That's Fit

I like peanut butter. I like it on crackers, on celery, on apples, anything that takes just a dab of the stuff that I know isn't entirely healthy for me.

I've had many a recommendation that I ditch my usual Jif peanut butter and replace it with something natural in order to make my snacking more health-conscious. Until recently, I hadn't taken any action on these recommendations. But something caused me to pass by my trusty Jif the other day at the grocery store. Something took me right for the natural stuff. And I bought it.

It took some getting used to, my new peanut butter. The consistency, the texture, the taste, the liquid on top, the stirring, the required refrigeration. It's so different my kids knew right away that something was different when I tried to sneak it on their toast one morning. I didn't hook them. But I will. Because my new peanut butter is good. Really good.

If you want to make a snack switch like me -- peanut butter is a good snack because it contributes to fullness and makes you less likely to munch on other foods -- Family Circle magazine recommends these three picks.

• Smucker's Organic Peanut Butter: Available in creamy or crunchy, with no added salt and a bit of honey.

• Santa Cruz Organic: Made with rich Spanish peanuts and available in creamy or crunchy and light or dark roast.

• MaraNatha's Organic No-Stir: There's no messy top oil layer in this one. Easy to spread and very nutty and tasty.

When my four-year-old saw the presents under the tree Christmas morning, the very first thing she said wasn't, "Wow!" or "Santa came!" or anything like that. It was, "Hey Mama? How come Santa uses the same wrapping paper that you have in the closet upstairs?"

Busted.

I know that we only have a year or two before the questions about the big man in the red suit start to get more pointed and that my casual explanations (like yesterday's, "Oh, Santa must have run out of paper and borrowed some of ours.") won't be so easily accepted. It's honestly something that gave me pause before we ever introduce the concept of Santa to our kids. It's a magical myth, but one that can hurt once it's exposed.

Healthday has some excellent tips for guiding your school-aged child through the transition from hardcore Santa believer to serious doubter without ruining the magic for him or her. Recommended reading for every parent who celebrates Christmas with presents from Santa.

My little family and I really love Christmas. Ginger, 4 and Parker, 2 are really young and adore all of the excitement that Santa brings. It's just pure fun, so we tend to take advantage of every little moment that we can.

Within the next few days we'll start preparing for Santa and his reindeer's arrival. The gingerbread houses are already decorated, so at the grocery store we'll get cookie mix and broccoli for Santa. Carrots, glitter and something else for the reindeer. Read this, if you're not so sure why Santa will be receiving broccoli.

Gone are the days when we leave out cookies and milk for Santa Claus -- cookies are high in sugar and fat and the so is the milk, unless you go for 1% or skim. But leaving out celery sticks might earn you a lump of coal in your stocking. So what should we leave out for the jolly old guy this year? Here are some suggestions:

• Fresh or dried fruit is a nice choice -- it's got lots of nutrients and it's sweet enough to make you think you're indulging.
  
• Homemade popcorn. Popcorn is a whole grain so as long as you're not loading it with fat and sugar, it's healthy.
  
• Soy Milk. It's high in protein and calcium and low in fat.
  
• Kashi Go Lean! bars. Let's face, Santa could stand to lose a few. These will help.
• Gingerbread. If you still insist on serving up cookies, go for a couple of gingerbread ones. They're not quite so bad as some of the other cookies out there.
  

What are you leaving out for St. Nick this year?

Dear Santa,

How are you? I hope you're keeping warm up there in the north pole. Have you lost weight? You look great!

I thought I'd take a moment to give you my Christmas list. I hope you don't think that presumptuous of me; honestly, I'd be happy with anything, but 2008 is the year I've vowed to get in the best shape of my life and here are a few things I would love to have. I've been very good this year--in fact, I've gone to the gym at least three times a week all year! Well, except for that vacation in Australia, but otherwise, I've been on my best behavior.

My four year old daughter, Ginger, and I were talking the other day about healthy foods. We were discussing the importance of eating fruits and veggies and keeping sweets as a 'sometimes food' when she brought up Santa. In fact her statement was, "Santa eats cookies for the whole year!". Instinctively I shoot back with, "do you actually think Mrs. Claus would let him get away with that?" "No", she replies.

So randomly enough, we go to a community holiday festival that night and who do we run in to? Mrs. Claus! So! After Ginger and Mrs. Claus exchange giggly hellos, I bring up the eating habits thing. "Mrs. Claus, Ginger thinks Santa eats cookies all year. Is that true?". "Of course not!" she exclaims. "Santa only eats cookies as we get in to December. The rest of the year Santa eats lots of fruits and vegetables!" Ginger seems surprised. But then Mrs. Claus goes further with "Do you know what Santa favorite vegetable is? Broccoli!" Ginger almost falls on the floor from shock.

Be honest. Should Santa slim down? Next thing you know we'll be asking if Santa should get LASIK and lose the spectacles. I realize this whole concept is Grinchy, but the U.S. Surgeon General likes the idea of a jolly thin man.

U.S. Surgeon General Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson said Santa's role model responsibilities to kids are no different than those of healthy NFL players. The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas concurs with Galson that Santa is too portly, asking their 800 Santas to slim their bowlfuls of jelly before this summer's convention. A survey by Tom Connaghan, founder of the International University of Santa Claus, reports the average weight of 300 Santas was 256 pounds. Unless these Santas are extremely tall, 256 pounds is hardly fit. A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health says Santa is just fine the way he is, but they suggest families leave him healthier snacks.

Here's my take -- I envision a FitSanta similar in spirit and character to Grizzly Adams, star of The Life and Times with Grizzly Adams television series of the 1970s. He doesn't sport six-pack abs, but his paunch is not so large that he can't fell a tree with an axe in two minutes flat. I wish for a 6'2", 220-pound, fully-bearded Santa capable of running a 5K with a present under each arm in under 30 minutes. As for snacks, I say keep the cookies coming. My Santa is a man of moderation, he'll take just a couple bites to sustain his energy for all-night gift deliveries. Is your ideal Santa fit or fat?

Santa is know for a few things -- his white beard, his red suit, his sack full of toys. But there's something that he's particularly known for -- his belly, like a bowl full of jelly. After all, like Mrs. Claus says, "who ever heard of a skinny Santa?"

Ok, so Santa looks best with an extra spare tire around the middle, but that doesn't mean you do too. We're closing in on three weeks until the big day, December 25th, and instead of giving up all hope that you'll wow your extended family by shedding a few pounds, why not kick it into high gear and aim to be slim and trim by the time Christmas rolls around?

Well. Christmas is over, New Years is on the way, and it's time to figure out how to work off all the extra food you consumed during the Christmas holidays. Here's a workout that should help you get rid of that abdominal fat that you've added to your frame, making you look like a Santa imitator. The series of crunches described will help you tone your midsection, but keep in mind that no matter how toned your abs are, nobody will be able to see your six-pack if it's covered with a layer of fat, so you need to burn calories too to conquer the fat and get in to those skinny jeans.

What are you doing to get back into shape after the holidays? For me, simply getting back in to any type of routine required persistence because it's hard to get back in to a routine after a few days off.

Abdominal fat has been getting quite a bit of bad publicity lately, so it might not come as a surprise that everyone's favourite big guy, Santa, as well as his shopping mall imitators, have been urged to slim down. That signature bowl full of jelly around his midsection indicates a layer of unhealthy visceral fat, which has been linked to heart disease among other things.

Apparently, the average waist size of a shopping-mall Santa is 43 inches -- over the healthy recommendation of 40 inches for Males.

Perhaps instead of leaving out milk and cookies for him this year, we should leave out some carrot sticks and water?