Healthy Holiday Tips Keep fit this season with some great suggestions from Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®. Tis the Season—and Special Olympics athletes continue to work on health even during the holidays. The following Healthy Holiday Tips, developed to help you continue your focus on health during the holidays, are brought to you by the Healthy Athletes Program. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program, composed of seven health disciplines, offers clinics conduced in a welcoming and fun environment to Special Olympics athletes. Athletes also learn about improving their health–information that they can share with their families, coaches and friends. According to the Centers for Disease Control, you should wash your hands often. It is especially important to wash hands before and after handling food, after using the bathroom, after touching animals, when your hands are dirty, and more frequently when someone in your home is sick. Walk up and down stairs instead of using elevators and escalators. Maintain physical activity Something is better than nothing Share workout time with relatives and friends Walk while you shop Burn off what you put in Holidays are for celebrating, not eating. Never arrive hungry Watch your portions Drink plenty of water Pace yourself – wait 20 minutes between plates Use a smaller plate Stack up the fruits and veggies Did you know that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a 40 percent greater risk of preventable secondary health conditions, such as obesity, poor fitness and nutritional deficits? Thus, it is important for Special Olympics athletes to strive for improved athletic abilities by focusing on overall health and fitness all year round. Do not let stress ruin your holiday fun Set YOUR Priorities Create a schedule to get it done Learn to say no, OR ask for help Forget about perfection Simplify Place a priority on sleep At the Health Promotion station, one of six Healthy Athlete screening centers at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China, athletes learned how to make healthy lifestyle choices. Stay healthy Wash your hands often If you are sick, stay home and get well Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth Elbow your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing Use the 3 foot rule – three feet from anyone who is coughing or sneezing Remember, holidays should be fun. Breathe, or take a breather Have a good laugh Set differences aside and enjoy everyone for who they are (Submitted by Donna Bainbridge, PT, EdD, ATC and Special Olympics Global Clinical Advisor, FUNfitness & Fitness Programming)