Bellevue Fitness Consultant Offers Tips to Help People Negotiate Holiday Season Stresses.

Lifestyle Editors/Health Writers

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 12, 2000

To successfully negotiate the stresses of the holiday season, follow these tips from Bellevue fitness consultant Jessica C. Adlin, B.S. Ed., president of FitnessDesigns.

This 13-year-old Bellevue-based firm helps people achieve and sustain optimal physical condition through every stage of life through skilled fitness consultation, personal training, telephone and e-coaching.

E-coaching makes essential fitness services affordable and convenient to anyone who wants to improve their physical well being. E-coaching is a gift idea that offers the promise of a healthy, fit new year. Visit www.fitnessdesigns.net or call VHPR at 425/454-4576 for media interviews.

-- Be accountable for what's most important to you during the holiday season.
Don't "surrender to the pleasure" of eating if it's a priority for you NOT to
gain ten pounds between now and New Year's.

-- Don't abandon your exercise routine over the holidays. Exercise is the best
way to beat stress.

-- If you don't already have an exercise program in place, start now. Brisk
walking for 20-30 minutes each day, five to six days per week, is a great way
to beat the stress response.

-- Relax. Retreat to a quiet space when things get hectic or stressful. Walk
your dog, drive a scenic route, take a bath, or read a book.

-- Meditate.

-- Budget your time. Schedule holiday activities in advance, stick to your
schedule, and avoid planning (and stressing) over last minute activities. Plan
activities far enough apart to have time to unwind between each.

-- Budget your money. Spend only as much as you can afford on gifts,
entertainment, and dining, and stick to your budget. Avoid crowds and shop
early or online.

"By following these common sense suggestions," Adlin maintains, "you'll avoid feeling exhausted, disappointed, and disillusioned this holiday season. Instead, you'll make the holiday season a positive experience for yourself and everyone around you."

Reach Jessica C. Adlin by email at [e-mail] or visit the FitnessDesigns Web site at www.fitnessdesigns.net.

Stay tuned for additional holiday health and fitness media alerts to come between now and January.