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Seven Tips To Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

Poste: 10/18/2011

Healthy eating and regular physical activity at holiday time can reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems in new years to come.

(NAPSI)—The holidays are a perfect time to focus on family and friends, not food. It’s also an important time to move more and eat better.

To help, the Weight-control Information Network (WIN), a national information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, offers the following seven tips so you can stay fit this holiday season and beyond:

Time Management

• Plan and prepare meals and snacks. Shop ahead of time for ingredients. Reach for quick snacks that are healthy, such as whole-grain crackers and peanut butter or veggies with low-fat dip.

• Go for a walk after a meal. Run some holiday errands or take a quick stroll where you work or live. This may help get some items checked off your “to do” list and clear your mind.

• Set goals for healthy eating and physical activity. Motivate yourself with fun activities that you can do with others, like flag football.

Physical Activity

• Be active every day and make time for physical activity. Work activity into your day, whether by parking farther away from stores to do your holiday shopping or walking around the mall or outdoor shops one full time before you buy anything.

Balance, Balance, Balance

• Share healthful recipes with family members and friends. Often, alternatives that are lower in fat, sugar, salt or cholesterol can be substituted for ingredients in even the most traditional recipes.

• Be mindful of what you eat and drink at holiday gatherings. Stop eating and drinking before you feel full.

• Use a small plate at holiday gatherings and fill it with fruits and vegetables. It will encourage you to eat smaller portions and you may get full faster.

Free Booklet

WIN even offers a free publication with helpful tips for healthful eating throughout the season. For more information, call WIN at (877) 946-4627 or visit www.win.niddk.nih.gov. Read WIN’s free flyer “Climb These Steps to a Healthier You!” at www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/Changing_Your_Habits_ Flyer.pdf or ask for a free copy when you call or at the site.

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