Senior Sneakers: Oops, I did it again!

Did you know that about 90 percent of an iceberg’s mass is under water? That means that these massive icebergs that we see pictures of above water are really just 10 percent of their entire mass! We don’t even see most of it! You may be thinking, “Well, that’s interesting but, so what?”

If your Thanksgiving was like mine, several people contributed to the variety of food that was cooked. Since I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feeling, I had to try something of everything. So no one’s feelings got hurt if I didn’t try their contribution. Once I cleaned my first plate I thought, “Will their feelings get hurt if I don’t go back for seconds?” After polishing off my second plate I thought, “Oops, I did it again!” The overeating on a holiday that I vowed not to do happened again!

I’ve written a few articles recently about avoiding overeating and keeping our diets in check during this holiday season, because the opportunities to fail our diets and our health are so prevalent during this time of year. So it’s important to keep top of mind and identify the potential for pitfalls before we encounter them.

One of the pitfalls that people run into is thinking that they can outwork a bad diet. Consider the iceberg. What if 90 percent of the iceberg was above water and only 10 percent below? Physics tells us that because of the density of the iceberg and the buoyancy of water (and probably a myriad other factors) that 90 percent above and 10 percent below isn’t possible. The same is true with our diet and fitness.

We need to watch our diets the majority of the time, coupled with a healthy balance of exercise. Trying to exercise our way out of a bad diet doesn’t work and is unhealthy. At our gym we say, “It’s not all about what you did the one hour you were here, it’s about what you put in your body the other 23 hours you’re not.”

I’m not suggesting that we should be on a strict diet during the holidays. There’s too much good food out there! But, as the old Coors commercials used to say, “Know when to say when.” Pay more attention to your family than the food. And pay more attention to the people at your parties than the pies.

If you’re like me and already indulged for the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s not time to throw in the towel for the rest of the season. What are your take-aways from that indulgence? What will you do differently throughout the rest of the season? My first take-away is that I’m pretty sure that people’s feelings won’t get hurt if I don’t try their food…or, at least, go back for seconds!

Also, mix in an exercise routine three to five days a week to keep you metabolism up to help compensate for those few indulgences that you deserve. So many people actually curtail their workout routines during the holidays that gyms are slower than normal. It’s really the perfect time to learn new exercises if you’ve been intimidated or too self-conscious to do it before. Beat the New Year’s crowd and get a head start on your health!

If you have questions about where to start or need to some new idea to freshen your workouts, we can help you. Call or email us with the contact information below. Your waistline will thank you!

Patrick McGaha Jr., member experience manager at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park, is dedicated to building a welcoming environment in the club, conducive to helping members and clients reach their health fitness goals. To get your fitness and nutrition related questions answered by a certified personal trainer, or for a free personal training session, call us at 321-972-5833 or email [email protected].