The Christmas season is here! Traffic, last minute shopping and elaborative decorations are just about anywhere. The Filipino tradition though, as it is with the rest of the world, wouldn't be complete without binging on all the sumptuous food from the countless reunions we attend until the early part of January next year. Most people would say that Christmas is just once a year and so pigging out with all its traditional delicacies wouldn't be so bad. Also, some would reason that they can always go back to their diet next year and make it their number one resolution. However, Christmas isn't the only season when we eat more than the usual. Throughout the year we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays. Count also the times when we get depressed  or stressed out and turn to food for comfort. Indeed, eating heavily during occasions isn't about the season but more on people's perception on diet.

The term 'diet' refers to the total amount of food intake of a person. The food that we choose to eat depends on many other external factors, one of which is culture. On the whole, diet isn't just about cutting back on carbs or fat, becoming a vegetarian, water therapy or eating nothing at all. One's diet then may either healthy or deadly. Diet is all about the caloric value of the food we intake. We mayy eat less but if the equivalent calories of the food we eat is high and we don't move around much throughout the day, then there's a possibility for us to get fat. If we eat less than our calorie requirement per day, we would get tired easily, get dizzy and the worst is to faint.  The right amount of calories a person should consume per day is based on his or her everyday activitiy, lifestyle, age, gender, etc. Therefore, a person cannot just copy another person's diet or begin with a fad diet. We all are different individuals and so is our own nutriition different from everyone else. Another thing most people do is to starve themselves before attending a party to be able to "eat well". This is very unhealthy since from a long resting state, our metabolism will  have to work double time in order to process the food and distribute it to the different parts of our body. Generally, eating six small meals within the day is ideal to keep our metabolism working.  Lastly, one can enjoy eating even while observing proper diet. Unlike before, there are now lots of delicious healthy foods and products out  in the market. Consumers just need proper knowledge in order to select the right  food to buy. Nutritional counseling would be a great headstart but it will be up to you to maintain it when the number of sessions allotted to what you paid for has lapsed. Same goes with going to the gym.

Who said the Christmas is supposed to be about the food, in the first place? Setting aside religious beliefs, Christmas is about getting together, spending quallity time with all your loved ones while ea ting a sumptuous meal together. Don't take the calories of the food served all to yourself. Share it with everyone and you'll just be able to take the right calories for you. Aside from chatting, why not get everyone dance after dinner for all guests to burn the extra calories they might have taken. For the shy ones, take dancing classes before attending  a dance party. Not only will you gain confidence to dance during the event but also would be able to develop your dancing skills and you'll never know where those dancing feet may take you.

So instead of letting your teeth grind all the food at the buffet and become a wallflower, why not socialize and get to know more people? Why not see all generations having fun moving around in the beat of the latest and timeless hits? There's no other better way for you to do it  but to dance and party the night away! 

This season, give yourself the gift of health through proper diet and the gift of self-expression through dance.

Wishing you all the best in health and dance...Lady Fitness Dancer.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Pictures from:

http://rugbycoachblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/christmasfeast08.jpg
http://4pack.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/healthy-foods-in-diet.jpg
http://davidcarmody.net/spec_events/stankiewicz/reunion069810.jpg
http://photoblog.entity.cz/images/danceparty.jpg