Fighting ‘holiday bulge,’ maintaining workout routine throughout new year

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Tryon
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WYO --  The end of one year and beginning of another marks the time for Airmen and their families to make New Year's resolutions.

Working out more and eating a better diet are two common resolutions among members of Air Force Global Strike Command's F. E. Warren Air Force Base.

The staff of the Health and Wellness Center and the 90th Forces Support Squadron in both Freedom and Independence Hall are here to help Warren's Airmen and families fight the "holiday bulge".

"The biggest way I know to fight the bulge" is to have the self control to not overindulge in all the holiday treats," said Tom O'Brien, HAWC staff. "If you do, remember to exercise to counter the effects of those treats."

This is the time of year where many people will take off a week or two from work and their workout routines, he added. And once someone has relapsed in their routine for a week or two, it can be hard to get back into it.

Independence Hall and Freedom Hall will be open throughout the holiday season to help Warren members stay in a routine during the holidays. Starting Jan. 12, 2011, a 12-week course, "New Year's Resolution: Get Healthy," will be offered at the HAWC. The class will focus on creating and maintaining a healthy balance between diet and physical activity levels.

"A lot of people will try to make too many big lifestyle changes all at the same time, but their motivation won't necessarily be there to help them see through the changes," Mr. O'Brien said. It's important to set small, short-term goals to achieve one's objective, and this class will help in setting those [small] goals.

"Knowing what you're ultimately trying to achieve when you start to make a change, is really important when setting goals," Mr. O'Brien said.

It is great that people want to change the negative things in their lives, he added. But, it's important to start small and to focus on one area at a time.

Take PT, for example, he added. If someone is lacking in the push-up area, they might just focus on being able to increase the amount of push-ups they can do. However that might help them for the next test, they might not do so well in other categories.

"Our goal in the HAWC is to help people maintain a healthy balanced life," Mr. O'Brien said. "We offer classes for everybody, not just those who've failed a [PT] test. And those classes focus on overall health and well being lifestyle changes."

With the holiday season here now, try to maintain a workout routine, he added. It's important to not relapse on that.

"Once you relapse on a plan or start one from scratch, whether it be smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy diet or working out, it's hard to get started back on that path," Mr. O'Brien said. "But, once you get going [again] it gets easier over time, as your body will remember the changes."