[An oldie but a goodie, this funny comic gets me every winter:)]

But as we grow older and accumulate different responsibilities, maintaining our physical and mental well-being can be difficult through the winter holidays. Throw in shorter daylight hours and we can often find ourselves huddled in our house – or at a shopping mall – stressed out from the holiday pressures of buying presents, attending parties and eating too many of those rich and creamy holiday deserts! Chocolate panatone, I think I love you… Bah humbug we say.

Not so fast! The Christmas season doesn’t have to be an unhealthy time of year. Instead, here are 8 ways to keep you active and healthy during the winter holidays:

1. Active Gifts

We all love the classics like socks and ties (not really) but this Christmas take the stress out of shopping and think “active gifts”.

Some things to look out for include toboggans (GT Snow racers for my generation), skates, snowshoes, recreation center or fitness club passes, Wii Fit games, ski lift passes, Yoga mats, sporting store gift certificates, and so much more. Really, I could bang off another 5 suggestions easy because there is something for everyone.

[Hold on son and look out for the trees... gotta get back on one of these this winter!]

2. Get Physical with Friends and Family

Getting together with friends and family doesn’t have to start and end at the dinner table. Include some form of physical activity like a brisk walk in the neighborhood or even an afternoon hike at a local park. If weather is an issue, stay inside and get a game of Twister going. NOTE: If you really want a challenge give the video game Dance Dance Revolution a whirl – guarantee laughs!

[Twister... where sticking your bum in someone's face is part of the game!]

3. Public Skating

Find out when public skating is open for the season at your local arenas and outdoor rinks. If you’re in New York – concreate jungle where dreams are made of – then make it a movie moment and hit the rink outside the Rockefeller Center. Alternatively, build a backyard skating rink. If you build it, they will come…

[The famous Rockefeller Center outdoor rink - fun for the whole family!]

4. Play in the Snow

Go tobogganing, build a snow fort or make a snow angel! If you’re really looking for a challenge then be like the Green Bay Packers and organize a game of football in the snow with your friends. Who doesn’t like being tackled in the snow?

[Reminds me of my highschool days - except after 20 minutes everyone forgets the score and starts throwing snowballs at each other...]

5. Just Dance

Get in the festive mood by dancing to music in the comfort of your home during your holiday parties. This works especially well if your Uncle Domenic can play the squeeze box (slang alert: small accordion) because that gets everybody grooving and moving to the beats;)

[In case you didn't know, you can elfyourself and perform dance moves you never thought possible!]

6. Grab a Shovel

Shoveling snow is an effective total body workout provided you protect your back and don’t forget to use your legs. If you’re fortunate to be using wood burning stoves then you already know the type of workout you can get by chopping wood. Just be sure to stay warm and don’t overdo it if you have not been active regularly.

[I used to hate moving the white stuff but now I attack it for a great total body workout!]

7. Use That Body Weight

Getting to the gym during the winter months can be down-right treacherous so that’s why body weight exercises are a great alternative. No equipment, no gym, no problem. Check out the Turbulence Training program for a whole whack of body weight exercise workouts like the one below.

[Damn that Craig guy is good. For more of his videos click here]

8. Be Easy on Yourself

Food and drink will be plenty during the holiday season so forget the guilt if you happen to overindulge one day. Be easy on yourself and start over the next day. Eat a healthy diet and get some light physical activity. Most importantly, enjoy the spirit of the season – being among your family and friends is what this time of year is all about!

[An artisty take on Adam and Eve's apple temptation story. If this isn't photoshopped then double kudos to the photographer!]

It seems advertisers have been utilizing images of tasty dishes to persuade people to buy their products forever. However, do I really get week in the knees when I see a picture of a succulent, juicy, well-seasoned burger? Not even close and it sounds like I may not be alone. According to researchers in the Netherlands, food temptation might in fact strengthen one’s self-control.

The study details…

In a study published in Appetite (an International Research Journal), the theory was tested with 54 female students divided into two groups with group A looking at pictures of cake and group B looking at pictures of flowers. The researchers then asked each female about their eating habits and offered them a choice between a chocolate or oatmeal cookie.

Looking at dirty food pictures helps!

Group A – the cake viewers – gave a higher priority to healthy eating than the second group who had seen the flower pictures. They were also significantly more likely to pick the oatmeal cookie which in earlier tests was perceived to be a healthier option.

The results of this study are not at all ground breaking. Previous studies have suggested that another sense – your sense of smell – can also cause people to rate healthy eating more importantly as well. However, as someone who now thrives in the face of temptation, this could be a timely reminder of your fat loss goals regardless of which one of your senses you are using.

