'Tis the season to balance food with physical activity

For years the news and media have released reports that the holidays mean weight gain and ever-widening waistlines. All the hype leaves me asking: how many holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s do we actually have?

Ok, so take out your calendar and circle the holidays and potential “food-related” events you might attend. We have Thanksgiving Day, Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and a Saturday or two of holiday parties to attend. When we look at it that way, it becomes more and more clear to us that Thanksgiving isn’t our ticket to eat foods laden with fat throughout the month of December! What it does do, however, is remind us of the food related events to come.

There are a few things in life that that we just can’t control: holiday gatherings, office Christmas parties, laughing at a not-so-funny joke, and, did I mention, family? Let’s face it, as much as we would like to control the holiday season, there are times when we just can’t.

What’s completely within our control? Physical activity! I know, I know, the moment I say physical activity we start thinking of the closet of winter clothes we need to organize, the windows that need to be washed (even though it’s going to rain tomorrow), or the dusting that you just haven’t been able to get to all summer (maybe that’s just me).

But if we know that the next month or so is going to be filled with food-related activities, why not counter-balance the darts of despair with shields of activity? Because that my friend, we can control!

Increasing physical activity provides the body and mind with many benefits:

• Increase your chances of living longer
• Feel better about yourself
• Decrease your chances of becoming depressed
• Sleep well at night
• Move around more easily
• Have stronger muscles and bones
• Stay at or get to a healthy weight
• Be with friends or meet new people
• Enjoy yourself and have fun

Why should I move more? According to the USDA guidelines, when we are not physically active, we increase our chances of:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Stroke

Physical activity can divided into four different types:

1. Aerobic activities: this activity can be moderate or vigorous (running, walking, skating)
2. Muscle-strengthening activities: makes your muscles stronger (weight lifting, push-ups)
3. Bone-strengthening activities: make your bones stronger (jumping)
4. Balance and stretching activities: enhance physical stability and flexibility (yoga, dancing, t’ai chi)

So what’s your type? Do you like vigorous or moderate exercise? Don’t be afraid to get creative! Physical activity is simply movement of the body that uses energy. Find more ways to increase your physical activity at home, work, and play by visiting Choosemyplate.gov

This holiday season, lets focus on the parts of the holiday season we can control.

Why wait for New Year’s to start gaining the benefits of physical activity?