With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I thought this would be a great article to share with my blog readers. Remember, everything in moderation. Don’t eat the whole pumpkin pie! Be thankful for the pie and share with family and friends.
Here is the eDiets.com article excerpt:
By Joanne Eglash
Special for eDiets
Watch out for this common trap: You persuade yourself that because you’re following a low-carb eating plan, Thanksgiving will be easy as pie (er, make that steak!). Heck, you tell yourself, it’s all about the turkey, right? Wrong! There’s the stuffing… and the cranberry sauce… and the ooey-gooey marshmallows on the candied sweet potatoes… and before you know it, your stay-on-my-low-carb-food-plan intentions have faded into a drift of apple crumb pie.
So don’t play the role of the turkey this year. Instead, consider preparing with these tips:
1. When in doubt, work it out when you’re feeling stressed! This holiday season, make a plan to keep pace with your exercise goals by scheduling fitness time on your calendar, just as you would a doctor’s appointment or work meeting.
2. If you’re traveling or live in an area where winter signals stay-in-the-house season, try out one of the new mini-gym-in-a-bag kits. Traveler Alert: Look for one that includes detailed directions (I emphasize “detailed” after struggling to figure out a weird combination of rubber bands and little rubber balls that was accompanied by an adorable bag — and no instructional booklet). My favorite: Michael Sera’s Traveling Trainer, which contains instructions that are clear enough for beginners but can be made challenging enough for advanced fitness fans.
3. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where it’s outside walking weather all year around, keep your tennis shoes and pedometer handy! Studies show that using a pedometer and tracking your steps gives you more incentive to get movin’ and grooving! The Omron Premium Pedometer and Jenny Craig Pedometer are two of the best, judging by some very unofficial test runs (okay, confession, they were more like fast walks). My friend and I aimed for 10,000 steps a day, which is supposed to represent four to five miles. Sounds corny, but you’d be surprised just how much more motivated you feel when you gaze at your little pedometer around 3 p.m. and it shows only 7,000 steps. Gotta get more in, I decided, and opted out of the daily vending machine break, choosing instead to go for a brisk walk around the block.
4. Hate to walk? Want to be distracted by entertainment when you exercise? Invest in a good piece of cardio equipment. My current favorite: the Brookstone Fold-Away Cardio Stepper, which received the Best Overall rating from the Wall Street Journal in a mini-stepper contest this year. Complete with adjustable steps, a handle, and even a pulse monitor, it’s a winner. Set it up in front of the TV, and you’ll be sweating and filled with endorphins (instead of chocolates!) before you know it. Or… get a variety of exercise videos. For a real kick in the patootie, try Yoga Booty Ballet. I loved the name — and the results — of this creative and invigorating combination of yoga movements, ballet exercises, and, ahem, fitness fixes for your delicate derriere (or, in my case, plump posterior).
5. Two words: Stock up! On what? On foods that you enjoy and that are ON your plan. High quality protein (want steak for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day? Treat yourself!), low-carb veggies (get the most exotic mushrooms you can find), and, depending on your low-carb diet, perhaps an exotic low-carb fruit or one of the new Carb Clever fruits from Del Monte (try the new Peach Chunks, with only 6 net carbs per luscious serving!).
And last but not least, take time to give thanks: for friends, for family, for all the goodness in your life, including the fact that this year, only the turkey will get stuffed!
Joanne Eglash has worked as a journalist for more than 15 years, specializing in health, fitness, diet/nutrition, lifestyles, careers and relationships. Among the publications and websites for which she has written are Shape magazine, Fit Pregnancy magazine, Working Mother magazine, KidsHealth.org, ePregnancy magazine, Every Baby magazine, Entrepreneur.com, the San Jose Mercury News, the Christian Science Monitor, Netsurfer Digest and more. She is the author of How to Write A .com Business Plan: The Internet Entrepreneur’s Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Business Plans and Financing Options (McGraw-Hill).
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