Keeping it real these holidays

Sheryl Steinberg
Canwest News Service
Monday, December 15, 2008

Greta and Janet Podleski know what it's like to overeat during the holidays.

As children, the sisterly cookbook authors and hosts of the Food Network's Eat, Shrink and Be Merry had to finish every bite of their festive fried smelts and sauerkraut pancake dinner before opening Christmas gifts.

"Growing up in a Polish household, we had quite the traditions and they weren't healthy," Greta says. She notes their mother used to save bacon drippings to later fry up potatoes and pork chops.

"It's amazing that [Janet and I] ended up writing cookbooks with a healthy slant," she says, acknowledging how easy packing on the pounds can be in the month of December.

Erin Holm of West Vancouver can attest to that. Between work functions and parties with friends and family, Holm figures she attends up to 16 holiday gatherings during the holidays.

A nutritional chef who designs menus for restaurants, Holm usually exercises three or four times a week. But she also has a self-proclaimed "sweet tooth" with a weakness for chocolate and shortbread - two temptations that seem to be everywhere during the holidays, she says.

The mother of two young boys says fitting in her workouts can be tricky, what with all the holiday hoopla and family commitments. She says she's been known to gain a few pounds and "feel fairly gluttonous and a little bit guilt-ridden" by the time January rolls around.

Nathan Mellalieu, owner of Studeo 55, a downtown Vancouver gym that specializes in personal training and has worked with Hollywood A-listers, such as Ben Stiller, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba, says he sees attendance numbers drop by about 25% every December.

"We understand the holidays happen," says Mellalieu, and identifies people as belonging to one of two camps. "Some people think, ‘The only way I can make it through the holidays and stay healthy is not to participate in any holiday festivities' ... or people completely shelve their fitness regimen and go to all the activities. People think it's either/or."

The key to surviving the season, he says, is to find a healthy balance between the two extremes. "[It] doesn't mean not going to parties, not enjoying yourself, alienating yourself from all the things you enjoy. Really, what it's about is making as many deposits as withdrawals in your health."

To avoid becoming part of the New Year's resolution crowd, Mellalieu offers these pointers:

- Get as much exercise as your schedule will allow to "keep some momentum going."

- Decrease the intensity or frequency of your workouts to make exercise more appealing and feel less like work - a strategy he says works especially well for those who might have partied too heartily the night before.

- If you have holiday time constraints, switch from a traditional cardiovascular routine (like a 45-minute jog on the treadmill) to 20 minutes of interval training involving 10 one-minute sprints separated by one-minute jogs - "creating huge peaks and valleys for your heart rate," he explains. "You're going to burn more calories in a shorter period of time."

- Choose circuit training over traditional strength-building routines for maximizing efficiencies. Providing both strength and aerobic benefits, circuit training works different muscle groups sequentially and eliminates the rest period typically taken between exercises.

Similarly, on the food front there's a lot you can do to enjoy the season regret-free, says Podleski, who serves up these dishy tips:

- Don't stress. If you overdo it at the buffet, put it behind you and get back on track. Stress can lead to weight gain, she says. Besides, "one rip-roaring, high-calorie, gut-busting meal is not going to make or break your waistline."

- Avoid "portion distortion." Keep a watchful eye on food quantities. At dessert time, she says to "halve your cake and eat it, too" or share with a friend.

- Serve calorie-conscious treats, like the Podleski sisters' own Shocklate Cheesecake with brownie crust. Made with whipped 1% cottage cheese, each slice has only nine grams of fat versus the whopping 30-40 g in traditional recipes.

- Be choosy. Rate fattening foods using a "splurge-worthy" scale. "If you're going to spend the calories," Podleski says, "make sure it's a nine or 10."

- At the bar, remember drinks have calories, too. "Be a double-fisted drinker" and alternate a glass of sparkling water or diet soft drink with wine or alcohol to keep consumption down.

- Avoid wearing elastic waists or baggy sweatpants. Wear fitted pants or jeans, and stay in touch with reality.

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