Happy Holidays???

Have we all started planning our holidays yet?? I know this is shaping up to be one of those years. Money is tight. Stress is rising both at work & at home. Most of us haven't even started Christmas Shopping. We don't have a single present for anybody yet. When are we going start?? How are we going to pay for everything?? How are we going to make it until 2010?? What can we do to stop from spiraling out of control??

Stop, Think and Plan!!! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!! Take a few deep breaths, grab some paper and a pen. Now sit down and start to write some things down on paper. Just Brainstorm ideas like Your Shopping List, To Do List, Holiday Meals, etc... This will help relieve some of your stress, and prepare you for the hectic weeks to come.

We all need to take the time to come up with a Game Plan for the holiday season. Just like your favorite team has a Game Plan for their season, we need to come up with a plan of attack for tackling the holidays. We need to plan alternatives to our annual holiday travel arrangements, eating plans, exercise regimens, nutrition and supplementation. Everything will not go as planned this holiday season, it never does, so be prepared by having a Plan B as well as a Game Plan. I Know, I Know, this sounds like a LOT of Hard Work, but it really isn't. Get your brainstorming ideas for the entire Holiday Season down on paper and we will start working things out!! This will be an evolving project, so stay tuned!!

First and foremost, we need to address the annual gorge-fest we indulge ourselves with on each and every Thanksgiving Day. Find some interesting "lite" recipes for side dishes and desserts. Add more fruits and vegetables to the Holiday menu. (Fruit & Veggie Platters make excellent gifts if you are eating out as well!!) Drink lots of water. Stay away from the Alcohol at parties. (No nutritional value at all in Alcohol.) Remember to add broth based soup and salad courses to help you fill up on healthy foods before your main course. Keep away from the EggNog!! (Especially Uncle Joe's famous spiked version!!) Lets actually play football outside with the kids, instead of watching football on TV all day or playing Madden 2009. Handle leftovers with care. If the BIG Event is at your house, send extra plates of food home with freinds and family. If the event is at another house keep your doggie bag to a minimum. You can't eat what you don't bring home!!

Also, the College "Bowl Season" seems to last FOREVER, so don't get caught up watching the games or tailgaiting without a plan either. From now until the 2nd week in January there will be college footaball galore!! The same things hold true, have more fruits & veggies, drink more water and go light on the alcohol!! Remember these few tips and you can come up with a Game Plan of your own to battle the holidays. Let me know how things are going. WE will work on Thanksgiving's Plan B in the coming days!!
Timothy S. Cusack, CPT
TCusack@PhytnessSolutions.com