Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 11, 1 November 2004 — Too good, too bad, just right [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Too good, too bad, just right

Aloha mai kākou. Can you believe it? November is upon us. I hope everyone went out and voted in the General Election. This month begins the Holiday season where pā'ina are abundant and wherever there is pā'ina there is lots and lots of kau kau. So, it's a good time for us to be reminded that we must try to avoid overindulging. I know this feat is a tough one because many "mea 'ai" appeal to all of our senses. For those of you who have done well with your New Year's resolution of changing your lifestyle and eating habits I certainly congratulate your achievements! The holidays always pose a great challenge for the disciplined dieter. An avid reader of this eolumn from Kapa'a, Kaua'i, wrote me earlier in the year expressing, "If as the old saying goes, 'heahh is wealth,' does anything else matter?" What a perfect reminder to get us through the upcoming holiday celebrations. So how do we get through the

holiday buffets without damaging our waistlines and our health, to boot? Well, we all know that "willpower" is easy to talk about, but hard to actually stick to. Why? At times I want to tell people when I say "no thank you," I really mean it! Ever been in a situation where you're trying your very best to keep to your meal plan and someone comes up to you with a delicious pūpū urging you on to try just one or two? Oooh ... You kindly decline and they give you the sad face and again attempt to persuade you to change your mind and again you decline graciously, only to get a hardcore in-your-face "eome on ... you've got to taste this, I made it myself" plea. How ean will-power stand up to these kinds of offers? And, isn't funny that right after someone compliments you on how great you look after losing some weight, the same people try to sabotage your efforts by tempting you with foods not in your meal plan. Okay, so maybe a small taste

of this or that might not kill your routine, but temptation is really hard to resist when it is virtually everywhere. Sometimes the only way to avoid all the food is to move away from it and find other activities to distract you from the pūpū table. That's called "won't-power" as compared to "will-power". Experience tells us that we should never go to a paina hungry; it only makes you overeat and indulge in, most likely, all the wrong food choices. If you eat a small meal at home before you go, you are assured that your meal choices will include a reasonably well-balanced meal. If you want to be extra welldisciplined bring your own food to thepā'ina. Don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings, just do what you feel is "just right" for you and your health. We need to start thinking mueh more seriously about our health and well-being in order to face the many challenges out there in this world waiting for us. I also wanted to touch a little bit

on the subject of exercise during the busy holiday season. You hear about how good walking is for us and how simple it is to include, so if you think about it, maybe shopping is a way to promote the walking habit. And, when you go to the many pā'ina during the holidays, look for ways to keep up the walking habit by checking out the pā'ina grounds or keep on your feet while catching up on the latest gossip with 'ohana and friends. And park farther away from your destination, too! Just keep in mind that walking is good for you! Here's wishing you all good health, and good holidays too ! As always, my staff and I invite your comments on the above or any other concerns within our purview. My OHA access numbers are: phone 594-1854, fax 594-0210 and e-mail address - dantec@oha.org. A hui hou, mālama pono. ■

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Dante Keala Carpenter Trustee, O'ahu