Holiday

Tips for Surviving Holiday Eating Without Guilt and Weight Gain

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Yes its almost time to start thinking about the holidays again: shopping for gifts, planning celebrations, and eating food! Once Thanksgiving arrives, the holiday season can seem like a non-stop eating contest straight through the end of the year! That can mean 5-6 weeks with lots of extra food!

The holiday season should be a time of celebration with friends and family, but it doesnt have to mean that healthy, mindful eating has to go by the wayside. A few changes in the way you think about food at special events can keep you on track during this busy and stressful time of year.

* Lots of goodies and snacks can make their way into your place of work in the days or weeks leading up to the actual holidays. Make it a point to eat 6-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every work day. Fill up on these lower calorie foods each day, and you will find yourself eating less of the calorie-laden foods that seem to be everywhere!

* Dont go to an event hungry! When you are hungry, its difficult to resist tempting high calorie foods, and you may end up over-eating. Try having a small meal or snack before you go. This can be especially helpful when there are lots of appetizers before a meal. If you are not hungry, you can resist a lot of the extra calories that come from appetizers.

* If you are at a buffet, look for a few lower calorie foods (like vegetables) that can fill up part your plate. Stick with one plate of food and avoid multiple trips to the buffet line. Remember, just because its there doesnt mean you have to try it all!

* Give yourself permission to have that special dessert, but stick to just one. When theres a table full of desserts at a celebration, do you really need to sample them all? Pick the one you would enjoy the most and have it! You will feel just as satisfied if you savor the dessert you want, instead of trying everything.

* Dont forget about the “liquid calories” found in wine, mixed drinks and eggnog. These can really add up fast. Once youve had a drink or two, try switching over to club soda with a twist of lemon or lime.

* Dont abandon your exercise plan during the holiday season. Taking 4-6 weeks off from your usual exercise routine makes it difficult to get started again after New Years day. If you dont exercise at all, now is a good time to start. Starting a physical activity does not require elaborate equipment or a huge investment of your time. If you are really busy, you could start simply by walking for 15 minutes a day. If 15 minutes is all you can manage during the holiday season, thats OK!

Make your holidays more about enjoying time with friends and family. With a little preparation, you can face the holiday food frenzy head-on and have no regrets about what you eat. That could mean no guilt and no resolutions needed on New Years Day!

2011, Gretchen Scalpi, RD, CDE. Publication rights granted to all venues so long as article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are made live.

A Guide to the Beaches of Vendee

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Vendee has some beautiful beaches making for great summer camping holidays. Whether you want to surf, sunbathe, build sand castles or enjoy beautiful coastal wildlife, you can find the perfect beach to suit your needs when camping in Vendee.

Bois de la Chaize

Whilst camping in Vendee, a great place to get some sun is Boise de la Chaize, a picture-perfect beach on one of the Noirmoutier Islands. With bathing huts dotting the beach and sparkling blue waters as far as the eye can see, your beach holiday scene will be complete if you spend some time here whilst on a Vendee camping holiday.

Bretignolles-sur-Mer

This beautiful Blue Flag beach is ideal for families while camping in Vendee. You can enjoy a day of family fun, with beach equipment on sale at the beach; buy a bucket and spade and you can build a family sand castle. You can stroll along this pretty coastline licking an ice-cream and enjoying the views. If your stroll should lead you just south of the beach, youll come across some mini cliffs. Continuing further, you will find another beach, La Normandaliere, where children can spend hours discovering the wonders of the rock pools at low tide, a perfect activity for a summer Vendee camping trip.

LAiguillon-sur-Mer

A contrast to the golden sandy beaches typical of summer holidays, this beach will be most appealing to nature lovers who enjoy camping in Vendee. The town is known for its shellfish, sea and marsh. Bird lovers will enjoy watching wading birds in the muddy seabed, and the town is also home to some beautiful migrating birds, such as goldfinches, thrushes and innets. Whilst you cant do too much sunbathing here, it nonetheless makes for an interesting day out whilst camping in Vende.

La Faute-sur-Mer

If you have a love of oysters, this region is ideal to visit whilst camping in Vendee. The 8km of beach along the coastline here provide great fishing spots, and the water quality is of an excellent standard. You can enjoy beautiful scenery here, where a 140-year-old pine forest holds the dunes in place and provides an excellent place for coastal walks.

Le Pege

During the summer months, this area is extremely popular for holidaymakers camping in Vendee. Ideal for family holidays, this beachside area has a great attraction for children the Atlantic Toboggan – a water world of chutes and flumes. The beach is beautiful too, and is oriented towards family beach holidays.

