Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2004 — Holidays are a time for good diet, exercise choices [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Holidays are a time for good diet, exercise choices

By Claire Hughes , Dr.PH., R.D. The holiday season is here. It's time for family, friends and festivities. Regrettably, these annual festivities also create a real challenge for many who want to avoid gaining weight. Fortunately, action and a few simple facts ean help to keep weight, waistlines and hips from expanding. The first thing to remember is that when food and calorie intakes increase, exercise must also increase. Balancing calories and exercise is crucial to controlling undesirable gains. An exercise fact is that the body's large muscles use the most calories, so focus on working arm and leg muscles when you eat more. Walking is great exercise, and good athletic shoes are all that's needed. Going up and down steps makes the leg muscles work harder than walking on a flat surface, so use the stairs at work or in stores. Plan to arrive early at the shopping mall, park at the far end of the lot, and walk the length of the mall before shopping. Or, get off the bus a hloek or two before your stop and walk the rest of the way. If there is a hill in the neighborhood, walk up and down it to begin or end the day. Adding bits of exercise throughout the day, every

day, will keep muscles burning extra calories. Exercising with family and friends ean add enjoyment to the experience. Gyms are convenient, inexpensive and a good option for people who must exercise at night. Using weights burns more calories; however a fitness trainer is a must, since mistakes ean cause permanent injury. A fitness trainer will assure correct body alignment to prevent injury when using weights. The choices we make about the type and amount of food we eat are also important in achieving halanee. It takes the brain 20 minutes to get the message that food is being consumed, so just slowing down allows the feeling of being full to develop before large portions are eaten. At parties, take a moment to savor food flavors and

smells. Chew your food thoroughly and slowly. Take small portions and eat sparingly, especially when selecting fatty foods, like fatty meats, fried dishes, chips, nuts and desserts with whipped or heavy cream. Choose lower calorie foods all week and save extra calories to spend at the party on Saturday night. During the week, choose only low-fat or non-fat options in meats, dairy products and salad dressings. Drink water instead of soda or other sweetened drinks. Eat lots of vegetables. Choose fresh fruit or vegetable snacks and avoid fatty, sugary snacks. Minimize the worry by adding extra exercise, too. Many people erroneously think our Hawaiian the ancestors were fat. They may have been tall and handsome perhaps, but not fat. Here's a direct quote from one of the scientists who examined the Hawaiian iwi (remains) exhumed at Mōkapu: "These Hawaiians ... had fairly long arms, moderately narrow shoulders, and very narrow hips. Overall, they would have been judged slender for their height in spite of heavy musculature." Let's take a lesson from our ancestors and make wise choices over the Holidays to keep our bodies strong and healthy. ■

Regular excercise and wise decisions about the foods we choose on a daily basis ean allow us to enjoy the festivities without putting on extra holiday pounds.

Ol akino

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