Choosing a Gym

If you are considering joining some kind of fitness facility in the new year, here are things to think about:

Is the facility within 12 minutes of your home and/or work (and if it's near work, is it between work and your house or would you have to drive yet further away?) Gym marketers target people in a 12 minute radius from their facility because those are the ones who will most likely USE the gym. If you are further away, you are exponentially less likely to go.

Do you want all the bells and whistles (tracks, indoor pools, great cardio equipment, Pilates classes) so that you can sample, pick and choose? Or do you just want to hide and get your workout done with minimum fuss? Don't sign on at Curves if you want a spinning class option. Don't join Silverlake if you don't want to be seen in public in your sloppy T.

Try before you buy--preferably with a friend and don't let yourselves be separated. Do not sit at a desk with any kind of "associate" if you aren't comfortable. I've seen colleagues use every single hard sales tactic in the book, such as "Mrs. Jones, let's face it! You're fat and it's going to kill you! For $25 a month and a $115 initiation fee we can save your life!" Initiation fees are always negotiable, so ask. Most gyms are using an archaic, outdated sales model and it is changing slowly, but old (bad) habits die hard.

Don't pay for what you already have: If you own a good treadmill, don't go to a gym to use one (or sell your old one at Play it Again Sports and spend that money on a couple months' membership).

And remember, clutter is not only physical: If you have a gym membership now that you have not used since last year, then do not renew. Cancel the EFT contract. The psychic weight of guilt you are carrying for wasting that money does not burn a single calorie.

Techno-Fun!

Years ago, I popped in my Buns of Steel videocassette and did squats under the direction of some fellow with way too much facial hair. Today, I can download streaming video of a yoga class or a review of basic Tae Kwon Do forms. No matter what kind of exercise appeals to you, you have access to it at your fingertips.

When it comes to working out with a virtual instructor, there are very few rules. You don't have to dress up (heck, you don't have to dress at all). You don't have to brush teeth or hair. You don't have to shuffle for position in class (though you may need to move the coffee table back or put your chair under your desk). And you don't even have to do the whole thing! Yep. You can hit pause, stop, delete at any time during your workout and the person on the screen will not be offended, hurt or worried if you do. So if your Billy Blanks video is 45 minutes long, you can Tae your Bo for 12 minutes. Billy is fearsome looking, but he won't jump off the screen at you. No matter what names you call him, he won't say a word. Since most exercise videos are taught at a lower intensity than actual classes, you can even start in the middle of the workout (just take it easy for the first five minutes to get yourself a little warmed up).

So peel the shrinkwrap off that DVD. Click on that YouTube link. Give yourself 10 minutes today to try one of those videos you've got gathering dust under your bed. If you hate it, put it in the Goodwill bag. If you don't hate it, do another 10 minutes tomorrow.

Do you lack a Total Gym (or even a pair of dumbbells?) Yoga, martial arts-style workouts, aerobic dance don't require any equipment. Do you live in a tiny apartment? Your coffee table can serve as a bench. No matter what your resources (or perceived lack thereof) there is a way for you to get stay fit and healthy. Isn't it wonderful to know that you have everything you need, right now?

Want to shop anyway for YOUR holiday gift? Visit the Radiant Fitness Amazon.com store.

The Morning After

I know that at least one of my Holidaily readers is planning to fast today. I'm betting that, at least, at this moment, many of you are saying, "I'm fasting, too!"

I actually believe in the occasional (less frequently than once a month) fast as a way to clean out and recharge the system. If you're going to do it, though, do it right.

#1 Decide why you are fasting. Fasting is NOT a tool for healthful, long-term weight loss. At best, it's a way to clean out the pipes, physically (and you may quite reasonably decide that once the pipes appear to have emptied, the fast is over). If you are hoping to starve off the pound of calories you ate yesterday, this will NOT work, so don't even try. If you are fasting for spiritual reasons, that's another animal and you follow different rules.

