Keep Fit Through the Holidays

The holiday season is approaching, and people are busy planning Christmas parties. If you've been making progress with your nutrition and exercise program, you may be laying awake at night, fretting about what number the scale will come up with in the new year if you indulge at all those parties.

Everyone struggles to make it through the holidays. Some people try to stick to their programs only to be frustrated by family and friends who bug them about "always being on some diet." Others simply give in, choosing to worry about getting back into shape in the new year. Here are a few tips to help you through the holidays:

Pick your parties wisely. Choose which parties you will attend ahead of time and plan around them. If you know in advance that you are going to a party, find out what's on the menu so you can adjust your meals accordingly, exercise earlier or change your schedule so the party falls on a day off.

Drink as little as possible. People should minimize their alcohol consumption or avoid it all together. Alcohol is a toxin that disrupts the body's metabolism and its ability to burn stored body fat.

Eat Sweets in moderation. Christmas wouldn't be the same without Mom's Nanaimo Bars. However, it's important to remember that refined sugar is the nemesis of those who are trying to maintain good health or a lean body. Refined sugar elevates the body's blood sugar levels rapidly, which causes the body to store glucose. The rest of it is stored as body fat. Try eating sweets at the end of meals. This will help you control the amount you eat, and check the effect that refined sugar has on your blood sugar level.

Drink plenty of water. Drinking more water will alleviate the urge to snack on extra goodies in the coffee room or dessert table. Water dilutes and filters elements during digestion, easing stomach discomfort and the strain on the kidneys, which work over- time when your diet changes.

Continue to exercise. Many people shelve their exercise program and their eating habits fall apart. Little do they know that the body is a metabolic machine that slows down like a train rather than a car. Your metabolism will continue to burn fat even if you are eating poorly and exercising less frequently.

Remembering these tips will help you coast into 2007 with plenty of energy and feeling great and, most importantly, little to no weight gain.

Remember this is a time for family, friends and to be thankful for all that life is, so it's OK to indulge a little