The upcoming holiday season reminds me of my two most favorite times of the year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can still remember the joy of decorating the Christmas tree, can almost taste the delicious food my Mom prepared for us and can still remember the extra time we had on our hand for playing and talking to our relatives. To make this special time as enjoyable as possible I would like to share a few tips:
- Travel Time: If you travel by car and suffer from motion sickness, make sure not to read a book or so; instead keep your eyes forward on the road (I am addressing the passengers of the car!). Greasy foods and carbonated drinks won`t help your well being either. You can stop at a health food store and look for ginger or ginger pills; they can help fight nausea in a natural way.
- Full Freezer: The last thing people want to do is rush out last minute to buy things that are needed for that perfect holiday meal. If you fill up your freezer to the top in order to not have to do this, please don`t forget to adjust the temperature setting. It needs to be adjusted if there are more things in the freezer to limit the spread of bacteria. I think the truly last thing people want to do is spend the holidays in bed with a dose of food poisoning.
- Turkey Preparation: Instead of giving you a new turkey recipe (I wouldn`t know any) I can leave you with a great fat-saving tip. Instead of leaving that turkey stuffing in the bird (where it can soak up all that fat) prepare it separately; this should save a few calories.
- The main meal: Drink 30 minutes before the meal and wait 60 minutes after eating before you drink again. This way your stomach can use the digestive juices totally undiluted. Obviously eating smaller portions instead of one giant portion will help your digestion. Little snacks on the table don`t have to consist of sugar and heavy cheese; try fruit or vegetable pieces. Before you go for seconds (or thirds) wait 10 minutes; that`s how long it takes for your brain to register that you`re full. After your meal, get your family to take that 20 minute walk together; you will recharge your energy level and you do something good for your metabolism.
- Avoid sitting on soft couches or recliners: if you have to sit use a hardback chair or better an inflatable gymnastic ball. Limit sitting to 30 minutes and take plenty of walks with long strides and your belly sucked in.
- Bad Back: That soft bed and the heating pad look real comfortable but unfortunately are not the best for your back. Apply an ice pack to the painful area (a bag of frozen peas will do just fine) for approximately 15 to 20 minutes but not directly onto the skin; use a dishtowel as an insulator. Take the ice off for an hour or so and repeat the whole procedure. If the pain doesn`t subside after a while contact your health care provider and ask him for advice.