#2 Drink water. Lots of water. When your stomach growls. When you are obsessing about food, drink. Don't drink high-sugar juices--your blood sugar will be on a roller-coaster as it is (and of course, if you are diabetic/hypoglycemic, you are much too smart to even THINK of fasting, aren't you?) If you need caffeine to stave off headaches, drink it sparingly. Otherwise you will set yourself up for a rebound and be jittery all day.

#3 Exercise early and lightly. Take your walk, oh, now.

#4 Rest, rest, rest! Do NOT shop and do NOT drive the car. Black Friday is stressful enough (no matter how much you love it--happy stress is still stress) without passing out in Kohl's or having an accident. If you will shop today, do not fast. Neither your body nor your mind will be in tip-top condition.

#5 Limit your fast to 24 hours (starting last night if you haven't eaten breakfast). More than that won't help.

#6 Plan your "break-fast" now. You will gorge. Your body will insist. So set aside your two apples and 2T of peanut butter, or your pile of cauliflower and broccoli (and 2T of dip), or whatever large heap of produce you are going fall upon in a frenzy when it's over. After you've stuffed your stomach with fibrous produce, you'll be less likely to dive headfirst into leftover pie.

Family Gatherings and Verbal Self-Defense

On holidays, especially, families and friends often sabotage each other's food management and activity plans.

You need a few key phrases to get through the Turkey Weekend minefield:
1. No thank you.
2. That won't be possible.
3. I appreciate your concern.
4. I'm sorry you feel that way.

"No thank you" is used to refuse something (food, drinks, someone's pound-bound pet). Never follow it up with an explanation, or you just invite argument. If people press, simply repeat it.

Here's a sample conversation:
"Want some more pie?"
"No thank you."
"Are you sure? It's really, good, and you are looking thin and sickly these days."
"No thank you."
"I mean it--are you sure you don't have some type of wasting disease? You need to eat!"
"I appreciate your concern."

The next phrase, "That's not/won't be possible," is a gentler way to say "No" if you have a hard time letting that little word come out of your mouth. It states "no" absolutely, but doesn't assign blame. A sample:
"I gave Aunt Edna and Uncle Bob their pedicures and sponge baths last week. I think you should bring them home with you for the rest of the holidays."
"That won't be possible."
"You are so selfish! Why am I the only one in this family who takes care of everyone?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
Notice how the final two statements acknowledge your relative's concern WITHOUT making any commitments, attacking back, or in any way furthering the discussion.

This is your goal-to stick to your plans, convictions and guns without escalating the gathering into a free-for-all or downing half a gallon of Gallo.

The key to making this work is the "broken record" technique: Repeat your chosen phrases verbatim until they leave you alone. If you try to vary the phrases (i.e. explain your position) then you open yourself up to argument:
"Have a piece of pecan pie."
"No thank you. I'm allergic to nuts."
"Since when? You always liked my pecan pie. A piece won't kill you!"
"Actually, it will, since I'm allergic."
"That's nonsense! You're just being your usual drama queen self!" . . . and the conversation deteriorates from there.

So gird your ever-thinner loins with these few key phrases. Practice them on your cat, kids, boss. And prepare to have a more peaceful Thanksgiving dinner with those you love (even though they drive you crazy).

(By the way--these examples are real-world. I had a 375 pound client once who's mother started pushing food at her after she lost only 15 pounds, telling my client that she "looked sickly" and that her rear-end looked funny. And anyone with a nut allergy will tell you that people ignore you and minimize your concerns--sometimes with almost-deadly consequences.)

(Hey, Mom. I am thankful that I won't have to put any of this in practice myself this weekend, will I?)

The Alco-Holidaily

Before you tipple, realize that every serving of alcohol (one shot of liquor, four fluid oz of wine, one bottle of beer) has about 100 calories. Unless you are drinking from a single-serving bottle, chances are you are actually getting TWO or more servings per glass (after all, who only pours half a glass of wine?) If you drink mixed drinks, you are adding a whole lot of sugar to the mix. One good margarita can easily equally an entire meal in calories.

