Healthy Habits: Getting Fit in the New Year

TwitterMoms and EA Sports Active are sponsoring a sweepstakes with a chance to win EA Sports Active Personal Trainer. To enter, all you need to do is share your 10 tips for getting fit after the holidays. So, here are mine:

- Be realistic. You will have much more overall success if you celebrate the small victories and recognize that huge goals need to be broken down to be effective.
- Make it a family affair. This will provide accountability and companionship.
- Nothing is off-limits. It is a lot easier to let yourself have some treats in moderation than to always have the temptation of "forbidden food."
- Eat more - more fruits and veggies. Use them as snacks. Consider fruit-based desserts such as apples with a little cinnamon, peanut butter, or honey instead of higher-calorie options.
- Adjust your eye. Learn to eyeball portion sizes, such as a serving of meat as a deck of cards, or a serving of cheese as two dice.
- Don't reward with food. When you hit a milestone, rewarding with food just backtracks you. Consider rewarding yourself with a date night, a spa day, or something else.
- Get moving. If you find yourself just sitting, try to be moving at least some part of your body. Research has shown that fidgeters have a higher metabolism.
- Get some equipment. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. Wear wrist and ankle weights as you go for a walk, or designate some heavy books or soup cans as workout equipment.
- Take time to breathe. Lowered stress makes it easier to be healthy overall.
- Have fun! Don't add activities you don't enjoy. Instead, do something you like or that you can have fun with as a family, such as playing catch in the backyard, going on a nature hunt, etc.