The holiday season is upon us. I feel like “the holiday season” starts with Halloween and ends at the beginning of January. And so many of these holidays are centered around food & feasting. Which is awesome! But can also be problematic. With all these parties going on you want to stay in shape, look your best, and most importantly, be healthy! You don’t want to let yourself get run-down and worn out so that you fall ill and miss parties. We all want to stay healthy & happy so we can get the maximum enjoyment out of our holiday happenings instead of stress, belly aches and exhaustion.
The writers at Family Friendly Cincinnati, along with some help from our friends in the community have created a list of events, activities, and tips for your whole family to stay healthy this holiday season. Please keep in mind when you read through these tips that we are not medical professionals, just moms sharing tips that work for our families. And please take a moment to list any tips you have for staying healthy this holiday season in our comments section!
Events & Activities Around Town to Help You Stay Healthy:
Saturday November 10 : Saint Elizabeth Healthcare and Remke bigg’s in Crescent Springs will be hosting A Taste of Health: Healthy Eating for the Holidays. There will be two cooking sessions, 10am and 11am, and it is FREE. Here is 
some more information they provided about the event: During each session, Lindsey House, clinical dietitian at St. Elizabeth’s Weight Management Center, and Larry Anderson, chef and deli manager at Remke bigg’s, will demonstrate a couple healthy recipes to make during the holidays and offer helpful tips on how to avoid putting on those extra pounds. Recipes prepared and given out will include pumpkin parfait delights and tomato and pepper crostinis. Event attendees will have the opportunity to speak with St. Elizabeth professionals on a one-on-one basis and participate in a live cooking demonstration. If guests register by noon, Friday, Nov. 9 they will be entered into a drawing for Remke bigg’s gift cards or Pump Perks. Registration: www.stelizabeth.com/atasteofhealth or (859) 301-6300.
Tuesday, November 13 : Joseph Beth Booksellers in Crestview Hills Town Center comes to us again with another “Wellness by the Book” presentation. This time they are focusing on eating healthy during the holidays. The event is at 7pm and is open to the public, no registration needed. They will discuss special diets, how to eat well over the holidays, and other challenges you might face at holiday parties when trying to diet or eat well. They will have Weight Management and Diabetes experts on hand from St. Elizabeth Healthcare to talk to you.
1st Wednesday of Each Month : Diabetes Support Group 6:30-8 p.m. at the Durr Branch Library. Join Northern Kentucky Health Department and other diabetics to share tips and resources.
Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. at the Durr Branch Library – W.W.I.N.K. – Wellness Walkers in Northern Kentucky is open to anyone who would like to make walking for exercise part of their normal routine.
Friday, November 30, 2012 Play Art: Animal Yoga at 10:00 a.m. Ages 2-6 Get fit with our Animal Yoga Class! Can you roar like a lion and hop like a frog? Come bend and stretch with this fun variation on traditional yoga positions! Decorate an animal mask and strike a pose! Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library
Friday, December 28, 2012 : Play Art: Animal Yoga at 10:00 a.m. Ages 2-6 Get fit with our Animal Yoga Class! Can you roar like a lion and hop like a frog? Come bend and stretch with this fun variation on traditional yoga positions! Decorate an animal mask and strike a pose! Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library
Stay fit with Jazzercise! Do you want to get in shape but do not like to exercise at the gym? Try Jazzercise! Dance your way to being in shape! Burn calories and have fun at the same time! Jazzercise is fun for all ages and fitness le
vels. There are many locations where you can take Jazzercise around Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, and January 7-8 Jazzercise will be having their famous Two Day Sale, which is a great deal for new members! And if you don’t want to wait until January to get started with Jazzercise, at the Crescent Springs Location ONLY (519 Enterprise Drive Crescent Springs) you can get your first month of classes FREEwith EFT signup if you mention Family Friendly Cincinnati! Here’s info about Jazzercise from their website: “Each 60-minute cardio workout routine blends dance and muscle toning movements choreographed to today’s hottest music, including Top 40, jazz, country, funk, and classics. Our instructors make all the routines fun and easy-to-follow. Every class includes a gentle warm up, aerobic workout, muscle toning and strengthening segment with weights, and a stretch finale. Jazzercise, combines dance, strength training, yoga, Pilates, and kickboxing movements into one fun and effective total body workout. Routines are choreographed to current hits by major recording artists. With its fresh moves, new music and pure motivation, no other fitness program comes close.”
Moksha (hot) Yoga Studios offer several ways to “take a breathe” this holiday season. Saturdays at noon in Northern Kentucky, your child can practice kid yoga while you grab a 60 minute hot class all to yourself. Karma (charity) classes are offered at both the NKY and Cincy studio each Sunday at 4pm to allow aspiring and experienced yogis alike to practice while giving back. Each month there is a different cause and in November the donations ($5 minimum) go to feed local families in need. Be sure to check out their website or Facebook page to find out about their one day black Friday sale.”