So if you are going to drink, be sure to pace yourself. Consider having one non-alcoholic drink between cocktails: It will keep you hydrated, mitigate the effects of the alcohol somewhat, and reduce the munchies that come along with drinking.

It also helps to plan ahead: Before you get to the event or open the bottle for your guests, decide how many drinks you will have that evening and tell your designated driver. Since alcohol breaks down barriers and releases inhibitions, you may need to take extra steps to ensure that you stick with your plan. In the end, after all, it always comes back to planning!

Do a quick cost-benefit analysis before you get to your party to determine if 1/4 pound weight gain, bloating, a hangover and the social repercussions of "letting go" are worth the pleasure of the drink and the temporary sense of conviviality.

I'm not suggesting you have a "dry" Thanksgiving (I am looking forward some of my favorite wines myself). Just make intentional choices so that you can enjoy your drink without regret and guilt after the fact.

Battle Stations #2

So you have planned out your "alone" time for the rest of this week.

Now, what do you plan to eat?

If you are standing in the kitchen for the next few days,set your personal menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks--and put them at a table in another room to eat them. This will reduce your "nibbling and testing" calories over the course of the day AND give you much-needed stress breaks.

If you are at the office, do the same--PLAN out your lunch, your afternoon snack. Don't EVER eat at your desk (I am SO adamant about this, I'm all-capsing: the only time I've ever saved someone with the Heimlich Maneuver occurred while she ate a poppy seed muffin at her computer during lunch. Everyone else was gone. If I hadn't been there, she wouldn't be here.) Take your food to a designated eating spot (even if you have to designate it yourself) and focus on it.

What (besides the big dinner) are the pitfalls and changes to your meal routine coming in the next few days? Will you spend all day Friday shopping? If so, plan for two to three fast food meals now and know what you are going to eat. Company websites can give you nutrition info, so look up Subway, Burger King or Panda Express and choose your food now.

You will eat this week. You will, in all likelihood, eat more than your body needs. But if you walk into the week eyes wide open and a plan in hand you will minimize the damage, and more importantly, minimize the guilt and self-disgust. It is supposed to be a Happy Thanksgiving, remember?

P.S. Amanda and Anonymous Pam: Thank you for the comments yesterday! Amanda won the coin toss, so please e-mail me your snail-mail addy at keri@radiantfitness.com.

Battle Stations

Friends,
This week your regular structures, calendar plans and routines will be disrupted. Not only is Thursday the traditional License to Pig Out Day, but you will, in all likelihood, be dealing with lots of emotional and personal history as families and friends gather, (or, in many cases, divide up).

Stress is the normal response to new or disruptive stimuli. In other words, whether you love every minute of Thanksgiving week or would just like to cringe in a corner, your stress levels go up. Just thinking about your to-do list or the drive to the lake house is causing cortisol, even now, to lay on belly fat. If you respond with food, alcohol and cigarettes you'll get false sense of temporary calm and higher blood pressure in the long term.

Again, I exhort you: make a plan for some "alone" time during this week. When can you schedule 1/2 hour to yourself, to spend it however you WANT to? I hide in the bathtub, myself, with a light romance novel and a mug of cocoa. Walks are always good (you can bundle up and stuff tissues in your pocket). While I can't officially prescribe retail therapy, I know it sometimes works (especially if you avoid Cinnabon!) Even if you have to lock yourself in your car to call your best friend in Alaska and vent, you need a pressure valve during this high-pressure week. Get your calendar out now and write down your time--and post a comment, letting us know how you will take care of yourself!

Change is in the Air

I used to grumble about Christmas decorations popping up before Thanksgiving, but this year I have a confession: I'm jumping even that gun, and thinking New Year.

