BATTLE THE HOLIDAY BULGE: Creating the Right Mindset is Crucial to Holiday Fitness.

Once the holiday season comes around, our summer workouts will become vulnerable to overindulgence in holiday fare, paving way to weight gain. As hard as it is to stay fit during the holidays, a healthy lifestyle can be achieved during this time of year simply through a subtle shift in mindset. A New York-based exercise physiologist explains how.

August, 2003 -- Once the holiday season comes around, our summer workouts will become vulnerable to overindulgence in holiday fare, paving way to weight gain. As hard as it is to stay fit during the holidays, a healthy lifestyle can be achieved during this time of year simply through a subtle shift in mindset. A New York-based exercise physiologist explains how.    

Pretty soon the hard-earned results we attained from the past years workouts will be vulnerable to overindulgence in holiday fare once Thanksgiving comes along. As we spend more time eating and less time exercising, our bodies are bound to gain weight at the start of the year, eventually contributing to long-term obesity. But with so much shopping to do and holiday parties to attend after work, who has time to count the calories we consume?    

Its all in the attitude. A subtle shift in mindset can have a profound impact on shape and overall health. The mind is what determines success or failure, and people need to be more conscious of their fitness goals to beat that holiday bulge," says Salvatore Fichera, a New York-based exercise physiologist and fitness trainer. Drinking lots of water and eating salads at parties is not enough to stay fit during the holidays." Mr. Fichera has developed a series of guidelines to help create the right attitude to stay fit during the holidays and remain healthy throughout the rest of the year.

As part of your holiday issue, we suggest you share some of this advice with your readers:

Get psyched. Believe that you can attain and maintain a strong, shapely physique any time of the year:

Set clear, realistic goals.
Visualize your achievements.
Start your new year early and begin your resolutions on December 1. This will help avoid a destructive thought pattern of giving up and waiting until the holidays are over.

Eat to live. Dont live to eat:

Create an inner awareness of every food you eat. Imagine eating a potato chip and feeling the fat transfer to your hips. If eating fruit or salad, imagine your muscles being fed as you feel a surge in energy.
Eat a hearty breakfast. The sooner you eat after waking up, the higher your metabolism will be set throughout the day.
Eat small, frequent meals. Eating every three to four hours will help reduce strong cravings.

Stay in motion. The more we exercise, the more conscious we are about our well-being:

Strength train at least twice a week.
Do cardiovascular conditioning at least three times a week.
If time is an issue, reduce your workout time down to 20 minutes. An intense and focused workout will help you attain much in a short period of time.
On party days, train as close to the party as possible. Working out right before a party starts will help establish a strong mind-body connection that helps to avoid sabotaging health goals.

Salvatore Fichera is available for interview to discuss more of Mind, Body and the Holidays." To schedule an interview or for more information, please contact Joana Casas at (212) 687-1646.

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