Le Tanchet

This beach will particularly appeal to surfers, and is a pretty beach located beyond Les Sables. If your Vendee camping holiday sees you spending some time in this area, you have more than just the beach to entertain you. An interesting zoo is located near the Casino des Pins, and your children will be delighted if you pay it a visit. You can feed the goats and watch the monkeys swinging carelessly about their enclosure, a fun way to spend an afternoon during your Vendee camping holiday.

Keeping the Happy in the Holidays

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Keeping the “Happy” in the Holidays

By Lezlie Cebulski , ND , EFT-ADV

With the season of peace and joy upon us, we busy ourselves with holiday activities such as shopping, cooking, decorating and socializing. While it is an enjoyable time of year for many, extra demands are made of our time, energy and financial resources which can leave us feeling depleted. When we pause to restore balance to our body, mind and spirit, we are able to give abundantly to others without resentment. The following are suggestions to help you feel your best during this holiday season.

1. Limit the holiday goodies. Avoid or reduce simple carbohydrates such as white flour breads, cookies, candy and sugar that can cause mood swings and fatigue. If you find that you are unable to resist sweets, see a holistic practitioner which can investigate the possibility of Candida Albicans, hormone deficiencies or food addictions through lab tests or applied kinesiology.

2. Exercise for a healthier mind, body and stress reduction. If you are medically cleared, plan to do at least 30 minutes of exercise daily.

3. Get adequate sleep each night. If you are sleep deprived, mood swings can easily set in. With holiday preparations, you may feel the urge to work past your usual bedtime. Resist this urge. Get enough sleep and enjoy your family and friends. Note: studies have shown that sleep deprivation is linked with weight gain.

4. Supplement your diet with Vitamin D3. D3 has been found to enhance mood in healthy people during the winter. This is particularly important for residents of Michigan as our winter days are often cloudy without much exposure to direct sunlight. In other studies, D3 was also shown to reduce carbohydrate cravings and the excessive desire to sleep in the winter. Other nutritional supplements should be recommended by a qualified practitioner.

5. Pray daily and connect with God. Take time to celebrate life and give gratitude to God for all things big and small! Appreciating blessings puts the small hassles of life into perspective. Gratitude to God gives us joy and peace. Staying connected to God gives us strength to fulfill our life purpose.

6. Avoid debt. Set a realistic budget for holiday spending and stick to it. Post-holiday credit card debt can fuel anxiety and depression. Make connection, not commerce your goal this season. If you have difficulty controlling your spending, consider a practitioner who can use Emotional Freedom Technique to clear negative emotions associated with money, debt and over-spending.

7. Volunteer. Consider joining a charity work organization. Giving your talent & services to others in need will be as much a blessing to you as it is to them.

8. Avoid, reduce alcohol. While holiday social drinking creates temporary euphoria, alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. Excessive alcohol consumption creates mood swings, fatigue, weight gain, skin disorders, liver impairment to name a few. If you are drinking excessively, an Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner can help you release negative emotions underlying the urge to drink. A naturopath or holistic practitioner can recommend a nutritional and detoxification program to repair the body and restore function.

9. Keep holiday plans simple and realistic. Communicate needs and expectations. Share chores. Ask for help. Offer to help. Understand that others may be grieving or lonely.

10. Be flexible. Fond memories are recalled by holiday rituals for many people. This is often why they are treasured, such as a pie or casserole recipe. However, there may be holidays in which the family rituals should be changed or temporarily dropped if there is a recent death in the family or divorce. Last year, my beloved father-in-law died suddenly a week before Christmas. We minimized the Christmas decorations and, for a drastic change, we had Chinese food for Christmas dinner. We were able to enjoy our time together that Christmas day, without triggering memories of Christmas past. It was a few hours of grief reprieve. Flexibility was needed and appreciated by all.

11. Resolve inner emotional conflicts. For some people family holiday gatherings bring old conflicts to the emotional surface. Traumatic memories, disappointments, shame, anger and anxiety can be more intense during the holidays. If you find these emotions are decreasing your energy and joy in life or you suspect that they may be behind a physical illness, seek a skilled, intuitive Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner which can help you release negative emotions energetically and provide counseling.

Using the above strategies will help you stay in balance and enjoy this holiday season.

Things to keep in mind for last minute holiday

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Unexpected holiday plans can spring anytime and for any reasons and often such last minute situations can lead to confusion and travel goof ups. Last minute traveling can be little complicated to handle especially when there is so much to do and you have no idea where to begin or what to do.

Following are some of the key pointers you should keep in mind when planning a last minute holiday or when getting ready for that last minute travel:

Choose the destination

If this is some sudden plan of going out with the family for a day or two or if it’s some random idea of spending time with friends away from the rush of your city, always decide on a destination or a city before packing those heavy bags of yours. The best way is to either come with a common favorite place or call up friends or family members who might be able to come up with great holiday spot ideas. Another way is to decide is to consider factors like budget and time.