Some of my reasons are business: I need to get classes and marketing plans in place so that when YOU hit the ground running in 2009, I have something to offer. Some of my reasons are practical: I just have to wrap up personal, business and church financial stuff so that, again, come January 1, I am ready.

But other reasons are just plain personal: I come into my first and only 39th year in 2009, and since I'm staring 40 dead in the eye, I need to decide how the next half plus of my life is going to be.

The fact is, I can't drink like I'm 21 anymore. I can't stay up late like I'm 30. I can't sleep overnight in makeup like I'm 19. I can't drink cola like I'm 32. Well--I COULD do all of those things, but the costs of small daily lifestyle choices are more evident now (they were always there. Just because you can't see the arterial plaque doesn't make it imaginary).

So even now, I'm thinking about resolutions. I make them. I love them. I succeed at some of them each year--and I fail at some of them each year. But I'm an optimist who keeps on trying, knowing that even a "failed" attempt to live a little better is better than no attempt at all.

By the way, I will be putting up Thanksgiving decorations today--just because I'm planning ahead doesn't mean I don't enjoy the here and now.

P.S. Lotus Yoga is here! Think weight-loss Boot Camp, yoga-style! In each daily session, not only will beginners be introduced to the vigorous practices of yoga, but will also learn about managing stress simply and making mental shifts to improve all areas of life. Classes will be each weekday in January (5-30) from 6-7a at the Kula Center in Newport. Cost for this 20-session intensive transformational program is $199--only $180 if you sign up by 12/19 (spaces are limited)

Close your eyes (after reading this e-mail) and inhale deeply.
Take the breath all the way down to your belly. Blow all the stale air out. Repeat. Again. Again.
Why not once more? Feel better yet? If not, try again.
Breathe energy in, blow anxiety and stress out.
One of the reasons breathing is such an important discipline in yoga is that through the breath, our involuntary physiological responses and our voluntary choices meet. Like the heart, the lungs keep working whether we pay attention to them or not. Like the muscles of our arm, however, we can tune and choose how the breath will move. The heart won't slow down because we ask it to. The arm won't move without our intention. In breathing, however, both involuntary and voluntary responses are joined, or yoked together--and "Yoke" and "Yoga" come from the same linguistic root. Yoga means "union."

Another good reason to breathe deep? To clean the smoke out of your lungs. Tomorrow is the Great American Smokeout. Even if you don't intend to quit for good on this day, at least take the day (or one cigarette) off. Even one less cigarette immediately improves your blood pressure and reduces your risk (a tiny bit) for all of those nasty, lingering, extremely painful deadly diseases smokers get.

The Pleasure of a Plan

“Spontaneous!” is a lovely word. Spontaneous people jet off to Monaco for the weekend. They buy everyone rounds of drinks. They are full of love, life and money—and, of course, they’re thin without effort.

In reality, however, the glitterati aren’t spontaneous at all. Their staffs do their planning for them. To get to Monaco, someone must budget for it and find time in a set schedule. If you buy a round for everyone, you identify designated drivers first. And if you want to improve your body, you block out time for the effort.

Each week holds 168 hours. Subtracting eight hours each day for sleep leaves 112 hours to work, eat, watch TV, volunteer, surf the web, visit a friend in the hospital—and exercise. You have all the time you need if you’ll take your calendar and plan it out clearly.

Spontaneity is a myth—true pleasure comes from a simple, well-constructed plan. Schedule some “me” time this week—and raise a toast of skim milk to your health!

P.S. Your new year "boot camp" is coming . . . Yoga-style! Susan Unes will be leading month-long intensive introductory practice, called Lotus Yoga, for those of you who are serious about transforming your bodies, your mind, your spirit, your lives. If you want more info, please let Susan know you are interested--we'll be sharing details as they become available this week.

Make Your World Work For You

Whether or not you make healthy choices is often a factor of your environment. How you structure your time and space can either support or sabotage your desire to live well.

If you buy a treadmill you’re creating an opportunity to get fit. If you put that treadmill in a cold, dank basement, you undercut your plan to take a daily walk.

