Holiday Parties

The 10 Pound Months

Permission was finally granted. Now I could abandon my belly to the fried appetizers and the dessert table that's been tempting me like a treasure covered altar in an Indiana Jones movie. Who gave me that permission anyway? If it was the Pillsbury dough boy, he's going to have some serious competition. After all, I'm reasoning that it’s just a short holiday season and I’ve been good all year. Anyway, any extra weight can get hidden under my charcoal grey cable knit sweater with its slimming vertical stripes, right?

I woke-up in bed, covered in a sweat, with a half eaten ginger cookie in my hand.

OMG it was all just a dream.

Here I am, slightly terrified. So, I thought I'd share some of my personal survival tips for getting through the holidays – the "Ten Pound Months" – without packing on extra pounds.

Get pushy

You may have less time now but you can still include exercise into your day. Start out with a cat stretch, neck stretch, three sets of push-ups, and an abs workout. If you’re really committed, drop to the floor and do a set of push-ups every three hours. Only have twenty minutes for a gym workout? Get in there and just do it – before you spend those twenty minutes thinking about how there isn’t enough time to do anything.

Don’t party hungry

If you’re going out to dinner or a party, don’t go hungry. Plan the day before so that you’ll have four or five small meals starting with breakfast. Make your last meal before going out a protein shake. You’ll arrive feeling energized – not starving, and the small meals during the day will have fired up your metabolism.

Drink a lot

You thought this was the 'Absolute' solution? No, I didn't mean alcohol. This is a plan for navigating the holiday bar and leaving with with your reputation intact. Other than your reputation, we’re on a mid-section survival mission here. So start your day with a glass of distilled water. It will kick-off an alkaline reaction in your body and hydrate you after fasting all night. Then keep a scorecard at your desk and drink at least eight to ten glasses of spring water during the day. The water will keep you full and keep your brain functioning at its peak. Make sure your first “drink” at the party is sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice in a martini glass. The glass in your hand will fit right in with the crowd, and you’ll end up having one less alcoholic drink.

See red

When you drink, make it red. Red wine can help raise your HDL levels (good cholesterol) and prevent LDL (the bad guys) from forming. It’s a source of flavonoid pnenolics – and resveratrol, which can help, prevent blod clots and plaque formation in your arteries. Should you make red wine your new best friend? Probably not. It is also a prime source of empty calories and it can increase your triglycerides (fat – the bad blood lipids). So start with that “martini-glass water drink”, and keep your red wine drinking to one or two glasses.

See green

Yellow and all the rainbow vegetables. Choose them at the party buffet table. Instead of nuts and carbohydrate loaded foods, go for cruciferous vegetables. They can help prevent man boobs and cancer (got your attention, didn’t I ?) and because they’ve got a crunch you’ll get the oral satisfaction you're wanting. Just smile at that harmless looking baked Brie appetizer, and if you still want nuts, put 12 on your plate, then eat them one at a time.

See white

White will put 10 pounds on you in a flash, unless it’s that white fruit combo you’re having for breakfast (…apples, pears, bananas, pineapples and a few golden raisins). The international conspiracy of white carbs including Irish potatoes, Indian rice, French baguettes, Italian cannoli, German spaetzle, English bread pudding and Armenian butter cookies will go right to your middle. They'll fill up that spare tire… but you’ll feel flat. So load up your plate with salads, vegetables and protein instead. Skip the white carbs and if you are going to take a dessert, then take just one taste bite and put your plate down. Now walk away from it.

Stand aside

Come to dinner armed with conversation topics and stand on the other side of the room away from the food table. Smile and laugh and everyone will come over to hear your stories. If you’re talking – you’re not eating. If you don't have anything to say, ask questions. People love to talk about themselves and you’ll make new friends doing this. Remember, even if it's on the other side of the room, standing next to the kitchen door doesn’t count.

To Z rescue

Get enough sleep. When you’re tired you eat more, you have less energy to kick your workouts into gear, you’re brain doesn’t work as well and sleepy people are less fun at parties. Need I say more?

Skinny control

Open your calendar and look at the date. January 1st is almost tomorrow. Start writing your goals for the New Year right now. Read or write in your journal every day. You’ll be amazed at how powerful this is. This one, simple action will help keep you focused and in control when you’re watching all your skinny friends wolfing down huge helpings of tiramisu at the end of the evening.

Heavy breathing

Cardio it up. Take the stairs, run to the bus stop, go dancing, do cardio at the gym. Trouble with your knees? Get them checked and don’t put it off because you’ll need them the rest of your life. Use non impact cardio equipment such as elliptical trainers. Alternately, be a duck and go swimming. No gym membership and a tight financial month? Go online and print out free passes to every gym in your neighborhood, or stop by and ask them for a guest pass to check out the gym. Then use them. At the end of December, you’ll know exactly which gym you want to join for your “New-Year’s-New-Body” resolution. There are no excuses – do at least 20 minutes of cardio every day. Do it like your life depends on it. It does.

Sup it up

If you’re doing all of these things, your immune system will be stronger. You'll want to keep it that way. Support it some more by taking a multi-vitamin, an anti-oxidant like ALA and extra vitamin C. On those nights when you’ve had too many drinks, in spite of your good intentions, take a milk thistle supplement and drink at least 10 ounces of water before going to bed. Your liver will thank you for it.

Tips of your own? Share away, I'd love to hear them.

Train Your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.