THE WOMEN’S CLUB FOR FITNESS AND WELLNESS

December 2012 Volume 5, Issue 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Holiday Shopping 2

Healthy Holiday 3

Christmas Specials

4-7

Stuffed Stocking Challenge

8

Ginger Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies

8

Workout of the Month

9

Yoga Move of the Month

9

Holiday Hours 9

Food Drive for Downtown Mission

10

Spice Up Your Love Life

11

Toys 4 Tots 11

The Women’s Club would like to The Women’s Club would like to The Women’s Club would like to The Women’s Club would like to

wish all of their members a very wish all of their members a very wish all of their members a very wish all of their members a very

Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Merry Christmas

and a Happy and a Happy and a Happy and a Happy

Holiday Season!Holiday Season!Holiday Season!Holiday Season!

Page 2 CAROLING CALORIES

I know you don’t want to hear this, but Christ-

mas is less than 25 days away. It will be here in a blink of any eye. Right now is a

great time to sit down to create a plan for your holiday gift shop-ping without accumu-

lating a pile of debt.

If you have been buy-

ing gifts throughout the year and tucking them away it’s time to pull out the gifts. If you

don’t check out what you’ve already bought, you may end up buying

another gift you don’t need. Next, make a list of the people you plan to buy gifts for this

year and check it twice. Review the list to deter-mine who should really

be on the list. Include a dollar amount for each person. Total the amount and if it’s unre-

alistic, review and re-vise your list.

Now, that you’ve made your list, use cash, check, or debit card. Another option is lay-

away which is being offered at some stores. Don’t use your credit cards unless you pay it

off each month. It’s easy to get caught up in the joy of the mo-

ment and when we run out of cash, we just say, “charge it”.

Another money savings tip is to buy discounted

gift cards to use for your holiday shopping.

There are numerous websites that buy and sell discounted gift cards. Other discounted

gift card websites I found by doing an online search – Plas-t i c J u n g l e , G i f t -

CardGranny, and Gift-CardRescue. If you have gift cards you

don’t want, these same companies buy gift cards. Sell them to get extra money for your

holiday shopping.

A few more gift sugges-

tions and holiday sav-ings ideas include:

• A lot of organiza-

tions have fundraising auctions this time of

year. Attend these events to support your local community and bid on silent auction

items. You can find some great deals and creative gifts. If you

purchase a gift basket and it’s more than you want to spend on one person – separate it

apart and create two baskets.

• Make handmade

cards. Use photographs

to create the cards or use a computer pro-gram. It’s a fun project

for parents and children to do together for grandparents or the person who has every-

thing.

• Use family pictures

to design a personal-ized calendar. Be crea-tive and decorate the dates for holidays,

birthdays, anniversa-ries, sporting events etc.

• Talk with your fam-

ily, friends and co-workers about drawing names for gifts this

holiday season.

• Gift certificate for a

day of yard work, house cleaning, window

washing, car washing or time together doing whatever the recipient

chooses. This is a great idea for elderly parents and grandparents. Many people appreciate

the gift of time with their loved ones more than something store

bought.

• Pu rchase g i f t s

online. It’s easy and you can comparison

shop before making your purchase. eBay has some great deals (watch the shipping

cost) and Amazon often offers free shipping if you spend $25.00 or

more.

• Movie gift certifi-

cates for people who like to go the movies.

They can use the gift certificates for the movie ticket and

snacks. You can find discounted gift cards on the gift card websites I

mentioned earlier.

• For the person who

loves to read, buy used books. The Goodwill and other thrift stores often have gently used

books for less than $3.00.

• Have a family white

elephant gift exchange this year. Some people buy funny gifts; some people buy their gift at

garage sales or the thrift store. The whole idea is to have fun with

it. The actual gift ex-change works like this – everyone draws a slip of paper with a number

on it. Number one picks first. The second person can either steal number one’s gift or unwrap

another gift. After a gift has been stolen twice, it’s frozen and can’t be

stolen again.

Don’t wait another day – sit down, write out your holiday plan and stick to it!

