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Home » How to lose weight quickly » COLUMN: Ring in the new year and get healthy – Tahlequah Daily Press

The holiday party buffet table may have required more than one trip, and decadent sweet treats may still be found. Now that Christmas is over, the ribbons and bows have been properly disposed of. However, all those special treats have left you with a special gift - an extra few pounds that you wish you could return as easily as that sweater from Aunt Sue.

Plus, we still have to ring in the new year with plenty more celebration and food.

There are some traditional New Year's foods that are thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune. This tradition is not going to help shed unwanted pounds.

Many people in the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. Pork is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

It can be relatively easy to gain three or four pounds over the holiday season. You're thinking three or four pounds may not sound unreasonable, the bad news is that any extra weight gained during the holidays is typically not lost during the rest of the year. Research indicates that although the few pounds that many people gain between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the year will usually accumulate from year to year and can lead to serious health problems later in life.

Deciding to lose those unwanted holiday pounds by a eating healthy diet and exercising is the first step to getting in shape after the holidays.

It is important to take small and consistent steps to gain control over your weight and take charge of your health. If you are not normally an active person, do not start training like an Olympic athlete. Doing too much too quickly is just setting yourself up for failure. The best approach is to begin slowly and increase your efforts over time.

One great strategy to help you lose weight and improve your health is to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, but as an added bonus, they also supply your body with much-needed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Another strategy to consider is cutting about 800 calories per week from your diet. This can be done either by eating less or exercising more.

Of course, the best thing is to combine less consumption with more exercise. When combined with exercise, eating smaller, healthier portions of food is a weight-loss method that is sure to pay off. Just 20 to 30 minutes of exercise performed three or four days per week is sufficient to achieve noticeable improvements in your health.

If time is a constraint, break that 30-minute block of time down into manageable blocks of 10 to 15 minutes. When performed regularly, small segments of exercise are beneficial. Remember, you didn't gain those extra pounds overnight, so they aren't going to disappear overnight. Small, consistent steps are the key to shedding those unwanted holiday pounds.

For more information, or to schedule a program locally about financial management, nutrition, health and wellness, parenting education, or Oklahoma Home and Community Education, contact the OSU Cooperative Extension Service in Cherokee County by phone at 918-456-6163.

Heather Winn is a family and consumer sciences educator for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service in Cherokee County.

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COLUMN: Ring in the new year and get healthy - Tahlequah Daily Press

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Home » How to lose weight quickly » COLUMN: Ring in the new year and get healthy – Tahlequah Daily Press