Find the cheaper airlines or hotels

Last minute travel can also be result of emergency or difficult to avoid circumstances leaving no time to plan a budget or to search for the most affordable way to travel or stay. At such situation, the best thing that could be done is to find cheaper online deals for airlines and hotel reservations. Internet is full of such last minute deals and can prove to be a good idea at such status of your travel.

Even the last minute holiday based on urgent account of affairs can be made suitable to one’s pocket by such deals. It is advisable to discuss the matter with any friend or family member who might have idea on affordable traveling ideas or might have any such experience.

Start the holiday one day in advance

It is always a good idea to mark the beginning of a holiday a day in advance, a day when you can sit think, plan and shop. A day in advance means lots of time and less of confusion especially if its one of those last minute holiday plans.

Make a list

For everything you plan, wish to do and still have to do make a list. By penning down every little thing you get to have a clear idea on what’s been done and what’s still not done, also it saves you from asking yourself ‘am I forgetting something?’, when you board your plane or train.

List making technique also helps in checking everything twice and ensures that you have planned it all.

Reach not on time, but before time

This is one of the important tips to follow when planning or getting ready for last minute holiday. Reaching the airport or station much before the time saves you from unexpected incidents that might delay you and gives you sometime to sit and think. Often, last minute holiday or last minute traveling makes you forget things you might have wanted to take with you or things you simply forgot to pick, with early arrival at your airport or station you get enough time to drive back, in case you have to. Also, reaching before time helps to unwind the trouble and lets you begin your journey with peace.

Cyprus Villa Holiday Experience

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If you are planning for a getaway to a beautiful island in the Mediterranean, then Cyprus is a fantastic choice. This country, which is advantageously situated in the junctures of Asia, Africa and Europe, is renowned for its mixture of its mythical story of Aphrodite, culture, interesting history, fantastic sunny days, and beautiful beaches.

Cyprus, being in the Mediterranean, caters to various types of tourists as a destination and offers a wide array of activities, sights and experiences. It is a great place for romance, adventure, and especially for a family vacation. The island of Aphrodite as it is known, is a perfect paradise for romantic celebrations such as weddings, honeymoons, marriage proposals, and wedding anniversaries. A traveler more inclined to fun and adventure would also surely love this little island with great mountain spots for hiking during sunny days, all year round natural rambling routes, waterskiing, cycling and mountain biking as well assnow skiing in winter time. The all year round mild climate means that all these activities are available all year round. In most of the seaside towns such as Limassol, Paphos or Larnaca, visitors can go for some sailing, hiking, and fishing.

For a family vacation, Cyprus has always been a favourite holiday spot. A family can enjoy days out swimming at the beach, walking along stunning shore lines, dining together to in family friendly restaurants serving Cypriot cuisine coupled with its famous wine produced by its picturesque wine-making villages.Protaras also offers a variety of great spots where the entire family can have a fun time in theme parks, beautiful beaches, and appreciate cuisine from all corners of the world as well as Cypriotrestaurants.

Among the many wonderful tourist attractions in Cyprus here are some of the much loved places and are worth visiting:

The Paphos mosaics it is famous for its complex Roman mosaics which were encountered during the 1960s. Paphos Harbour and Castle multicolored fishing boats in the harbor at Paphos are a terrific sight to behold. The 1390s castle that the Venetians destroyed later became a dungeon and then a salt storehouse later on. Ayia Napa is attracting a sizeable number of tourists and offers impressive water sports amenities and a variety of activities for youngsters and adults. You can enjoy relaxing on the beautiful white sandy beaches with family or enjoy the large number of excellent dance clubs and top DJs on offer every night near the village square. Protaras one of the most stunning resorts on the island with white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Protaras offers family friendly fun with nearby water parks, activities and an excellent array of restaurants. Fig Tree Bay is one of most popular sandy beaches of Protaras and took its name from the many fig trees across the beach planted many years ago. You can enjoy swimming in the sparkling clear waters of the sea or you can try one of the many water sports on offer. Profitis Elias is another highly recommended place to visit when enjoying your villa holidays in Cyprus. Profitis Elias is a church in Protaras, located on the top of a hill at 115 metres height and is aged centuries back. Once you climb the 156 steps to the church, you can enjoy spectacular views of the whole town of Protaras and the Cape called Cavo Greco, a stunning natural picturesque landscape. Protaras is also known for its wonderful walking trails. Families will also enjoy the spectacular show of the “Magic Dancing Waters” in the centre of Protaras square. Here you can watch colorful combinations of waters literally dancing to the rhythm of “Zorbas” a unique experience for holidays in Protaras.