Wisdom Within - December Column
Submitted: Nov. l, 2007
Suzette Scholtes
Word count 530 – KC Wellness Journal

The Wisdom Within

By Suzette Scholtes

Cheers to Christmas Health!

Dashing Through the Snow
I don’t dash. But I do shovel snow and I love to walk in the winter if not too cold; and to sled a time or two is good fun….if the hill is a gentle slope. Thirty minutes of slipping and sliding down the snowy hills burns about 260 calories; same as 30 minutes of high impact aerobics and a good cross training. Snow shoveling burns about 200 calories in same amount of time.

Even with exercise we tend to gain a bit of weight during the holidays. Trust me; I’m the first in the buffet line, not being shy to indulge a healthy appetite. But this year has been a stellar year for me to create new records of long walks, new sporting activities like hiking and (good grief) jumping on a rebounder! There’s something about the magic number of 50-something and the need to exercise. My son who loves to read biographies says that Ben Franklin outlived all his contemporaries in 1776, dying at the ripe old age of 84. He believed it “good to exercise to perspiration” daily.

So ho, ho, gosh-darn ho. How are we to keep those pounds away? Last year I was too in love to care and bam….about five pounds of more-to-love grew around my small bone frame. Not cute. It took a while to shrink those lovely adipose cells by BOTH watching my diet and lots of exercise on top of my yoga and teaching hours.

Make a List and Check it Twice
When my sister dropped over 50 pounds two years ago, she arrived at my house for the holiday feast with special water to drink and avoided many foods on the holiday table. She ate just one bite of pie! I’m so proud of her. She offers a good model: Plan for those nights of the “big” parties or holiday dinners. No is a two letter word we all understand even if we do insult the holiday cookie baker.

Eat balanced meals through the day to keep blood sugar level (and all year long) and then the voracious hunger when you see FUDGE will ease the passion for that morsel of sweet. Those buffets and/or parties that offer waistline-dangerous foods offer good stuff too. The nutritionists say choose foods with lots of color which always include vegetables and green stuff. Avoid those vegetables morphed into calorie-filled diet busters with cheese, salt-laden canned soup, fried onions, and crème. Even those who are not fond of sweet potatoes can love their high color which promises healing antioxidants like beta-carotene.

Drink, drink, drink but make it a club soda with slices of fruit and cherries. Maybe toast with an ounce or so of wine and avoid like the plague those calorie laden sweet cordials so popular in the sexy ads.

A Wonderful Life
Choosing to indulge in holiday foods with discretion and making time to exercise will help you feel better and cope with the stress of the season. Added bonus: When we take care of ourselves we give from a full cup….and that is a true gift to family and friends. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Each January, Suzette Scholtes offers a Monday 5:45 pm class called “Yoga for Weight Loss” where everyone works a little harder to melt holiday pounds. The Yoga Studio of Johnson County, established in l984. It is an accredited Yoga Alliance National Teacher Training School.

She welcomes your feedback at Suzette@Everestkc.net or www.theyogastudio.com