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Oct 16, 2014

Moderation folks, that’s the word of the day…

Halloween will shortly be here. After that Thanksgiving. Then Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day. You get the picture. The last three months of each year is an onslaught of holidays, and we all tend to celebrate with food. Usually an overabundance of meals, desserts, drinks. How many of you can barely get off the couch on Thanksgiving afternoon? Don’t be bashful, I’m raising my hand too. And it’s because of the impending holiday season that I wanted to spend a moment discussing moderation.

I’ll be the first to admit I love food. I also love desserts. And I love a good drink. It’s the main reason I run as much as I do. I reward myself with food. But I don’t run every day. And I don’t eat as much of whatever I want every day. If I did, I’d weigh a lot more than I do (and I’d really like to shed a few more pounds as it is). When I was in college I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. I’m sure most of you can relate. When we’re younger, you can get away with a lot more. Your body responds more efficiently to everything, including how much you eat. But as we age, our metabolism slows. And with that comes the added weight over the years. Unless we take control and practic moderation.

So, what do I mean by moderation? I like the phrase “Everything in moderation.” I’m sure you’ve heard it. It applies to a lot of aspects of life, but I’m talking about food here. It’s not healthy to eat too much of anything. Even healthy food. A person can drink too much water, to the point it becomes fatal. So I tell people, practice moderation when you eat. Cut back on portion size (Have a steak, but cut back on the size of steak, and don’t have steak every night). Cut back on second servings of food. Have dessert, but maybe split it with someone. And don’t have dessert every day. By all means, don’t cut something out of your diet completely. You’ll spend all your time craving that food. And in a moment of weakness, you’ll over-indulge. We’re human, it happens to us all. But if you practice moderation when eating, you’ll be less likely to slip.

So with the holiday season approaching, as you’re enjoying time with loved ones, remember, don’t limit yourself, but practice moderation. You’ll be thankful you did. Especially when you’re feeling guilty around New Year’s Day and making all sorts of resolutions that you know you won’t keep. But that’s a topic for another blog…

And with that, I wish everyone out there a safe and healthy week.