Marcia Brixey Forbes.com

Holiday Shopping Savings Tips

Page 3 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 7

Instead of tossing those holiday leftovers to avoid more over-indulging, use them to your advantage. Here are some practical tips and recipes to help you reduce food waste and space out the calories. Give It Away Now! If you hosted the holiday festivities, plan ahead and have resealable plastic bags and food storage containers handy to send guests home with goodies. This works perfectly for cookies, candies or other sweets. Zip It Good. Make sure to store all leftover foods in airtight contain-ers; this keeps things fresher longer and gives you more time to finish off the stash. Chill Out. Utilize your

freezer — soups, cooked vegetables, breads, pastries and cookies all freeze very well and can be thawed for later indulging. Recreate the Plate. Serve small portions of leftover turkey, roast beef or ham along with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for sand-wiches, salads, wraps or a light main course. Mix It Up. Toss left over veggies and sea-food with small portions of pasta or brown rice. Veg Out. Reduce por-tions of high calorie fa-vorites by adding fresh or frozen vegetables to creamy soups or left-over mashed potatoes. Go Nuts. Add remain-ing nuts and dried fruit to a simple and light

spinach salad. Be Creative. Combine herbs and roasted root vegetables along with a pinch of low fat cheese to make quesadillas, minis pizzas or omelets. Safety First. Most foods will stay fresh for up to seven days, but if it looks or smells even a little funky, throw it out! Feel the Burn. Work off some of those extra calories! Make sure to get some exercise in the weeks following holiday get-togethers. Prep left-over plates and march them to your neighbors (especially any ones up a hill). Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a

contributor to Food Network's Healthy Eats blog. She is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of

Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which special-izes in culinary and sports nutrition.

HEALTHY TIPS: USING UP HOLIDAY

LEFTOVERS

Ginger Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies Yields 3 dozen Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground cloves

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 1/3 cup finely diced candied ginger (optional)

Granulated sugar for rolling

Directions: 1) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, salt, and cloves in a bowl and mix well.

2) Beat butter and sugar together in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.

3) Add eggs and molasses. Mix to combine well. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in candied ginger if using. Refrigerate 1 hour.

4) Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into 1” balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and gently flatten. Bake in oven until set and crinkled on top, about 12 min-

utes. Remove and cool.

Retrieved from: www.food52.com Nutritional Value: (per serving) Calories: 99 Cholesterol: 10 mg Total Carbohydrate: 15 g Total Fat: 3g Saturated Fat 2 mg Sodium: 102 mg Dietary Fiber: 1g Calcium: 15 mg Potassium: 95 mg

Page 8 CAROLING CALORIES

Butterfly/Dumbbell Press (On the Ball)

Lie back on a stability ball pressing shoulder blades against the ball. Walk your feet forward until knees, hips, and shoul-ders are in line. Hold dumbbells up in a position straight

above chest, elbows extended, turning your hands so that palms face forward. (Do not lock out your elbows at this start position.) Lower dumbbells so that your elbows come down to either side of your chest. As you lower, turn your forearms so that palms face each other. Elbows should be at a 90-degree angle at this end position. Raise dumbbells back to the start position.

(mdworkout.com)

cnyhealingarts.com

Page 9 CAROLING CALORIES

1.Sit on the floor with your legs extended, spine straight, and arms resting at your sides. This is Seated Staff Pose. 2.Bend your right knee and hug your knee to your chest. Then, bring your right ankle to the crease of your left hip so the sole of your right foot faces the sky. The top of your foot should rest on your hip crease. 3.Bend your left knee, and cross your left ankle beneath your right knee. 4.Create a circle with each index finger and thumb. 5.Keep your spine straight.

Help fill someone’s plate this winter

November 11th until December 15th

Spice Up Your Love Life *Tip of the Month*

A bubble bath. There are few experiences that are as sensuous as taking a bath to-gether. So whether you have known your partner for quite some time now and are ready to take your relationship to the next level or you are eager to spice up your mar-riage of many years, plan a bubble bath for your next date night. You are not only sure to have fun splashing around with each other but can also wrap up with an intimate night together.

http://www.futurescopes.com/romantic-

ideas/2750/10-date-night-ideas

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 7 Page 11