Average Joe Tackles the Holidays

Average Joe Tackles the Holidays

Ahh…the Holiday season is here. November starts with Average Joe standing firm – “I will be strong this year!” With football on the tube, snacks at the ready and cold weather allowing Joe to cover his love handles, Joe slips into Thanksgiving. Joe certainly doesn’t want to upset or offend any relatives, so he piles up the Turkey Day feast on his plate. December brings shorter days, college basketball, corporate parties and neighborhood events. Average Joe stumbles into January exhausted, bewildered and disgusted that he fared no better this holiday season.

What’s a Joe to do? Well, this year Joe is determined that it will be different! Here are some helpful hints to survive the ‘Diet Dead Zone’ that spans Thanksgiving to New Years.

Party tricks – No, Joe is not talk

ing about rolling a quarter down your nose into a shot glass (although that does take talent!) To survive a corporate or neighborhood party, try these tricks:

- Stay away from the buffet! If the food is out an available, grab yourself a small sample of your favorite ite

ms and retreat to a social position as far away as possible.

- Mix it up - Mix and mingle with

as many people as possible. The more time you spend concentrating on the conversation, the less time you w

ill be eating.

- Drink slowly – Everyone seems to have a drink in their hand at a party. The faster you down that drink, the faster you will lose your powers of resistance. In addition, you are piling on the empty calories. Try alternating your drink of choice with a glass of water – It will fill you up, keep you social and hydrated.

Corporate events: Beware of “free food” – Corporate dinners are difficult to manage because you are not paying – and who doesn’t want the best food they can get for “free?” Average Joe knows it is hard to say no in

a corporate situation, so try changing things up.

- Order the fish instead of the steak and potatoes, take advantage of a salad.

- Pause frequently to talk or to listen to conversation – it will fool your stomach into that “full” feeling much sooner.

- Average Joe has even cut his entrée in half and set it aside for a take-home box.

- Stay away from the Carb ‘killers’ – breads, pastas, deserts.

Snack attack! If your home is like Average Joe’s the holidays are filled with wonderful smells wafting in from the kitchen. Joe’s wonderful wife makes fabulous sausage balls! The key to avoiding the snack attack lies in timing. Grab a small handful and walk away. Stay away from the kitchen! Try substituting the sweet and salty snacks with vegetables like carrots and celery. Will power is a must in resisting the attack of the snacks.

Exercise – weather or not! When the cold winds blow, Joe likes to head for the couch. Even the gym seems too far away to travel. Stop being lazy, Average Joe! If the weather is too nasty to get out, then get busy. Run the stairs in your house or building. How many pushups and sit-ups can you do? Dust off that treadmill! The key to exercise is commitment. If you don’t schedule it into your day, other distractions will seem much more enticing.

Hey look – Average Joe knows it is not easy to have discipline and self control during the most hectic part of the year. You may even fall off the ‘plan’ at a party or event. That’s OK - Work hard to keep your focus at this time of year, and those January resolutions will be a lot easier to make and keep! Average Joe wishes you and your family peace and happiness during this season. Eat smart, drink smart, stay safe and plan your exercise activities! Enjoy the holidays!