HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Clean the house, wrap the presents, decorate the tree, hit the last minute sales, feast on high sugar treats, . . . no wonder we have so much stress during the holidays! In this section, we will focus on stress reduction, exercising and staying healthy during the festive holiday season.

A major source of stress is overworking yourself. If you have 24 hours in a day, you still won't have enough time to get all your work complete. Somewhere a corner gets cut or something sits on the back burner never able to rise to the top. Sooner or later, the energy drains your system which causes the body to fall behind in its repair work. There will not be enough time or energy to fix broken cells or replace used up brain neurotransmitters. Eventually, you will "hit the wall," or "run out of gas". The body's fight to stay healthy will deplete itself and this will cause major stress.

When we are OVERSTRESSED, we turn to sugar as a "pick me up." Our blood sugar goes up and down wildly. Thus, the most important dietary consideration is to keep a balance in blood sugar level. In order to feel well, avoid "sugar highs" and "sugar lows". Take sugar in the form of complex carbohydrates. Eat small frequent meals instead of a few large ones to help keep your blood sugar stable.

And most importantly, keep up with your exercise program. Just because you are busy doesn't give you a good excuse to miss the gym. If anything, it should motivate you to workout and reduce your stress level.

Have a wonderful holiday, but put a mental check on yourself. You may be SUPERMOM or SUPERDAD, but remember you can only do what you can do. Set yourself up for success by being realistic with your time. And always remember that holidays are about family, not about basketball, wrestling or gymnastics practice.

Slow down and have a great holiday!

Lisa Rakoz
Health & Fitness Section Editor

• Drive to work in reverse.
• Use your MasterCard to pay your Visa bill.
• Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on.
• Bill your doctor for the time you spent in his waiting room.

Spelling
If GH stands for P as in Hiccough
If OUGH stands for O as in Dough
If PHTH stands for T as in Phthisis
If EIGH stands for A as in Neighbor
If TTE stands for T as in Gazette
If EAU stands for O as in Plateau

The right way to spell POTATO should be GHOUGHPHTHEIGHTTEEAU!

HOLIDAY STRESS

Holiday's are times of parking in a dark spot with too many things on your mind and not being aware of your surroundings. When you are in a parking lot, notice others around you. Be aware if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and while he goes for the loot, you…. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!!

If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

• If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the woman is attempting to get into her car.
• Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
• ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).
• For other holiday safety tips check out Holiday Personal Safety & Security Tips.

Trans Fat on Food Labels 2006

You may have heard the news that in the year 2006, it will be a requirement to include the amount of trans fats on food labels.

Fats are acids made up of chains of carbon atoms attached to hydrogen atoms. Trans fats, by contrast, are a type of man-made fat that has been added to food products since the 1940s. Through a process called hydrogenation, hydrogen atoms are added on opposite sides of carbon atoms in the chemical chain. Hence the word "trans," or "across." The process results in fats that are semisolid and have a long shelf life and good flavor. An example would include Twinkies which have a shelf life of seven years!

GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY

This holiday make sure to watch your children so they get plenty of exercise. A recent study found that children younger than six spend about two hours a day watching TV, playing video games, or using computers. They should be outside playing with friends or curled up on the couch with a book and a parent. Read more about this in the article How Television Images Affect Children

"The average teen spends four and a half hours each day in front of a screen. This includes watching television, videotapes or DVDs, playing video games, using a computer or browsing the Internet. Television is the medium with which children spend the most time -- two and a half hours each day.

• 26 percent of US children watch four or more hours of television per day.
• 67 percent of US children watch two or more hours per day.
• Almost half (48 percent) of all families with teens have all four of the latest media staples: TV, VCR, video game equipment and a computer.
• The bedroom of the 21st century child is a multimedia environment. Of children 9 - 13 years old, more than half (57 percent) have a TV in the bedroom; 39 percent have video game equipment; 30 percent have a VCR; 20 percent a computer and 11 percent Internet access." (VERB Fact Sheet)