My experience with dirty food pictures

It took me quite awhile to understand how my mind was responding to the usual food marketing images and ads. Essentially, the images served as a reminder for my personal fat loss goals and how I was either succeeding (skip unhealthy food) or failing them (eating something I shouldn’t be). Not long after this realization, I started posting unhealthy food advertisements on the inside of my pantry door. Every time I opened that door I could hear Michael Corleone lecturing me – keep your friends close but your enemies closer!

Go ahead and subscribe to “PlayFood”

How’s that for killing off any urges to indulge? Al Pacino, The Godfather himself ready to whack you if you dare think about eating that not-so healthy food. So why not give it a shot? Your imagination probably isn’t as vivid as mine but feel free to sub in your own movie phrase or character to help you battle any food temptations you’re experiencing. Pictures could be put in any strategic location such as the inside of your lunch bag, the front door of your fridge, or the visor in your car. Don’t over think it – Be fun and creative. The only requirement? You have to want to lose weight!

NOTE: We’re talking about food pictures here. Now don’t be running out and stocking up on discounted Halloween candy and think you can withstand the temptations of junk foods. It doesn’t work, unless of course you have the powers of George Clooney in Men who stare at Goats… Hilarious!

For more information about the psychological barriers to eating and fat loss, check out the Eat Stop Eat review. Author Brad Pilon explains how our relationship with food has gone too far and offers a successful approach on long-term fat loss.

Between making A) fat much easier to keep off and B) the noticeable increase in mentality acuity after a couple weeks, I’ve almost completely convinced myself on life with dramatically less alcohol.

I am now on another no booze challenge of 60 days, and this is simply to test my own willpower and resolve, and if there are any other noticeable changes.

Now that I am used to the whole “No, thanks I’m not drinking” line, I am able to have more fun with it. At a birthday party at my friend’s condo this past Saturday, everyone was raising their glasses for a photo and I decided to pick up and raise a Palmolive container instead.

[I remember cheap pitcher nights in university. Unfortunately pillow-top mountain was replaced with sprawl- across-the-bathroom-floor valley!]

The important thing is to not be the Debbie Downer of every social engagement like a lot of non-drinkers are.

All in all, what I have learned more than anything else during this challenge is that drinking is almost laughably not worth it.

That’s a lesson I wish someone would have beat into me during my early and mid-20s. It may have saved me six dozen hangovers and more than a few conversations that started with, “I did WHAT last night?!?”

But aside from vomiting in the neighbors garden, let’s remember why we’re here…FAT LOSS!!!

So follow me along this path:

Alcohol consumption + Compromised sleep quality = WEIGHT GAIN

How Alcohol Keeps You From a Healthy Sleep

It may be fun and games while getting drunk with your friends at a cottage, a BBQ, or a night out on the town, but even a few glasses or your favorite cocktail can seriously affect your sleep.

Many people believe because of alcohol’s sedative properties that it helps us sleep better, but though you may fall asleep quickly, your sleep quality is what suffers tremendously.

Studies show that a moderate dose of alcohol consumed as much as 6 hours before bedtime can increase wakefulness during the second half of sleep. By the time this effect occurs, the dose of alcohol consumed earlier has already been eliminated from the body, suggesting a relatively long-lasting change in the body’s mechanisms of sleep regulation. Full article can be found here.

This shows that your glass of wine before bed may very well be during your eight hours of “rest” into the equivalent of five hours.

How Sleep Affects Your Waistline?

Researchers from The University of Bristol in the UK conducted a study of 1,000 people, and the findings were that participants who slept less the eight hours a night were more likely to be heavier.

The study, conducted by Dr. Shahrad Taheri found that people that habitually sleep for five hours had 15% more Ghrelin, which increases feelings of hunger, and about 15% less Leptin which is an appetite suppresser. This is probably why I gained 10 pounds in Vegas; thanks a lot 6am Bellagio Buffet!

Dr. Taheri says,

“These differences are likely to increase appetite and, in societies where food is readily available, this may contribute to obesity.”

Even if you’re saying, “But I’m not obese” this may still explain why you can’t seem to lose that last 15-20 pounds, or even why you’ve recently gained 15-20 pounds.

What The 30-Day Challenge Has Done For Me?

Thankfully the TFLA Challenge has brought me back to the man I was at the age of 18. Back then, I was always the designated driver with a bottle of water in my hand, and yet still the guy on the dance floor having the time of his life.  Perhaps I am fortunate to not have to tap a Heineken keg to have an amazing night out, but at least now I have learned to embrace that and be stronger when it comes to following the herd.

This doesn’t by any means suggest doing away with alcohol forever, but it does mean that I’ve re-calibrated my priorities so my drinks are much more limited and at more appropriate times. The way I feel now, almost through another 30 days without alcohol, is better than I’ve felt in a very long time.

