Heading for the Holidays!

By Sheree Crute

From Seattle to St. Paul, hundreds of NEA members have joined the NEA Fitness Challenge, launched just two months ago by NEA Today and the NEA Health Information Network. Already the news from you has been great: you're tossing the junk food, lacing up walking shoes, and taking it to the streets. Can you keep up the fun through the holidays? We say yes--even as you feast.

That's right. Conventional wisdom--and medical research--tells us that most folks lay on about three to five pounds from November to the first of the year. But those folks don't have to include you. You can learn to work with your body and mind, maintain your weight--and indulge in some of your favorite treats. After all, says John DeCastro, Ph.D., chairman of the psychology department at the University of Texas at El Paso, "Holidays are to be enjoyed. If you severely restrain yourself, you'll just pig out once the restraint is let go."

DeCastro ought to know. He conducts research on seasonal eating patterns, and says it's not your imagination if you swear you feel the urge to eat more as soon as the leaves turn from green to gold. Powerful evolutionary, social, and possibly genetic factors influence our attitudes about food intake throughout the year, he says. Add a little seasonal aggravation and, yes, you're suddenly drawn to eggnog and gingerbread.

"We eat more in the fall, regardless of the holidays," says DeCastro. "For our earliest ancestors it was the time of year they fattened up to prepare for the long winter." This primal urge sticks with you even if you reside in Malibu or Miami.

The social rituals that bring us together for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other celebrations also play a role in how much we eat. Simply put: "People eat more when they're with other people"--lots more, DeCastro says. You eat roughly 44 percent less when you eat alone. And the longer the meal or the larger the crowd, the more you'll feel inclined to nibble away.

So don't beat up on yourself this season; just plan ahead and manage what you eat. For example, this is a great time for high-fiber, high-density foods, DeCastro says. Don't try to get through the day on a salad and grapes. Opt for a low-fat lentil soup and a few raisins; they'll keep you full far longer.

Also, enjoy a little holiday cheer, but beware. Alcohol not only fills you up with empty calories, your body burns it first and food calories second, leaving you more likely to store fat after a meal that includes wine, beer, or spirits.

So do use some willpower (see page 50 for more tips). Avoid random munching, and hold out for the major events of the season. But enjoy every last bite of your holiday dinners, and don't even think about counting calories on those days. "You have to overeat 3,600 calories to gain a pound," DeCastro says. That's almost impossible to manage in a single festive afternoon.

Finally, try to chill. "Teachers tend to be overworked, and by their very nature, feel responsible for others," says Juan Lopez, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Let go of preconceived notions about making the holidays flawless, he says. Learn to say "no"--and keep exercising. "It's a great anti-depressant and anti-anxiety cure."

Now let's get going! Remember: Check in regularly at www.neahin.org/challenge to get more tips, learn about our experts, find inspiration, and, if you're trying to catch up, read the first installment of the Challenge. You'll want to work hard because prizes are waiting in May for three super teams: the one that clocks in the most miles walked, the one that logs in most inches lost, and the one that logs in most weight lost. (A formula will be used, based on number of members and starting data.) Each of those teams will receive $300 for their schools and a $100 gift certificate from the NEA Professional Library.

Inspired now? Good. Go get 'em!

Hitting Your Stride: The Walking Challenge, Part Two

About now, those of you who've joined the Challenge should be feeling great. (Others can still catch up by going to www.neahin.org/challenge). You should have lots more energy, endurance, and flexibility. Now for level two. C.B. Yelverton, your fitness expert, advises you make every effort to work out at home when you can't meet up with your school exercise team. Cut back a bit if you must (say, from five days to three), but try to keep moving during winter break. And when you think holiday, just remember to PARTY!

Plan ahead. Work out your holiday exercise schedule, pick your at-home walking path, and select your cold weather walking gear before things change. For cold weather, cover all extremities; you must have a hat and gloves and layer your clothes.

Avoid overeating. Take along healthy snacks.

Reward yourself for sticking to your workout. Treat yourself to a massage.

Turn on the TV. Programs like ESPN2's Fit TV, Gotta Sweat, and Bodies in Motion are great ways to get moving on your own or when the weather's just too cold.

You set the holiday tone for family and friends. Ice skate, roller blade, ski, bike ride, or swim as a group. Don't plan every celebration around eating and sitting.

New exercises
Run and/or power walk intervals (heart, lungs, hips, legs): Walk your normal speed for 2-3 minutes, then run or power speed walk for 1-2 minutes. Alternate intervals for 30 minutes ending with your normal pace. Always stretch calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps before and after exercising.

Push-ups: While on hands and knees with ankles crossed, move hands slightly forward and wider than shoulders.

Bend elbows and lower the body until your elbows are 90? or upper arms are parallel to the floor. Your back should be straight. Going lower may stress your shoulder joint and it is not necessary to get results.

Back-ups: 1. Lie face down with your forehead on the floor, place your hands on your shoulders (or place down by your sides for less intensity). Pull your abs in and up toward your spine throughout this exercise.

2. Contract (squeeze) your buttocks as you lift your back (torso). Hold for 1-3 breaths and lower slowly. Avoid arching the small of your back or protruding your rib cage or belly.

Always breathe and move slowly. Do Cat and Cow stretch (see below).

Sit and Stand: Sit in on a chair or bench with feet parallel and hip width apart. Keep heels directly under your knees (or slightly in front if you feel stress in your knees).

With hands on thighs (or on waist for more intensity) stand squeezing the buttocks and feeling the entire foot pressing against the floor.

Slowly lower your body into the chair/bench. Always keep your abs pulled in.

