better
health
New York. “Taste the finest and
most wonderful foods at your
holiday party, but savor them
slowly. Do this, and when you
fully enjoy every bite of just one
brownie, you’ll automatically
prevent yourself from stuffing
down five of them,” she says.
LEAVE THE FIGHT EARLY
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long it takes to
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caramel popcorn
(4
ounces)
WALK IT OFF:
25
minutes
(all times assume a brisk walking pace)
A Zen concept called
hara hachi
bu
means stop eating when
you’re
80
percent full, and it’s
one reason why the people of
Okinawa, Japan, live to be some
of the oldest on Earth. Try it
over the holidays to help
manage your food intake.
Simply continue to ask yourself,
“Am I
80
percent full yet?”
When the answer is yes, stop.
You’ll be quite astonished at
how satisfied you’ll feel.
MAKE THE FIRST MOVE
“It’s vital not to neglect exercise
during the holidays, no matter
how tempted you may be to
forget about it,” says Plasker.
“When you’ve had a nice
workout, you’ll automatically
think twice before eating
foods loaded with empty
calories,” he says.
Plasker tells people to
exercise first thing in the
morning—
it bolsters resistance
to rich holiday treats and gets
your workout out of the way
before the craziness of the day
takes over.
Realistically, there are
probably going to be times that
you’re swept up in all the
delicious aromas and flavors. At
such times, just remember—
tomorrow is a new holiday.
egg nog
(1
cup)
WALK IT OFF:
75
minutes
clementines
(1 orange)
WALK IT OFF:
7
minutes
party m ix
(4
ounces)
WALK IT OFF:
25
minutes
fudge
(1
medium-size piece)
WALK IT OFF:
35
minutes
242
DECEMBER 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: KATHRYN GAMBLE
