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goji berry bushTop Ten Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every year between Thanksgiving and New Year�s Day? That equates to ingesting at least 17,500 more calories than you burn on a daily basis during that time period. At a minimum, that equals nearly 500 extra calories per day on average over that stretch of days.

Usually, the added weight comes in fancy cookie trays or creatively decorated gift baskets from clients, friends and family. The sound of Christmas music and arrival of cold weather encourage us to partake of traditional holiday fare and simply move less. This combination leads to tighter fitting pants and feeling sluggish.

Now is the time to fight back! Don�t wait to start your exercise program after the New Year begins. Initiate better exercise and eating habits now, because the weight is always harder to take off compared to preventing the gain beforehand. See the list below for tips on staying trim during this holiday season.

1. Perform strength training workouts at least 3 times per week.

2. Build in extra cardiovascular training if you decide to stray from your normal eating patterns to offset the extra calories.

3. Limit alcohol consumption as it will cloud your eating judgment and predisposes you to cravings and overeating.

4. Limit the number of holiday parties you attend.

5. Eat a small nutritious and fibrous snack prior to arriving at holiday parties. This way you will eat less because your stomach will feel full faster.

6. Do not buy holiday snacks for your house. If it is available, you will graze all day long without even noticing.

7. Plan events such as the Jingle Bell Run that keep you focused on training and exercise amidst the hustle and bustle.

8. Try to limit eating out when possible. With shopping, it becomes easy to dine out and partake in heavier foods and desserts.

9. Go to bed early or on time. Studies suggest that getting too little sleep will affect metabolism and prompt late night eating.

10. While at the mall, take additional time to walk after your shopping is finished.

Brian Schiff, PT, CSCS, is a respected author, physical therapist and fitness expert. You can sign-up for his free online newsletter @ http://www.thefitnessedge.cc.

A Guide To French Food - Some Interesting Facts And Information About French Dishes

You can't stay away from the French food, while in France, the country known worldwide for its numerous gastronomic delights and specialties. Certainly, the French cuisine is extremely diverse including a wide variety of foods and recipes from national and regional cuisines. France really offers one of the richest cuisines in the World.

French cuisine is often categorized as National Cuisine and Regional Cuisine. National Cuisine includes the foods that have been integral part of the French culture for ages. These foods include a variety of breads, savory dishes, desserts & pastries, and some preserved foods. Common breads in the French cuisine include Ficelle, Baguette, Fl�te, Pain, and Pain Poilane (large xed vegetables), Bouillabaisse (fish soup), Les endives (Belgian endive), Boudin blanc (Delicatethick crusted circular loaf).

Savory dishes include Biftek frites (steak & fries), Poulet frites (chicken & fries), Blanquette de veau (blanquette of veal), Coq au vin (chicken in red wine), Pot au feu (beef stew with mi flavored sausage similar to bockwurst), Civet de Lapin (rabbit), Foie de veau (calve's liver), and Andouillette (chitterling sausage).

Desserts & pastries include Chocolate Mousse, Cr�me Br�l�e, Mille-feuilles, Choux � la Cr�me (cream puffs), Tartes aux fruits (fruit tarts), Religieuse (chocolate �clair shaped to resemble a nun), Madeleine (small cake-like cookie), Tarte Tatin (caramelized apple tart), G�teaux (cake), �clairs, and Profiteroles (baked puff pastries (choux) filled with cream or ice cream). And, some typically French preserved foods include Cassoulet, Choucroute garnie, and Duck confit.

Greatly influenced by the French geography, the French cuisine also includes a wide range of regional cuisines, including foods & dishes of Lorraine, Alsace, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Artois, Flanders, Hainaut)-Picardy, Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley/Central France, Burgundy, Poitou-Charentes, Limousin, Bordeaux, Perigord, Gascony, Pays Basque, Toulouse, Quercy, Aveyron, Roussillon, Languedoc, C�vennes, Provence, C�te d'Azur, and Corsica.

LORRAINE dishes include Quiche Lorraine, Pot�e Lorraine, and P�t� Lorrain. ALSACE specialties include Choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with sausages, salt pork and potatoes), Sp�tzle, Baeckeoffe, Kouglof, Bredela, Beerawecka, Mannala, Tarte flamb�e, and Baba au rhum.

NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS (ARTOIS, FLANDERS, HAINAUT) - PICARDY dishes include Andouillette of Cambrai, Carbonnade (meat stewed in beer), Potjevlesch (four-meat terrine), Waterzo� (sweet water fish stew), Escav�che (cold terrine of sweet water fish in wine and vinegar), Hochepot (four meats stewed with vegetables), and Flamiche.

NORMANDY dishes include Tripes � la mode de Caen (tripe cooked in cider and calvados), Matelote (fish stewed in cider), Moules � la cr�me Normande (mussels cooked with white wine, garlic and cream), and Tarte Normande (apple tart). BRITTANY specialties include Cr�pes, Far Breton (flan with prunes), Kik ar Fars (boiled pork dinner with a kind of dumpling), and Kouign amann (galette made flaky with high proportion of butter).

LOIRE VALLEY/CENTRAL FRANCH dishes include Rillettes (spreadable paste made from braised pork and rendered fat, similar to p�t�), and andouillettes (sausage made with chitterlings). Burgundy specialties include Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine), Escargots de Bourgogne (snails baked in their shells with parsley butter), Fondue bourguignonne (fondue made with oil in which pieces of meat are cooked), Goug�re (cheese in choux pastry), and Pochouse (fish stewed in red wine).

RH�NE-ALPES dishes include Raclette (the cheese is melted and served with potatoes, ham and often dried beef), Fondue savoyarde (fondue made with cheese and white wine into which cubes of bread are dipped), Gratin dauphinois, and Tartiflette (a Savoyard gratin with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, cream and pork).

AVEYRON dishes include Tripoux (tripe 'parcels' in a savoury sauce), Truffade (potatoes saut�ed with garlic and young Tomme cheese), Aligot (mashed potatoes blended with young Tomme cheese), Pansette de Gerzat (lamb tripe stewed in wine, shallots and blue cheese), and Salade Aveyronaise (lettuce, tomato, roquefort cheese, walnuts).

LANGUEDOC dishes include Brandade de morue (pur�ed salt cod), Cargolade (Catalan style of escargot), Trinxat (Catalan cabbage and potatoes), Bourride (Monkfish stewed with vegetables and wine, garnished with a�oli), Rouille de seiche (Similar preparation of squid), and Encornets farcis (Cuttlefish stuffed with sausagemeat, herbs).

PROVENCE/C�TE D'AZUR specialties include Bouillabaisse (stew of mixed Mediterranean fish, tomatoes, and herbs), Ratatouille (a vegetable stew with olive oil, aubergine, courgette, bell pepper, tomato, onion and garlic), Pieds paquets (Lambs feet and tripe 'parcels' in a savoury sauce), Soupe au pistou (bean soup served with a pistou (cognate with Italian pesto) of fine-chopped basil, garlic and Parmesan), Salade Ni�oise (varied ingredients, but always black olives, tuna), Socca, and Panisses.

James Burrows writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Holidays in Paris, France, and Holiday apartment Rentals.