The holidays are here! How are you feeling? Excited? Calm? Overwhelmed? Worried? All of the above? This month’s column will address the ways we can help our students, and ourselves, face the holidays in a positive and healthy manner.

But first: make a list of all the things you truly enjoy about the holidays, and post it where it can be seen every day, such as a bulletin board, refrigerator, mirror, or desk. This simple activity can help guide the course of your thoughts and plans during the season, and perhaps help get you back on track if you go off course.

Andrea W. Petho
Health & Fitness Section Editor

In America we are accustomed to a large array of choices, and consequently may have a tendency to think that “more is better.” Think of all the choices we face during the course of the holidays, from what we buy, to what we eat and drink, to where we go, and how we spend our time.

And yet, the sheer plethora of choices, especially during the holiday season, can sometimes make things worse. Barry Schwartz, author of "The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less" (Ecco Press, January 2004), states that there can be a lot of pressure to achieve a kind of perfection during the holiday season, which can also lead to a sense of guilt and inadequacy.

"During the holiday season, we struggle to find the perfect gifts for our family and friends, to be exchanged at the perfect meal, with everyone in a perfect mood.” Schwartz continues, “With so much choice available, anything less than perfection feels like failure. And when we do, inevitably, fail to achieve perfection we have only ourselves to blame."

He goes on to explain that what actually makes people feel fulfilled are close social connections – in a sense “less is more.”

"Being connected to others seems to be much more important to subjective well-being than being rich."

So can we, as educators, facilitate that social-connectedness? Consider team-building activities during the holiday season. Check the sites below:

	Ten Activities to Improve Students' Self-Concepts - Glori Chaika
	10 Inclusive Cooperative Activities - by Phillip Conaster, pelinks4u Adapted PE editor
	Two books on team building, by Dan Midura and Don Glover, are: Team Building Through Physical Challenges, (Human Kinetics, 1992), and More Team Building Challenges, (Human Kinetics, 1995). Both books contain valuable activities that, “encourage participants to interact verbally and physically, struggle, deal with failure, persevere, and work together to master problems. In the process, your students will learn to value teamwork and appreciate individual differences, practice leadership skills, and improve listening skills.”

Here are some websites to help plan out nutrition-based lessons over the holidays:

	Dole Food Company
	USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center
	U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Center For Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
	The Vegetarian Resource Group

This month’s feature is from the chapter Fitness Counts: 1, 2, 3. With the holidays being ever present many of our healthy eating habits, and efforts to stay physically fit, gets thrown out the window.

Fitness Counts 1, 2, 3 will help students keep track of fitness related behaviors by keeping a “Fitness Log.” Students will receive daily points for fitness related behaviors, and will earn certificates when they accumulate a certain number of points.

The three fitness- related behaviors are:

	Drink Milk (1% fat or less)
	Watch less than 2 hours of television/computer use a day.
	Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day

These behaviors have been shown to have a positive effects on students, including alertness in school, fewer long-term health problems, and maintaining physical fitness. With more mental alertness, students will be able to excel in academic subjects and be more attentive during class.

The author also suggests that this activity would be great to utilize toward the end of the school year. Involving parents in this activity will help maintain the behaviors over the summer months.

In a previous edition I mentioned that my personal selection for making New Year’s resolutions should be in September, to coincide with the start of the new school year when things start anew for educators.

Yet I, and perhaps a number of you as well, cannot help but appreciate the anticipation of setting new goals to aspire to for the next twelve months, which is all well and good, as long as they are reasonable and realistic.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued some suggestions for New Year’s goals for children entitled, “Twenty Healthy New Year's Resolutions for Kids.”

Some excerpts include:

Preschoolers
I will brush my teeth twice a day, wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating, and clean up my messes right away.

School Age Kids
I will always wear protective gear - especially a helmet - when cycling, scooting, or blading.

Teens
I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will only spend one to two hours each day - at the most - on these activities.

Reviewing some of these goals, especially since so many of them are applicable to overall health and wellness, would be a great activity to incorporate into health and fitness lessons.

	Form a support system, of friends and family, who will cheer you on and also challenge you to stick to your goals.
	Make a list of the benefits of changing, and put it someplace where you will see it every day.
	Pay attention to your thinking, and try to counter negative ideas like "I'll never succeed" with positive thoughts like, "Today, I made some progress."
	Get plenty of sleep. If you're trying to quit smoking for example, adequate rest and exercise are especially important.
	Surround yourself with people and situations that encourage you in good habits. Join a support group, get an exercise partner, or spend more time with friends who don't engage in the habit you may be trying to change.
	Have a contingency plan for when you are tempted. Go for a walk instead, or call a friend.
	Give yourself rewards, and pats on the back, for your progress.