When you fill your grocery cart with vegetables and lean protein sources, you increase the likelihood you’ll eat a satisfying, nutrient-dense meal. When you stuff your cabinets with cheese curls, however, then the orange goop under your fingernails is the least of your problems.

Dust off your fitness equipment and put it in the room you use most often. Shift the produce in your fridge out of the closed drawers and onto the top center shelves. Bring a pair of walking shoes to keep under your desk. When the days are sunny and warm, you’ll be ready to head out on an invigorating walking break. Bring the healthy resources in your world out where you can see and touch and taste them—and maybe, just maybe, you will.

Add some FUN!

In the olden days, the focus of every holy day, every day for celebration, was feasting. When most people barely got enough food to live on, it was always a big deal (and probably biologically important) to gather cooperatively periodically and feed each other.

In the U.S. in the 21st century, it is time to find a different model for celebrating. When our daily caloric intake meets or exceeds what our great-grandparents ingested at a feast, food-based parties are redundant and even harmful. I know it's too late for 2008--you and I both have our plans. I know that sometimes we just don't control every scenario (so you really DO have to face down Aunt Elna's deep-fried chicken on Sunday afternoon).

But why not begin planning for next year? What can you do on birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that does NOT make food the central feature? Can you do the Turkey Day walk in Newport next Thanksgiving? Can you visit the zoo/aquarium/museum center for the bulk of a Sunday afternoon and make gathering at the table an afterthought? Look ahead through your calendar. Why not have your spouse take you out for tango lessons on your birthday instead of just chowing down at the Argentine Bean? It's not about cutting family time out of your life. It's about adding excitement and FUN to your family time.

What Can You Add?

Unless you live in an ice cave, you know by now all the things you should subtract from your life: Cut carbs, cut fat, cut calories, cut alcohol, cut stress, cut cigarettes—cut pleasure? Not necessarily.

Instead of subtracting from your life, why not consider what you could add? Don’t “give up free time” to exercise--add some time walking in the sunshine or enjoying a cleansing sweat. Instead of giving up coffee, add some cool, clear water. Instead of giving up sweets, add some colorful, fresh fruit. Instead of “taking” breaks from work, add relaxation and deep breathing.

Everyone reading this has somewhere to sleep, more than enough food to eat and clothing for every reasonable need. The sense of deprivation, therefore, is a mental attitude rather than a physical reality. And you and I have the power to change our minds.

Add Orange!

Add a piece of produce to your diet today. My nominee: The Orange.

Not so long ago, oranges were scarce in late fall/winter. It was a big deal to get an orange in the toe of a Christmas stocking (though most children today do NOT appreciate it). Vitamin C is low in the winter diet--and, perhaps not coincidentally, cold and flu viruses flare up without natural protection.

Buy an orange or two today. Take 6 minutes to peel, section and eat it, and lick the juice off your fingers afterwards.

What else can you ADD to your life today to make it better?

My Celebrity Crush(es)

Many of you already know that I have a little thing for Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen (authors of You: On A Diet and the RealAge series). Not only are they personable, cuddly people, but they explain the science behind weight loss and lifestyle management with humor and clarity.

Their new book came out today. Thanks to their OLD book(You: Staying Young), I've already got a list going of the supplements I'll be adding to my diet. I'm going to need one of those three by seven pill boxes, apparently. They have a host of other recommendations, from chi gong to washing out your sinuses (which I do. Delightful it isn't, but it works).

The very, very, very first item on their lifestyle overhaul list is . . . 30 minutes of walking every day. Yep. They have a two-week plan for changing your habits and it begins, number one, with walking. Of all the vitamins you can take and sinus-washing sessions you can enjoy, the most important thing of all is the exercise!

I suppose I must consider the possibility that I adore them so much because they reinforce what I say about exercise being the one and only fountain of youth . . . . and they're cuddly.

