Julie, Barbara and Ellen keep it real with fitness facts and Philly tips. | Disclaimer
JULIE, personal trainer and former athlete and coach: “I’ve got to start an exercise routine” and “I am starting an exercise routine” are the clear components to your question. If you are not committed to beginning the routine, you certainly will not be committed to the daily execution of the routine. Stop trying to disguise the five pounds from Thanksgiving and get your active pursuit of health in gear! Take the 10 pounds of Christmas cookies that are lying around and use them as weights to begin your fitness program today! You can find other nutrition tips at FoodAndHealth.com. And for inspiration, sing along:
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Oh, the weather outside is frightful But the gym is so delightful And since you don’t want to grow, Let us go! let us go! let us go!
It doesn’t show signs of stopping |
When you finally make it clear, That you hate how you look and feel You will know that a change is near And take steps to improve how you feel
Your fat cells are slowly dying |
BARBARA, retired teacher, singer and arts & cultural consultant: I say, life is full of indulgences and as Americans we have more than most people. If you’re reading this web page, you are one who also makes choices. So... you can start now or choose to wait until January.
Getting back to the indulgences....It’s all a mind game, and this time around you can change the rules. You know most of the time we all eat all of the goodies from November clear through New Year’s Day. So why not make life a bit more interesting and indulge every other day or at every other opportunity or better yet only on the weekends or only on, say, Tuesday? Or eat only the goodies served on red plates or china? Make a game out of it. And tell us, "your girlfriends," about your game plan. It might help us or someone else.
Another thing you can do is change your indulgences. I mean, sugar and butter are good, but so is getting your nails done or catching a movie alone. Get creative about it And make sure you do things that YOU want to do and that help propel you into the new year with a jumpstart on your health and fitness goals.
ELLEN, journalist and fitness dummy: I lost 30 pounds last year and I’ve put a little back on, but it’s been a rough year with the economy crashing and the prospect of war always hanging on the horizon. I sure would understand someone eating her way through the holidays. This is why they call it comfort food. It’s comforting. Exercise is hard work.
Sister Mary's story on our opening page is certainly inspirational. I figure if she can do it, so can I. I truly despise getting up early in the morning to go exercise in the winter. I'm pretty sure it's some form of seasonal affect disorder. So here's my one tip. I will sleep in my workout clothes so I can just roll out of bed and stumble to the car to drive to the gym. I also am looking this year for lo-cal holiday recipes and would love to hear from those of you --- men and women --- reading this site.
Julie will tell you that developing more muscles helps you burn off calories quicker. However, after having hit the big 5-0 this year, I really have to watch the sweets and alcohol or I turn into the Michelin Woman. I monitor weightwatchers.com for some lo-cal tips. And I use this really terrific recipe for a festive but nonalcoholic drink that I got at a fundraiser for the Caron Foundation, a chemical dependency treatment facility in Wernersville with new offices in Philadelphia:
Avenue B Sparkling Metropolitan
Chill a martini glass. In shaker filled wih ice, add orange syrup, lime juice and cranberry juice. Shake well. Pour mixture into martini glass. Fill martini glass with cold Aranciata. Garnish with an orange zest.