Cat and Cow Stretch:
Cat--On hands and knees pull your abs in and arch your back toward the ceiling like a mad cat. Bring your chin toward your chest and your tailbone toward the crown of your head. Hold for 1-3 breaths.

Cow--Reverse the curved back position by slowly lowering the back and lifting the chin and head up, looking toward the ceiling. Avoid letting the abs "hang." Keep them engaged. Hold for 1-3 breaths.

Staying On Track: The Nutrition Challenge, Part Two

Congratulations! You're probably seeing the results of your first eight weeks on the Challenge plan. Molly Gee, your nutrition expert, says you should be eating no more than 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day, staying below 1,800 or even 1,500 if you're really focused on dropping those pounds. Some of you may have even checked the Web site weight loss page and decided to sign up for a more rigorous eating plan. If you're struggling or have questions, ask Gee at www.neahin.org/challenge.

You should continue to lose in the next few weeks, except for Thanksgiving week, and the two weeks from December 20th or so to New Year's Day, Gee says. During that time, however, your goal will be to maintain, not gain. Here's how to cruise in to 2004 with your weight loss plan on target.

Balance the equation. Add 200 calories or so on party days, and fully enjoy holiday dinners. But to maintain your weight, you must make some allowances for those extra calories. Try banking calories if you know you have a feast day ahead. Eat lighter for a two days beforehand. Or, burn it off. Take a brisk, 20-minute walk (in addition to your usual exercise) before or after that filling meal.

Fill up first. Never arrive at a party hungry. Always have a low-fat, high-fiber meal first on your own.

Be selective. Survey the buffet table and pick your favorites, before you pick up a plate. Only take what you want to eat, then walk away and stay away.

Beware of hidden fat. Sauces and gravies may be filled with butter, oil, or animal fat. Drizzle them on one teaspoon at a time, or avoid them altogether.

Keep track. Your food diary is your best friend. Make notes on what you're eating so that you know when you've banked extra calories or overindulged.

Skim and trim. Keep an eye out for calories you can cut. Choose diet soda or juice. Fill up on salad or raw vegetables before you even consider dessert or other fattening party foods.

Share the load. Split high-fat desserts with a friend.

Sheree Crute is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York.

Smooth Sailing: Beat Holiday Stress

These can be some of the most difficult weeks of the year, but "believe it or not, it's your interpretation of events--not the events themselves--that result in stress," says R. Hayman Kite, Ph.D. "The trick is to change the way you interpret." How?

1. Focus on the positive. If the classroom party table collapses, assign the kids clean up jobs, give prizes for efficiency, and send them home with a sense of accomplishment. Never say the word "disaster."

2. Root out anger and frustration. The parent of stress is a toxic thought or memory that shapes your interpretation of a situation. Avoid blood pressure-raising scenarios by:

Counting backward from 100, while inhaling and exhaling deeply, until the tension subsides.

Thinking it through. Most toxic ideas dissolve in the face of logical analysis. As you think it over, do not apply words like "should" or "ought" and forget about blaming. Concentrate on the current experience and how you can move past it.

Walking Log

By this time you should be up to 150-200 minutes per week and if you are little behind, don't give up. During the holiday break you can catch up.

November/December's Goals:
> Short Walks: 30-40 minutes 3-4x a week
> Long walk: 45-60 minutes 1x a week
> Total minutes per week: 135-220
> Push-ups for chest, shoulders, and arms: 3 sets of 8-12, 2-3x a week
> Back-ups for middle and lower back: 3 sets of 8-12, 2-3x a week
> Sit and Stand for buttocks, hips, thighs, and strong knee joints
> Cat and Cow for back flexibility

January's Goals:
> Walk with run/power walk intervals: 30 minutes 1-2x a week
> Walks: 45-60 minutes 3x a week
> Push-ups and back ups: a super-set of push-ups and back-ups for 3 sets of 10-15, 2-3x a week
> Sit and Stand and side leg lifts: super-set for 3 sets of 10-20, 2-3x a week
> Cat and Cow, as part of your stretching routine as needed

On a Mission in Hamilton Township

Cheryl Williams, Cathy Pietras, and Debby Duffy (left to right in photo) work miles apart, but they've come together to get fit. Special education teaching assistants all, they've formed one of the first Fitness Challenge teams and are walking their way toward success in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

"I want to get back to where I was 10 years ago," says Duffy, 52, a mom and teaching assistant at Crocket Middle School. She says she'll brave all (except temperatures below freezing) to drop 30 pounds. Pietras, 47, a wife and mom who works at Hamilton High West, is determined to recover from years of health problems and says, "I'd like to lose 50 pounds. My main goal, though, is to stay fit, keep active, and stay healthy."

Team member Williams, who works at Reynolds Middle School, is also determined to take the edge off her health risks by trimming 30 pounds. But, says the 49-year-old who cares for five children and her parents, "I also hope to increase my energy levels."

So they're off, this group who've dubbed themselves "The Hamilton Hikers"--with Pietras' two dogs in tow. And they're encouraging the competition. "I wish everybody luck who joins the Challenge," says Williams.

And Just How DO You Measure Those Thighs?

If you're not quite sure, here are some tips:

Use a flexible tape measure and lay it gently against your skin. Don't squeeze or pull tightly. Measure yourself without clothing, preferably in the morning before you eat. Never measure after working out.

> Chest: Breathe normally, place tape under your armpits.
> Waist: Measure the thinnest part of the mid-torso or waist area.
> Abdomen: Place tape 1/2 inch above your navel.
> Hip: Put your feet together and measure the widest curve of your hip.
> Thigh: Spread legs 2 inches apart, measure at the top of your thigh.