(P.S.--Want their books, or other fitness and wellness related items? Visit the Radiant Fitness Amazon Media Store for some online holiday shopping.

Motivation, Schmotivation!

You already know WHY you should eat right and exercise. A study in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research suggests that, instead of concentrating on the why, you should focus on the HOW.

Sedentary college students were asked to write down either the actions or reasons associated with exercise. The students who wrote down ways to pump up their exercise became more active. The other group, who focused on the rationale for exercise, did not.

I'm not JABR junky and haven't analyzed the methodology of the study, but for me this result does make sense. Focusing on our motivation can sometimes be counter-productive, leading to a sense of guilt. When we start thinking of actually rolling up our sleeves to take action, however, we often do.

So how about it? On this crisp November day are you going to pop in an exercise video for ten minutes? Put on those gloves and ear muffs and get outside? HOW are you going to fit physical activity in today--post a comment and let me know.

PS--One way is to try Belly Dance Fitness tonight at 1070 Richwood Road, Walton, 7p. Class is $12 and I guarantee you a cleansing sweat. I also guarantee you'll have so much fun you won't notice the sweat!

Mondays Can Be Wonderful!

Got your gloves? Your scarf? Thick socks? Hat or earmuffs? Good. Go for a short walk today, preferably right after reading the Holidaily. 10 minutes is all I ask. Or, if you can't stand the cold, put on your old Duran Duran CD (or the Archies, depending on how old you were when cardio was fun) and shake it loose for two or three songs. 10 minutes. That's all.

Dr. Wayne Westcott, one of my favorite fitness gurus (he's no Mehmet Oz in the looks department, but still . . .) has good research that shows that people who exercise on Monday tend to continue for the rest of the week.

So start (or restart) this day right. Eat a piece of produce, get a walk, take a big gulp of water. If it's all downhill from here, at least start on the high ground, won't you?

The Milk of Human Thinness

Unless you live under a rock you've probably already heard that mother's milk is fundamental for babies. While formula prevents starvation and malnutrition, mother's milk does all that and promotes health as well. Countless studies show that nursing helps prevent everything from cancer to the common cold.

Relatively new analysis of several studies by the Centers for Disease Control shows that nursing also helps prevent obesity through adulthood. There is a definite dosage effect--the longer babies get mother's milk, the less likely they will become overweight or obese children and adults. Scientists speculate that mother's milk helps "teach" the body how to regulate hormones such as insulin and leptin, which affect weight gain. High-protein baby formula may actually disrupt that process.

"That's fascinating, Keri," you are thinking, "But I am a 53-year old male. What does this have to do with me?" I write a lot about finding support for your efforts to live a healthy, vital life. We spend a lot of Holidailies discussing how friends, family and colleagues can strengthen you or sabotage you. It cuts both ways . . . you need support from your community. But you ARE the community. You set the environment for the people around you. Just as you need their help to make and stick with healthy choices, they need yours.

This isn't just a New-Age Hippie Chick Karmic philosophy about how we are all part of the great universe and one in God, etc. (Okay, maybe there's a little of that . . .) When your grandchild has a toe amputated because of diabetic neuropathy, that will hit you in the heart. When your chief engineer takes days off each quarter to deal with her baby's ear infections, that will hit you in the pocketbook (both in insurance costs and lost productivity). Nursing babies is a major preventive factor for both scenarios--and it's very easy to tell a young mom, "Good job. Keep trying."

So, Uncle Fred, do your part: When you find yourself sitting across from your nephew's new wife at the Thanksgiving table this year, you can tell her, "The American Academy for Pediatrics recommends nursing your babies exclusively for 12 months." When your sister-in-law waddles through the door behind her hugely pregnant belly, hand her the phone number of a lactation consultant or send her to www.lalecheleague.org. Family holidays are all about discussing personal business in large groups, so you'll be the on top of the conversational game.

