Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness
industry, and public health
activist who
specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women.
Her Moving Free™ approach to exercise is designed
to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work.
Every year at this time
people watching their weight and trying to stay fit start to panic. I've begun
to get those emails saying 'I really blew it on Thanksgiving and I don't want
the holidays to be a total disaster". Most people ask me "what do you do
to stay on track"? Unfortunately there's no one-size-fits-all, silver bullet
solution.
But for me, the trick is
moderating my moderation. I'm already eating healthy moderate meals and
exercising regularly.
So the key for me is not to
try to treat a holiday, like any other day.
All my favorite stuff will
be there and everyone will be encouraging me to eat it. I'll have to try my
sister-in-law's new pie recipe, and I'll be asked to taste that great stuffing.
The thought of it makes me not want to eat for a week beforehand, or at least
all day that day. Bad idea.
Rather than skip meals I eat
a low calorie, high-energy-delivery breakfast, and a next-to-no-calorie, but
filling, lunch like a veggie salad. So when dinnertime comes, I'm not starving
and I can remember that I can taste everything and get plenty full just tasting.
Every time I've come to a holiday dinner too hungry I forget how pleasantly full
I get, just tasting and I end up uncomfortably full, and angry with myself.
I'll probably eat more
calories than normal that day, but it'll only be a million not a gazillion.
Test my food moderation
technique on a day when you know you're going out to dinner and see if it works
for you. If you like it, give it a shot on a holiday.
Of course there's more to
fitness and weight management than just food.
I'll
be traveling for the holidays and we all know how convenient it is to exercise
when we're traveling.
Well, this year I'm going to
have a better plan. I booked a flight that leaves an hour later, so I can
exercise at home in the morning. And I'm going to try to stick to my normal
exercise schedule when I get there. That'll be tough enough with all the
distractions. I know I won't have time for extra exercise. But even if my
schedule gets really full, I'm determined to do at least a half hour of moderate
exercise a day. And this year I'm bringing an exercise band and a video along
with my sneakers and sweats. It snowed last year and my sneakers and sweats sat
idle.
So that's what I'm doing.
It's not rocket science but it is science. And if I can stick to it it'll work
for me.
If you formulate a similar
moderation plan of your own, I'll bet you'll have more fun, get to taste
everything and maybe not gain a pound. Happy Holidays!
Send your Moving Free®
with Mirabai questions to:
exercise@movingfree.com
