Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it can be a very stressful time of the year when it comes to staying on track and eating healthy. Food is usually in abundance and parties are frequent. For me this a joyous and festive time with decorations, Christmas music and the spirit of joy. I just love seeing how excited the kids get knowing that Christmas is right around the corner. However, I know that for some women it is a time for high anxiety because of overeating and binging. I remember those days well and while I personally try to take it in stride, I too can get overwhelmed and overeat. But many years ago I came up with a plan to allow myself no more than a 2-pound weight gain and for the past 15 years it has worked. While Thanksgiving is considered the beginning of the holidays, you do not have to binge and overeat and put on the 11-12 pounds that most experts say the average weight gain is then. Not only is that unhealthy physically, mentally and emotionally, that is a lot of weight to put on and it is so hard to take off. Come January, when people mentally begin to get in the DIET mode the shift is to weight loss. The DIET industry booms with people wanting to lose weight and that will most certainly lead to another year of disappointments for many. Listen to me, DIETS DON’T WORK! I truly believe that anyone can get through the holidays without eating till you can’t breathe or better yet can’t zipper your jeans. Yes, you can do this, as I have done it for years and I am no different than anyone else. When I began to PACE MYSELF with holiday eating and think MINDFULLY about my choices I realized that anyone could do this. My best advice is to make sure you are exercising and eating sensibly. When your fitness routine takes a back seat that sets you up for a train wreck and that is when most good eating habits begin to go south. In other words, when one sinks they both go down. Without exercise and eating sensibly, those pounds will start to pack on and you can experience lack of energy, not enough sleep, feeling bloated and worse, feeling miserable. I have said this over and over, if you can make it through Thanksgiving Day half of the battle is won. That one day will most likely set you up for the next 4 weeks or so till Christmas is over. Then we to run to get fit and healthy once again. Do yourself a favor…please eat one good meal on Thanksgiving day, like a good breakfast. Enjoy the day and celebrate you. You can make it, I know you can! Debra

I woke up this morning feeling tired and a little drained but I knew I had to teach a 9:30AM step class at the studio. As I began to get my thoughts together to get myself motivated, I began to think about why I work out and have made FITNESS a daily part of my life. There are many reasons that I exercise and here are just a few: - I look and feel better. After I work out I feel like I can conquer anything, including the need to binge or eat junk foods. - I know that to lead and live a healthy lifestyle I need to exercise. - I have better health and live everyday to the fullest. - Exercise helps with depression. - I can set goals that I can achieve. They are realistic and attainable. - I can practice self-care. I preach it to everyone, so living it is very important to me. - When I feel better, my self-esteem and self-worth are very high. - It feels good to sweat and burn calories, I know my body is thanking me but more-so my mind can go into an exercise zone. - I see so many clients and realize that they, like me, have a better quality of life because we take care of ourselves. There are more reasons but let’s start there. I urge you to get off the couch and start LOOKING AND FEELING better today! Debra

This is my favorite time of the year. The weather is chilly and I love to get out and take Hannah for our runs to get my thoughts together. November is the beginning of celebrations that I remember as a kid. I still have fond memories being surrounded by my family and friends. My mother always had an open door policy with food and festivities during the holidays. I think I love them more as I get older. Thanksgiving was always spent at my grandmother’s and there was never a shortage of food. We would eat until we couldn’t move, but hey it was Thanksgiving! Well, that has changed for me. While I still love the holidays, I pace myself with all of the food that comes along this time of the year. While the average weight gain is about 11 pounds till after the New Year, I give myself a 2-pound limit. Yes, it can be done. Here is how I do it. First, I make sure I get all of my workouts in and a couple more so that mentally I am not sluggish. Somehow, when you get those workouts in you feel like you need to eat better or why bother. Next, while I love Thanksgiving dinner, I eat everything in small portions and if I go back for seconds I get a small portion. Never pile food on the plate, take small amounts and enjoy what is on the plate. I make sure I eat a good breakfast on that day. If you wait till the big dinner without eating anything first you are more likely to overeat and binge. I pick one dessert and may try a small portion of another. Do not put more than one dessert on your plate because as you know you will eat more than your stomach can handle. In the end, you can eat sensibly on Thanksgiving. Remember you can make any of that food any time of the year. Eat sensibly and you’ll feel better the day after.