And when your Chief Engineer comes to tell you her maternity leave plans, let her know that you are going to create a clean space in the supply closet where she can pump milk in privacy. Chances are she'll come back to work sooner and take a lot less leave time since her baby won't catch every virus that floats through. Warm 98 has already started playing the Christmas music. Can you hear it? "We are the World! We are the Children!" So let's raise our lighters and sing along.

Arranged Marriage

I have friends who are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. They met hours before their wedding 35 years ago. Since my husband and I met in the traditional Western "boy meets girl" way, I was a bit taken aback to meet someone who actually had an arranged marriage. After getting to know them, though, I realized that for them and hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of others, it worked: Marriage is a choice, a structure, a plan, a way of life--not just a romantic conclusion to courtship. And since they've got more than 35 years together and three lovely daughters, I can only be impressed with them.

Exercise is like an arranged marriage. It isn't always sexy or fun, but it works. You don't have to fall in love with a particular activity to start exercising--you can simply choose to walk, pop in a DVD, or attend a class. Exercise works whether you are "in the zone" or in a funk. It is a choice to begin now, rather than waiting for the "right moment." If you choose it often and intentionally, you may find that you come to love it over time, and that you realize that you can't live without it after all (because, quite frankly, you can't!) Arrange some activity

Temple or Trailer

In both psychology and theology, the human body is often compared to a home or other building--our bodies house our souls and our sense of self.

How would you describe your body? Is it a temple or a rusted-out Airstream trailer? Is it a peaceful, welcoming place to be, or are you constantly disgusted with how it appears and/or how it functions?

No matter what your attitude or self-esteem, your body IS a temple. Through your body your spirit connects with your world. Do something today to cherish your body--eat an apple with a spirit of offering. Take a walk to dust out the metaphorical cobwebs. Wash away stress with a cup of cool water. Make a healthy choice today, and make a ritual out of it!

Plan Your Down Time

You know the day before Thanksgiving you'll be crazy busy, either cooking or trying to clear paperwork off your desk in anticipation of the holiday. You know the Saturdays before Christmas will be packed with shopping, family events, work parties.

So when will you get an hour to yourself, once a week (if not once a day?) When will you get to go the Y for a swim? When will you get to sit in the Borders coffee shop and read a magazine? When will you get to hide in your basement and tie flies?

Yes, in an ideal world, we'd just DO these things. But in the real world, you may really have to write "tie flies" on your calendar. It doesn't matter if it seems silly--it works.

Give yourself six hours between now and Christmas day to spend in total freedom, absolutely alone doing exactly what makes you happy and feel relaxed. Then schedule them in now in ink. Six hours out of the next one thousand or so is not too much to ask to keep your sanity.

Choices, Choices

It's 5:30a and the polls open in 30 minutes. I'm sitting here in my jeans and a sweater, trying to make a big decision right now: Do I put on foundation, lipstick and mascara before I leave here to go vote, or do I trust in the darkness, the early hour to give me anonymity?

My voting decisions are already made. All I have to do is poke at some chads, but sometimes the tough decisions aren't really the big ones. They are the moment-to-moment choices. Will I try to squeeze a walk or some dance rehearsal in later today? Both boys are home from school and they tend to get in the way of exercise. Will I cook up the cauliflour and broccoli for lunch, or just slap together a PBJ?

Whatever your dreams and anxieties about the future of our nation are, the actual acts you engage in to make those changes are fairly simple. Whatever your anxieties and dreams for your own life are, the choices you make to change your future are usually just as simple. Stop fretting and tie your tennis shoes on. That's not so hard, is it?

What small choices will you make today to strengthen your health and sense of self-esteem? Let me know--post you healthy choice in the comments now.

P.S. I'm putting on the makeup. My Mom reads this blog, and she raised me with certain standards!

Want Deep Thoughts? Go get your own!

I've got nothing for you today. No quotes, no concepts, no wisdom. Are you jonesing for a fix of Truth? Then tie on your tennis shoes and get outside.

This is an unfairly beautiful day today, so do what mystics and fools have done since humanity began walking upright, and walk!