Not only do I encourage you try it out, but I flat out challenge everyone reading this to look away from the crowd for a moment and step up to the plate.

As Mark Twain once said:

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.”

As I’ve said before and I will continue to say, fat loss is a battle between you and the rest of the world. Everywhere you turn there is an easier way to get fatter and lazier. All I can hope is that this site becomes your personal online cheering section and support group. To walk into a bar and know you are one of vast minority that aren’t drinking is very empowering, and that feeling extends far past your drink order!

Originally, the goal of this challenge was to experiment with my body to witness what, if any, affect the absence of even the limited amount of alcohol that I do consume would have on my overall health.

However, this challenge quickly evolved into a battle of wills and the ultimate social experiment before I could say, “I’ll have a virgin Pina Colada please“.

[Sure sheep are cute, and love to party, but it's best to climb out of the pen and think for yourself]

I never realized what a central role “drinks” play in our everyday social environment. When I posted the idea for my challenge here, I received a message from a couple of people undergoing the same challenge.

A Facebook friend said when she read my initial post she believed she was the last person to ever use alcohol as a social crutch, yet during her own 30 day challenge she found herself avoiding all social situations that involved drinking (aka most of them). She said she’d rather “avoid temptation then to suffer through it“.

As I contemplated her message I wondered:

“Are many of us really so eager for group approval that something as “everyday” as alcohol has such an enormous impact on how we function socially?”

Unfortunately, it appears the answer is an inebriated and slurred “yes”!

The benefits vs. the suffering

Perhaps it’s just me and my already eerily low amount of social inhibitions that makes sober such an easy task, but I found the “suffering”, as she mentioned, faded very quickly and the benefits I gained were far and away worth the forgoing of a couple (or several) useless drinks while out with friends or co-workers.

But this was not immediately apparent.

During my first two weeks I found zero difference in overall health. My workouts were normal, my energy levels hadn’t changed and I didn’t notice any difference in my cognitive abilities.

But week 3, right on the dot, is when something changed.

I awoke in the morning, and the “fog” was noticeably clearer and I became fully alert much faster.

My short term memory was noticeably better, my conversations were smoother and I was never stuck searching for a word or a phrase. All pistons were firing. At this point, purely on a physiological level I was convinced, you booze you lose!

Drinking and the effects on relationships

But the question still remained:

How would this impact my social relationships?

It seems in any personal health initiative this is the most difficult task; being confident enough to live a healthy lifetime in the midst of an entire planet seemingly working against you.

Example 1: Try being a male going out to a steak house and ordering fish or chicken.

Example 2: Try being a male and ordering only a salad at any restaurant.

If you’re doing this for the first time, unless you’re already friends with a progressive group of men or only friends with women, be prepared to be labeled “as less of a man” quicker than Ryan Seacrest.

The more challenges of this nature I put myself through I’ve noticed it doesn’t just take the proper mindset to live healthier, but it also takes some personal strength and conviction to make the right choices no matter who may be watching.

Personally, I’m not typically one to lie or dodge questions, so when I’d say, “I’m not drinking tonight” the reactions were always entertaining.

The news would evoke immediate questions to justify my actions:

“Are you driving? You must be driving. Are you on a detox? One of those juice things right, ya, those are tough.”

“30 Days? NO booze? Are you kidding me? In the middle of the summer? Why didn’t you do this in February? You’re an idiot.”

“Have a drink. No seriously, have a drink. Don’t be gay.”

This is my favorite, because somehow gay people are now also being associated with boycotts on alcohol? Apparently, living a healthy lifestyle is such a vile and inconceivable concept that it approaches lunacy.

I had never realized the massive herd mentality that drinking alcohol created. I found it especially interesting that even those that tried to limit their consumption were constantly being pressured by other drinkers to “top-up” or drink more as if trying to justify their own inebriation by breaking the will of their peers.

Finding the strength and support

This seems to be how many diets fail, because of a lack of will power to be your own person, especially without the right support group in place.

So any of you out there trying to lose weight for the first time, or get back into shape, the most important way to look at it, is you vs. The World.

During any health based challenge, it is important to stick with the people that will support your goals. I don’t mean people that live as you live, just merely peers that accept your decision and will stand behind you.

My friends for example, have been ideal. Never once resorting to anything more than a one-liner dig, that I would likely have thrown their way myself. Other than that, my Sober Sally challenge has been a non-issue.

It is also important to realize anyone playing devil’s advocate and naysayer simply aren’t strong enough to it themselves (or even stand by and support you).

In Part 2, I will be discussing how alcohol can seriously affect your waistline, and I’m not even talking about calories. Even just a few drinks can seriously disrupt your sleep, your overall health, AND your weight loss goals!