping the
potatoes and bread; and having a
sliver of dessert or splitting it with
someone special.
4. Stick with one or no alcoholic drinks.
Not only is alcohol a significant source
of calories (seven calories per gram)
plus all the high-calorie and highsugar mixers, but alcohol may inhibit
yy Keep a food diary. Write down
everything you eat, look at it, then
identify why you ate it — was it
hunger, stress, boredom? Then look
for areas you can make adjustments
and incorporate healthy changes.
the holidays, know that you’ll have
more opportunities to eat festive
snacks and desserts. You don’t have to
deprive yourself, just eat smaller
portions and less often.
yy Eat when you’re hungry. Just because
the clock says noon doesn’t mean you
have to eat. If you’re not hungry, wait
until you are — just don’t wait until
you’re famished because you might
overeat. Also, don’t eat just because
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Committing to stay healthy throughout
the holiday season is the first step, but to
make your commitment a reality, you
need to follow through and even up the
ante in some cases.
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So if you plan to work out on a regular
basis and need a little extra motivation to
follow through, sign up to participate in
your gym’s competition.
yy Control portions. Especially during
yy 4 pounds pie pumpkin or
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Sign up for a holiday fitness
competition
Most gyms offer fitness competitions for
members to help encourage healthy
habits during the holiday season. Rather
than New Year’s-style weight-loss
competitions, holiday competitions
generally focus on accumulating total
activity.
When you pay attention to what you’re
eating, you can make small changes that
make a big difference. Here are some tips
for a more mindful approach:
Ingredients
Focus on fitness
Pick and choose from these options to
make this holiday season your healthiest
yet:
1. Before going shopping, whether for
food or for gifts, eat a good meal and
bring a bag of healthy snacks for you
and your family, like nuts, beef jerky,
hardboiled eggs or apple slices. With
long lines, parking lot congestion, and
travel time, it’s very easy for low blood
sugar to trigger a trip to the drive-thru
and some decidedly unhealthy
choices.
2. Commit to and schedule exercise each
and every day, even a brisk walk on
Christmas morning, using whatever
tool you use to schedule your
important events/meetings. If it’s not
scheduled, it won’t happen, especially
with relatives, family and holiday
events.
become increasingly distracted by
modern technology, our focus on
health can fall to the back burner. But
it doesn’t have to be that way. Use
devices or phone apps that manage
food records, count calories, help you
track what you eat and provide
guidance on healthy food choices at
the grocery store and restaurants.
Ready in: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Participate in a holiday fitness event
Check local event listings to find fitness
events in your area. If you sign up for an
event, chances are you’ll follow through
on the necessary training. If you have
children, look for events with a family
friendly focus and get the entire gang
involved.
Start and end each day strong
Give yourself enough time each morning
to cycle through a quick ten-minute
resistance-training circuit and then
spend ten minutes at night performing
some type of cardio. While 20 minutes of
exercise a day doesn’t meet the American
College of Sports Medicine’s physical
activity guidelines, it sets you on the right
track and gets you moving.
butternut squash, peeled,
seeded and cut into 2-inch
chunks
4 large sweet-tart apples,
unpeeled, cored and cut into
eighths
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
sage
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken
broth or vegetable broth
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts,
toasted
2 tablespoons hazelnut
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
2. Toss pumpkin (or squash),
apples, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt
and pepper in a large bowl.
Spread evenly on a large
rimmed baking sheet. Roast,
stirring once, for 30 minutes.
Stir in sage and continue
roasting until very tender and
starting to brown, 15 to 20
minutes more.
3. Transfer about one-third of the
pumpkin (or squash) and
apples to a blender along with 2
cups broth. Puree until smooth.
Transfer to a Dutch oven and
repeat for two more batches.
Season with the remaining 1/4
teaspoon salt and heat through
over medium-low heat, stirring
constantly to prevent
splattering, for about 6 minutes.
Serve each portion topped with
hazelnuts and a drizzle of
hazelnut oil.
Source: Eatingwell.com