The rhythm of your steps changes the way your mind works. Got a problem to solve? Walk it through. Feeling uncreative? Walk into some new ideas. Too much running through the brain to focus? Walk it off.

Meditation doesn't always take incense and Oms. Sometimes your two feet are the guru you seek.

Go on--find ten minutes. Find half and hour--and walk!

The Annual Candy Pitch

Every year I make you do it. Today is the day.

Go through the candy stash. Pick two pieces--one you love (KitKat? Peanut Butter Cup?) and one you don't (Necco wafers. Peanut Butter chunk in black wax paper. DumDum lollipop). Squash them in their wrappers (if they're squashable) then throw them in the bathroom trash.


Why am I putting you through this? Because the ability to throw food away (at least in America, where we put twice as many calories in the daily food supply as our population actually needs) is a key indicator of whether you will ultimately succeed at weight control.

You've got no problem, of course, tossing the DumDum. You know that if it's in the house, you'll eat it anyway. You get that the mindless eating of easily accessible sugar is a bad thing for you.

But the KitKat? Here's where the resistance and resentment bubble up--along with the excuses. "That candy belongs to my kid.I won't deprive him," you announce self-righteously. Yeah, right. Like your child needs one more chunk of high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats in order to be psychologically whole. Besides, you had your eye on it for yourself, didn't you?

"But that's wasting food!" True. But that food was a net loss to begin with--the medical costs associated with the binging of the last two days will cause more loss to you personally and economically than throwing away free candy.

"But it makes me happy and I want it!" Ah, now we're getting somewhere. This is an emotional reaction (and quite a logical one) to having, well, candy! Candy is fun, happy, festive, yummy, a treat, a reward! Candy is all good things. Self-control, self-analysis, self-restraint, self-discipline and long-term goal-oriented thinking are boring, and yucky. Your inner trick-or-treater is really unhappy with me right now, isn't she?

Eating mindlessly and emotionally are, in my professional opinion, the two key reasons why were are gaining weight wholesale in this country. The food calories are in the environment--and we go at them.

I won't ask you whether your higher mind or your inner trick-or-treater run your life. It changes from moment to moment, day to day and establishing the primacy of one over the other takes practice, lifestyle change and often a lot of help. All I'm asking you to do is make one choice. Throw out the candy now. Take a deep breath. That's how big changes start.

Reality Is Your Friend

The stated purpose of the Holidaily is to keep us on track in avoiding the Horrible Holiday Pound. This is the extra pound of fat most American adults (and more and more American children) add on between Halloween and New Year's Day.

So your task for the day: Go weigh yourself and write it down. Yep. That's it. Weigh yourself and write the number on a piece of paper (or post it as an anonymous comment at the end of this blog entry).

"But I don't want to!" you cry. Neither did I. The fact is, however, we cannot prove our strategies are working if we don't gather the data (guess what you'll be doing on New Year's Day as well).

It's perfectly fair to strip naked before you weigh. It's fair to wait until after you poop. It's fair to stand on your tippie-toes in the middle of the scale and hold your breath. But it's not fair to yourself to avoid reality.

15 minutes ago I stood naked on tippee-toes with my breath held and weighed 127. This is one pound away from my "trouble weight"--the weight where I start to feel sluggish, unattractive, congested and my zipper on my pants resists. We all have a trouble weight (and many are well past that number right now). In order to figure it out, you must face the scale on a regular basis.

"But I don't own a scale," a couple of you are saying, with a certain self-righteous, smug gleam in your eye. You think you've crossed a psychological barrier and reached a particularly zen-like freedom. Yeah, right. But you still frown in disgust when you look in the mirror and that zipper still fights back. It's time to find a scale--if not your own, then one at your local Weight Watchers meeting (which remains the food management system that has the best scientific data supporting it).

You're worth the truth. Go find out what that is, then come back and key it in. Together, all of us can change reality.