Have a Healthy Holiday Season

Surprise! The Holiday Season is upon us again, starting with Halloween’s sinister temptations. Suddenly, in October, bowlfuls (or is it bowls-full?) of candy were offered to me everywhere I went — and I obligingly helped myself. Of course I bought huge quantities of trick-or-treat snack-size candy bars, far exceeding the numbers of trick-or-treaters I could logically expect based on a 15-year history of living in the same house. Was I driven by utter fear of running out (hardly a disaster) or utter fear of no leftovers (major disappointment), I wonder? I’ve since been able to consume most of the surplus with no noticeable weight gain.

Speaking of weight gain, I don’t know about you, but it seems like I’ve been spending all of 2016 fighting off the pounds that I gained during the last Holiday Season. It’s distressing to think that 8+ pounds I’ve lost could find a way to creep back on, starting with Thanksgiving. The feasting begins in about a week. Last weekend I tested some new dishes, giving me a preview of how temptingly tasty the holidays are.

But, I got a wake-up call yesterday about the importance of being light-weight. I was carrying heavy bags of groceries down a flight of stairs from my garage to my house, and my knees were aching with each step. Then, I retraced my steps without any baggage, and my knees were fine. My joints were absolutely screaming at me to not gain any weight over the holidays. I’d better listen to them for my own good. I don’t want my future blogging to be about knee replacements.

This means that my established routine of calorie-restriction (aiming for under 1400 per day), food-deprivation (no lunch per se), and daily exercising (goal of 9+ hours per week) will continue for the rest of 2016. The important goals of a strong body and healthy weight should always be assigned 1st priority, thus guaranteeing happy holidays both now and into the future.

[Img.Src: Thanksgiving, 1942.]