Stay in shape this holiday season

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DID YOU NOTICE YOU MAKE the same new year's resolution every year? "This happens only once a year. I will just go to the gym and lose 10 pounds starting January. Well, everyone is gaining weight, so there's nothing to worry about." By procrastinating, you are delaying your success. This becomes a pattern. Your old thinking that makes you eat more and moveless leads to unhealthy consequences like weight gain and reduced exercise performance. According to a 2000 study of the United States National Institutes of Health, an average person gains just over 1 pound during the holidays. Thus, if we do not make the effort to break the pattern, you can gain 10 pounds in 10 years. Modify behavior. "The Effectiveness of the Combination of Behavior Theraphy, Exercise and Diet in Weight Loss," presents behavior theraphy as a weight loss intervention. It includes goal-setting, self-monitoring, environmental control, physical activity and eating behavior education, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, social support and relapse prevention. In my observation I lost an average of 10.2 pounds in eight weeks. But, without weekly behavior modification lessons, i lost only 2.6 pounds. I believe every person can manage his/her own health even during a high-risk situation. You just need preparation and a renewed mind. TRY THIS WEEKLY TO STAY IN SHAPE FROM TODAY TILL THE END OF THE YEAR. WEEK 1 Set goals and prepare early-write down your goals as early as now, what you want to achieve in relation to your health, fitness level, weight and eating habits during and after the holidays. Plan your exercise schedule by considering dates of anticipated parties. Try your best to document food intake and activities. WEEK 2 Ask for support and reinforce positive behaviors. Find an exercise body and work out together. You may even reward who exercises the most during the six-week perod with a smaller size exercise apparel. You can train with your friends for sports like marathons or triathlons for the next year. This means at least 3-6 months training. If you start now, you will definitely remain active even during the holidays to be able to perform well for anticipated events. WEEK 3 AVOID EXPOSURE TO TEMPTATIONS. During this period you are most likely to shop for gifts and might order boxes of christmas pastries as giveaways or gifts. Stimulus control techniques include keeping food out of sight, out of mind. Buy gifts that will remind you and your loved ones of health and fitness so that you will stick to your goals and keep you away from temptations. These includes fitness books, exercise clothing, pedometer, heart rate monitors, gym bag,socks and gym memberships. WEEK 4 CONTINUE LIFESTYLES ACTIVITIES. Consider every movement as an exercise so you do not feel guilty if you missplanned exercise sessions. Whether you go to the gym or shop the whole day, remember that you burn calories. Aim for 10,000 steps a dan and incorporate two to three times a week of squats, push ups and crunches as resistance training. WEEK 5 PRACTICE HEALTHY EATING HABIT. Eat delicious but healthy this year. Practice eating on time and having something before the main meal like a piece of bread or fruit and drinking more water at least two to three hours before your meal to prevent bingeing. Try a little of everything for satisfaction. Enjoy every bite and try to eat slowly while being mindful about the total amount of intake. WEEK 6 PREPARE FOR LAPSES. Even if you did well from 1-5, lapses or slips are hard to prevent especially during noche buena or media noche. These are unplanned, unexpested situations that might cause you to revert to unhealthy behaviors and generate unrealistic thinking becaue you feel you "break the rules." Prepare an alternative solution if lapses occur. For example, if you eat more than 2 slices of cake instead of one, make up for the extra 200-300 calories by adding a 300-calorie workout during the week or simply by learning from that experience and trying not to do the same by identifying possible causes like not eating on time or forgetting to be more assertive in family gatherings. Share your stay in shape this holiday season!