Tips for Healthy Living through the Holiday Season from the FFC Contributors:
Kandi’s Tips: Do not deprive yourself of anything. If you want some sweet potatoes with marshmallows (yuck, personally), have some. However, don’t put a heaping pile on your plate. Instead, take a regular sized tablespoon and put it on the plate. You get to have it without going overboard. For me, deprivation makes me want it more and then I gorge on it. It’s a vicious cycle. Also, smaller plates! The smaller the plate, the less you can pile on. I eat on kid sized plates now for that reason.
Michelle’s Tips: It is so hard to stay on track with diet and exercise during the holidays. The season of feasting begins around Halloween and continues until the leftovers are gone after January 1st. Staying on a healthy diet is challenging this time of year, and it’s super hard to stay motivated to exercise during the cold and gray winter months. Here are some things I do to stay on track:
1) Drink lots of water. It fills me up, makes me want to eat less and keeps me from feeling too tired.
2) Keep an exercise schedule and try to work out with a buddy. This keeps me accountable and makes me less likely to skip.
3) Sign up for holiday runs/walks like Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving Day Race (http://www.thanksgivingdayrace.com/) or the 2012 Jingle Bell Run/Walk (http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1024717) This gives you something to train for and forces you to exercise.
4) Try a totally new exercise or something you would not normally do. The excitement and challenge may keep you motivated.
5) Check out Pinterest for fun and healthy holiday snacks or potluck foods!
The other day my middle child begged and begged for me to buy a small vegetable tray with ranch dressing. Normally, I’d say no because this is more expensive and I think of it as something to take to a party. But, I bought it…and he ate half of it in the car on the way home…and not just the ranch dressing. Be open to things you don’t normally buy. Get creative and try something different. And, happy holidays! You can read Michelle’s blog, I’m Living the Good Life, here—> http://imlivingthegoodlife.blogspot.com/
Phyllis’ Tips: Bring a healthy but delicious dish to the family gathering or party to ensure you have a healthy choice. The one we bring to our family gathering that is otherwise full of unhealthy choices is “Aunt Dorothy’s Spinach Salad” which comes from the family and is devoured by all. Focus on family or friends more than the food. Regularly check-in with yourself throughout the day prior to turning to food and ask yourself, “am I hungry?” If the answer is no, try to think about what you need or are looking for. Are you tired and could use a nap? Are you lonely and could call a friend? Are you bored and looking for something creative to do or entertaining to do or read? Want more Healthy Tips? Check out Phyllis’ Blog, Healthy Happenings. She is always posting great recipes & healthy living tips!
Katie’s Tips: Get the whole family on board! We’ve been spending alot of time talking to our kids about healthy eatin
g, and eating unhealthy foods in MODERATION. We want them to know it’s ok to indulge in junk food occasionally, but not to go overboard. Having this open discussion with them about healthy eating is educating them and helping them make good decisions on their own. And like Phyllis said, I have been trying to show up to parties with a dish or appetizer that I know is on the healthier side, so even though we’re munching on junk food we also have a healthy snack to munch on as well. Everything in moderation! My other tip is to “schedule in” exercise. I always have good intentions of exercising, but if I actually write in on my calendar (in ink) that I’m going to exercise I’m more likely to make it happen. And most important of all…I try to make sure my family gets plenty of rest. Even though we have lots of events coming up in the next few months I hope to keep my kids on a good sleep schedule to prevent crankiness and sickness.
Healthy Living Resources from our Friends at the Kenton County Public Library:
Family Books
“Gluten Free Christmas Cookies,” by Ellen Brown
Children’s Books
What’s on MyPlateseries by Mari Schuh
Your Healthy Plateseries by Katie Marisco
Children’s CDs
Good morning exercises for kids
Children’s DVDs
Six Fit Kids Workouts with Judy Notte Howard
Safety and Smart Healthy & Fit
Video Games
Nickelodeon Fit for Wii
Just Dance for xBox
Online Services – Access from any computer with an Internet connection and your Kenton County Public Library card number
- Clean Eating
- Diabetic Living
- Fit Pregnancy
- Gluten-Free Living
- Men’s Fitness
- Natural Home & Garden
- Prevention
- Runners World
- Shape
- Vegetarian Times
- Women’s Health
- Yoga Journal
- Weight Watchers
Gale Virtual Reference Library
The Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health: Infancy through Adolescence
The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health
Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z
One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
How will your family stay healthy this holiday season?
So many great tips, Katie! Thanks for sharing. I’ll try to follow at least a few …
Great post! I loved it. Those are fantastic resources from the Library! Seriously, good job!