It’s hard enough to stay fit in the winter, holiday distractions aside. It’s darker, colder, and our bodies are aching to hibernate and craving sweets to compensate. It’s really, really easy to give in and take tie off, and this is a huge contributor to seasonal weight gain. Here are some ideas to combat the inertia and stay fit during the holidays:

• Sign up for something! Even in the cold weather, there are 5k races that you can run or walk in throughout the year. Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell, and other fun runs this season are often to raise money for worthy causes. Signing up for an event keeps you mindful of staying ins hape — you want to make sure you can cross the finish line!
• Find Activity partners: Sites such as Meetup.com are a great place to join a group who enjoy doing the same activity you do - be it rock climbing, cycling, walking, or rollerblading. You can also find a friend at work to be your walking buddy during the week; motivate and hold one another accountable! It’s easier to stay active when someone is counting on you
• Hire a professional: Sometimes you just need to lay down some cash and set an appointment to get things done. This is where a personal trainer, running coach, or other fitness professional can hold you accountable to your workouts and keep you exercising through the season.
• Join a gym. Hint — this time of year gets really slow, and great deals pop up in gyms desperate for membership. There’s no reason you should ever have to pay an initiation fee — many gyms will void them this time of year to get you in — take advantage of it!

The important thing is to keep moving - no matter what the activity is! A body in motion tends to stay in motion, and a body at rest….well, we’ve all fallen off the bandwagon and felt the difficulty of getting back on track again! Don’t give up on yourslef — staying active through December will give you a jump start on the New Year, help negate holiday goodies, and give you a sense of pride and accomplishment!

My favorite holiday food growing up was my mother’s sweet potatoes. The recipe had been passed down from my great-grandmother and unlike most family’s marshmallow-laden recipe, ours was studded with pecans and brown sugar. Often called yams, the dark orange fleshy tubers we enjoy every holiday (canned, marshmallow-laden or otherwise) are actually sweet potatoes.

These foods come into season November and December, but are available year round for our enjoyment. They are an ideal winter food - heavy and warming with a sweet taste that satisfies cravings that peak during dark months. Rich in beta-carotene, sweet potatoes give us the precursor to Vitamin A that is essential for night vision. They are a perfect example of how nature gives us the appropriate foods at the appropriate time of year.
Sweet Potatoes, despite their candy-like flavor (which is enhanced by roasting or broiling) are low in the glycemic index and do not cause the spike in blood sugar white baking potatoes can, making them a preferred food of bodybuilders, diabetics, and those following a low glycemic diet. They are rich in soluble fiber, B6 and potassium, all heart healthy compounds which protect against heart disease. The sweet potato is also rich in powerful antioxidants which protect against inflammation and certain cancers.

This wonderful whole food is a great way to get healthy, nutrient rich carbohydrates that will not adversely affect your blood sugar or weight. For the next few months, replace steak fries with baked sweet potato fries and white rice or mashed Russets with mashed sweet potatoes. Enjoy them in savory and sweet dishes!

Below is a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries. I encourage you to give them a try for dinner one night. If you have a favorite sweet potato recipe you’d like to share, I’d love to see it!

Sweet Potato Fries

• 6 Sweet Potatoes, cut like steak fries
• 2 tbsp. Coconut Oil, warmed, or grapeseed, sesame, or peanut oil (these do well under higher heat)
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 3 TB. Mexican seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or spices of choice
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (220 degrees Celsius). In a mixing bowl, toss sweet potatoes with oil and spices. Place potato wedges evenly on a baking sheet with enough space between each wedge to allow them to get crispy. Bake for 10-30 minutes (depending on size), flipping the over halfway through to brown all sides. When finished, they should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

One thing I can say after the last 12 months; I am officially a seasoned traveler. I’ve covered over 60,000 miles in the last 12 months and have learned a lot from the experience. A full 25% of flights in the first half of 2007 were delayed or canceled, so the likelihood of running into problems is a legitimate concern. To prevent Holiday travel from bring out the Scrooge in you, try these helpful tips I have picked up along the way:

1) Plan for the Unexpected: As much as possible, have your bases covered. Make certain your cell phone is fully charged in case you need to be in contact with the airlines for lost luggage or flight rescheduling. Carry airline contact numbers on you to avoid long lines if flights are canceled. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Bring food with you on the plane — even if they offer a meal, it may not be something you’d want to eat! In the event you are stuck on the tarmac for 2-3 hours you will want to have at least a snack on hand so you are not grumpy and hungry when you reach your destination.

2) Pack as little as possible: The best way to avoid lost luggage or being at the mercy of disgruntled and understaffed baggage handlers is to carry everything with you. Liquids and gels need to be less than 3 fl. oz. and fit into one ziplock sandwich bag, but all other toiletries are fine. Remember - sometimes it’s just easier to use hotel shampoo than to check your luggage and wait an hour to retrieve it after a delayed flight.

3) Take it all in stride! Attitude is everything. I’ve come to see travel as a whimsical adventure in which the most unexpected things can happen. I do my best to avoid stress by leaving and returning a day before I am required to be at my destination, packing only the essentials, and having a light-hearted attitude. I can’t control the weather, absent pilots or being trapped on the tarmac, but I can control how I respond to any event. If I am well rested, have a good book and food I like I am as well prepared for the unexpected as I can be. What’s beyond my control doesn’t have to stress me, and often it makes for a great story!