A Better Bag of Groceries

Sharing the Love – and the Desserts!

Monday, December 7, 2009 at 10:55 AM

Don’t those cookies look delicious?  That’s what I came home with after this weekend’s cookie exchange with our Rhode Island friends.  OK, I admit, I came home with a few more cookies than you actually see here.  We did try a few yesterday in between Christmas Pageant rehearsals, a birthday party, cleaning out old toys and putting up the Christmas tree.  We deserved a treat with the pace we kept over the weekend.  But here it is, Monday again.  And that means, it’s time to get rid of these cookies. 

Last week, on Cyber Monday, I wrote about holiday stress and how the busy-ness of the holiday season can derail your healthy eating and exercising plan.  Now that it is Monday again and I’m looking at this beautiful plate of cookies on my kitchen counter (notice that they are all chocolate in some way, shape or form - my favorite), I am reminded of the other thing that can throw you off track:  all the decadent food that surrounds us at this time of year.  Put the two together:  stress + decadent food = holiday weight gain.  We’ve all heard the statistics.  It’s not pretty. 

So, how do you avoid those extra pounds over the holidays?  

One (very funny, actually) article suggests that you skip all the holiday parties.  I do NOT advocate that strategy.  The parties are exactly what you need to burn off a little stress.

Here are some thoughts:

• Plan, plan, plan.  I know, I know, you have other things to think about right now (Christmas card lists, finishing your shopping, the teachers, the milk man, your hairdresser) but you have to take a little time to honor yourself.  So, this week, I have my work holiday party and a neighborhood cocktail party.  I’m taking some time to make a good lentil soup that can be a quick, healthy lunch and dinner.  And I’ll eat light breakfasts & dinners on those party days.  I’ll eat a banana before I go, so that I don’t overdo it.
• Get rid of the cookies.  Yes, they are beautiful and Christmasy and all that.  Have a couple and then share them.  Do you have an elderly neighbor who can no longer bake?  I bet he/she would love a little plate of cookies.  And you can always leave them in the break room at work.  They’ll be gone in an instant.
• Get rid of the leftover appetizers.  The dip I made for the party this past weekend was delicious.  But I have a lot of healthy friends who enjoy some and leave the rest.  So I came home with the rest of it.  Today, I know it is wasteful, but it’s going in the garbage disposal.  I know there are people starving in other countries and in our own country, but I can’t exactly send them the rest of my artichoke dip.  Throw it out and write a check to your local Food Bank to ease your consience.
• Don’t skip your workouts.  Every November, I give my Pilates and Group Exercise students the same lecture.  They roll their eyes and say, “Here she goes again.”  And we see the numbers at the gym dwindle every year.  Again, honor yourself.  You will be so glad you did when January rolls in and you feel lean and strong at the New Year’s Day workout.

So, I’m wrapping up a little container of cookies for my elderly neighbor.  The rest are going to the NuVal break room.  After all, it’s all about sharing! 

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