Hey! Watch your Ash! – And other words of Holiday advice. For many of us, the Holiday season brings much over- Indulgence in the food, drink, partying, smoking and general relaxation of healthy habits. For others not being able to do or provide the things we would like to – for our loved one’s leads to a different but likely a worse kind of stress. (More about that later). Let’s talk about a few things we can do to make the season ultimately less harmful to our general health and psyche. First we shouldn't beat ourselves up by putting unreal- istic expectations on ourselves. By this I mean you must not put restrictions on yourself about eating, drinking and merry- making that don’t allow you to enjoy yourself, “Christmas comes but once a year”. Over indulgence goes hand in hand with Over Abundance. There are, first, too many good things, celebrations and gifts to tempt us. Trying to avoid these is unrealistic! The old saying “All things in moderation” is still great advice. Set yourself reasonable limits. You don’t have to be a martyr or miss out on the joy of family, friends and all the good things. Remember nothing tastes as good as looking good feels! Second – Know your limitations and weaknesses. We have all fallen victim to our own “mistakes” in the past. We know what to avoid – that attitude of “just one more drink” or another helping of dessert get’s us every time. Pace yourself at parties. Third – for those who’s weight gain is easy and weight loss is difficult. Weigh yourself every two to three days – when you see the scale start to go up you can cut back. This prevents that horrible feeling when you first step on the scale after the holidays and found you've gained ten to fifteen pounds! Fourth, calories still count so count calories. Don’t fall into the trap of saying to yourself “if I just eat all the treats and not my regular meals I’ll be ok?” A balanced diet still works best. Fifth – remember diets don’t work without exercise. Make sure you have a reasonable program that you enjoy and is easy and convenient. Check with your doctor if you don’t already have a program. Happy New Year!! That’s all for now “Without wax” SXG, M.D.