The holidays are upon us and so is rich, high-calorie holiday food. With colder weather and more time indoors, it might be more difficult to stick to your usual activity plan. This may result in over-indulging in holiday favorites and packing on two or three pounds, leading to negative feelings and guilt.

To have a healthier holiday season, try the following tips:

1. Go easy on alcohol and sugar-sweetened drinks. The empty calories from these drinks can add up quickly. 
2. Enjoy holiday meals and treats mindfully and in moderation. Slow down and try to savor what you are eating. You may find the food even more enjoyable and may eat less as a result. 
3. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. This is the golden rule of healthy eating. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients, low in calories, and high in fiber to help fill you up. Plus, if half your plate is full of fruits and vegetables, you will have less room for other high-calorie foods. 
4. Don’t skip meals with a plan to over-indulge later. This will only set you up for failure. If you let yourself get too hungry, you are bound to overeat later. 
5. Continue your activity plan even if you have to modify your usual plan. Walking inside, doing chair yoga, stretching during tv commercials — none of these types of activity are affected by the weather outside. 

BONUS RECIPE: Cranberry Orange Granola

Try this recipe if you’re looking for a delicious holiday treat. You can make it for yourself, or gift it in a jar tied with a bow.

Cranberry Orange Granola
Adapted from cookieandkate.com
(Yield: 6 cups)

Ingredients:

• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or sweetener of choice)
• 4 cups oats
• 1 ½ cups pecans or nuts/seeds of choice
• ½-¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine orange zest and sugar. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it’s bright orange and fragrant. This will ensure your granola is infused with orange flavor.
3. In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts/seeds, salt, cinnamon, and orange sugar. Stir to combine. Pour in the oil and maple syrup/honey. Mix well.
4. Pour the granola onto the pan and spread in an even layer. Bake 24-28 minutes, stirring halfway until the granola is turning slightly golden in color. The granola will become crisper as it cools.
5. Let the granola cool before stirring in the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, or keep in the freezer for longer shelf-life.

Looking for a fun way to spread some holiday cheer with your family? We’re asking the community to print out these snow globe pages and decorate them for our seniors. We will have a dropbox in the front lobby of our Norfolk office where you can drop off your completed snow globes. We plan to send these out with our emergency meal deliveries on December 11th.

You can download the pdf printout here:

Download

Holiday Card Drop Box: Located in the front lobby of our Norfolk Office.

Interstate Corporate Center, 6350 Center Drive, Building 5, Suite 10, Norfolk, VA 23502

Click here to download the coloring page.

The 13th annual Subaru Share the Love® Event will help support nutritious meals and other services for South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater seniors

Senior Services of South Hampton Roads is proud to announce that it will be participating in the 2020 Subaru Share the Love Event as a member of Meals on Wheels America – one of four national Share the Love charitable partners supported through the campaign. From November 19, 2020, through January 4, 2021, Subaru of America will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased to the customer’s choice of participating charities.

“We are so grateful to Subaru of America for their continued support of local Meals on Wheels member programs like our own through their annual Subaru Share the Love® campaign,” says Senior Services’ CEO Steve Zollos. “The campaign supports community awareness around the growing issue of senior hunger, which is looming large in our community right now as the COVID19 pandemic continues into the late fall and winter months.”

Participating Meals on Wheels America members, like ours will receive a share of the donations raised by Subaru in their state. Senior Services is fortunate to have the support of First Team Subaru Norfolk this year as we work to raise awareness for the popular year-end sales and giving event, so to drive support for Meals on Wheels during this difficult time.

“Meals on Wheels America is proud to partner with Subaru of America for the 13th consecutive year to enable more seniors to live with independence and dignity,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “Since 2008, the Subaru Share the Love Event has helped deliver more than 2.3 million meals and friendly visits to vulnerable seniors nationwide. We’re enormously grateful to Subaru and its retailers for their long-standing commitment to Meals on Wheels and the millions of seniors who depend on it for nourishment and companionship.”

Over the last 12 years, Subaru of America and its participating retailers have donated more than $176 million to its charity partners. This year’s Subaru Share the Love Event is on track to bring that total to over $200 million, proving that there is no limit to the amount of love we can all share.

“First Team Subaru Norfolk is honored to bring Subaru of America’s Share the Love Event to our own backyard in Hampton Roads,” said Mike Vinsand, General Manager of First Team Subaru Norfolk. “Senior hunger is a prevalent problem in our community and through our partnership with Meals on Wheels and the Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, we hope to make an impact in the drive to end this growing concern.”

By purchasing or leasing a new Subaru during the Subaru Share the Love Event and selecting Meals on Wheels as your charity of choice, you can help deliver nutritious meals and other important services to seniors right here in South Hampton Roads.

For more information, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/sharethelove.

About Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia

Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia is the regional organization that serves as the lead advocate for older adults residing in South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater. For almost half a century, the organization has changed the lives of tens of thousands of the region’s seniors for the better, by providing easy access to high-quality programs and services designed to help individuals age in place in their own communities. In 2019, more than 10,000 people throughout the Southeastern Virginia region were served. To learn more about Senior Services, please call 757-461-9481, connect with us on Facebook or Twitter, or visit www.ssseva.org.

About Meals on Wheels America

Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $165 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.

For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.