SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

How to plan six weeks of food, fitness--and fun.

When the weather outside is frightful and the desserts are so delightful, it's a challenge to simply maintain your weight and fitness level. So, how do you ring in the New Year wearing the same pants size and running the same training pace? Try these smart moves at key times throughout the holiday season.

Week 1: 11/20 to 11/26 (Thanksgiving Week)

Monday: Sketch out your training for the next six weeks, identifying running days, cross-training days, and rest days.
Wednesday: If you're preparing the turkey for tomorrow's feast, save yourself (and your guests) some calories by cooking the dressing outside the turkey so that it doesn't absorb the bird's fat drippings.
Thursday: (Thanksgiving) It's easy to overeat when there's so much good food around. And many people practically ensure they'll overindulge by eating very little or nothing right up until they sit down for the turkey dinner. Instead, dial down your appetite by eating healthy, filling foods earlier in the day. Fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, air-popped popcorn, or whole-grain cereal will fill you up and take the edge off your hunger.
Saturday/Sunday: Find a Turkey Trot to burn off some Thanksgiving calories. Having this goal will motivate you to run more consistently in the weeks preceding it.

Week 2: 11/27 to 12/3

Monday: Start a strength or flexibility program that focuses on your biggest weakness. Three to five exercises, two or three times per week, is all it takes to see improvement in a few weeks.
Wednesday: Put running-related gifts on this year's wish list. Getting a new pair of shoes, an iPod, or cold-weather running clothes will help you start 2007 with momentum.
Friday: Increase the amount of protein in your diet to curb your appetite. In a recent study, overweight subjects voluntarily reduced their daily eating by an average of 441 calories when they switched from a diet with 15 percent of the calories from protein to a diet with 30 percent of the calories from protein.

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