So, start with a plan: for the abundance of choices before you, the holiday food that tempt you, the stress that will inevitably creep in, and the New Year’s resolutions.

Our favorite holiday foods are so tempting, aren’t they? Virtually everyone can name two or three just off the top of their head, and we all look forward to enjoying them! But as we also know, there’s more to consider then just partaking of those holiday treats.

First, the good news: Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that the typical weight gain during this time of year is approximately 1 lb. and not the oft-cited 5 lb. weight gain. But hold back on that celebratory eggnog until you take the following into consideration: the small amount of weight gained over the holidays is typically not lost before the spring. In fact, according to the experts, “those who are already overweight are the most likely to add 5 pounds or more in the winter months.”

So what does that mean for you and your students? The Duke University Diet and Fitness Center suggests the following:

	Don't try to diet. Your goal should be to maintain weight, not lose it.
	Avoid indulging in high-fat fast food when your days become hectic. Pre-plan several quick, healthy meals and have them readily available for reheating.
	Don't try to cut out high-fat holiday favorites like eggnog and candied sweet potatoes. Instead, choose small portions and fill your plate with lower fat choices, such as apples, cranberry dishes, baked squash, pumpkin, breads, and pastas.

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	Eat something before going to an event with alcohol. The effects of alcohol are felt much more quickly on an empty stomach and can lead to overeating and overdrinking. Also, try to drink one glass of water before each glass of an alcoholic beverage.
	Center entertainment around non-food events such as ice-skating, renting a holiday movie, or singing carols.
	Offer to bring a favorite low-calorie dish to holiday parties, so you know there will be at least one "safe" item available. Arrive fashionably late, and stand far away from buffets so you're not tempted to nibble constantly. Instead, indulge in conversation.
	Make the effort to continue a regular exercise program, even in the midst of holiday bustle. It's your key to maintaining good health and a healthy weight.
	I offer one more suggestion: Avoid skipping meals. There’s a greater likelihood that overeating will occur if your favorite holiday foods are available when you’re really hungry.

We all know about it, and probably – at least to some degree – we all have it. First, get a sense of how much stress is in your life by taking the Life Stress Index quiz.

(Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe. "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale," Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1967)

Notice how the next to last indicator is “Christmas Season?”

This quiz can also be given to middle school or secondary school students, to give them a sense of their level of stress. But most important, how do we deal with it?

We know that sustained levels of stress can negatively impact health by elevating cortisol levels, and by altering the immune system response. The consequences of this may be a greater likelihood of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and functional decline.

The following steps (Harvard Medical School’s Consumer Health Information) are applicable for dealing with stress during any season of the year.

Adjust your attitude:
According to researchers "hardiness," or the ability to cope well with stress, depends on three things: challenge, control, and commitment.

Try to interpret stressful situations as challenges, not as threats. Then determine what you can control; sometimes the only thing you will be able to control in a stressful situation is the way you respond, but that's a start. Make a commitment to be good to yourself by eating healthfully, thinking positively, and sharing love.

Learn to problem solve:
Everyone can benefit from developing effective coping skills. The key, says experts, is to develop a systematic and rational way of thinking through difficult situations or problems. This can be accomplished by breaking down each problem into smaller pieces to make them seem less overwhelming. Then you can figure out options to better handle the situation.

A key part of learning to problem solve is knowing your limits and learning to be flexible.

Communicate:
Keeping your troubles inside will only add to the stress. Sharing your thoughts with your spouse, or a friend, will not only reduce stress but will also help you deal with the situation.

Exercise:
Regular exercise has been proven to relieve stress. It also can help protect the cardiovascular and immune systems from the consequences of stressful events.

Take control of your diet and sleep:
Eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet and getting a good night’s sleep gives you the energy to better cope with stress. If you skip meals or eat a lot of junk food, you'll lack the energy you need to perform. And if you're tired and cranky, you'll be more susceptible to stress-related ailments.

Do something for others:
Volunteering at a soup kitchen, or for another worthy cause, can be a great experience. It can also help you forget about your own problems and increase self-esteem.

In terms of doing something for others: Here’s a website to consider for engaging students in an exercise-based event that contributes to saving lives in the fight against heart disease and stroke, our nation’s number one and three killers. It is entitled, “Jump Rope for Heart," and "Hoops for Heart.”

Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart are national programs jointly sponsored by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the American Heart Association (AHA).