Massage for most of you is probably no more than an occasional treat you get to enjoy when someone gets you a gift certificate or when your muscles are so knotted up you just can’t take it anymore. But it is starting to be recognized as a true medicinal therapy, and because of that, I want all of my *f.a.t. (Fit After Thirty) sisters to start thinking of regular massage as a prescription for your health, rather than as a luxury. 

Regular massage is truly one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to stay Fit After Thirty! Besides, if you incorporate it into your relationship with your partner, it can serve as great foreplay, and will go a long way toward keeping the romance alive! After all, what woman doesn’t appreciate a man who pampers her, and what man doesn’t love a happy ending? Granted, there is nothing like a professional massage therapist to really work out the kinks, but a novice with a pair of strong hands can go a long way toward helping achieve some of the following major health benefits of massage:

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In keeping with my New Year’s theme of trying to get you to think of fast food differently in 2009, I’m passing along a great resource from Dr. Gourmet. He has created menus from popular fast food restaurants with the healthiest options from each menu. He has handpicked the items from each restaurant that average about 400 calories and have 15 or fewer grams of fat. 

The menus are downloadable and easily printed, so you can take them with you. I suggest just leaving them in the glove compartment so you have them conveniently at hand when you are out. This way, if you have to eat fast non-food, you can at least make the best choice possible for your health. Remember, many fast food meals contain more than an entire day’s worth of calories, so for those of you trying to see some real weight loss success this year, little efforts with your fast food habits can go a long way!

Okay gals, for all of you who don’t have a workout buddy to drag your saggy booty to the gym when you’re feeling lazy, I’ve got the answer for you! You can register this under the “what will they think of next” column in your imaginary diary chronicling all things weird in cyberspace.

Weight Nags is the latest creation by some well intentioned, clever techies (who didn’t get the memo that “fatty” means Fit After Thirty Hotty), to aid others in their quest to stay in shape. For those who respond best to a little tough love when it comes to motivating you to follow through on your commitment to yourself to stick to your workout schedule, this might be the answer. Here’s how it works:

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If you’ve taken my advice about changing your eating for the new year, you’ll need to forego some of last year’s fast food runs. In order to help make this transition easier, spend some time looking at these before and after fast food photos, taken from Hungry Girl. I think we can safely call it fast NON-food by the looks of some of these items!

If you are heeding my advice from yesterday about cutting back alcohol in the new year, in order to burn fat more efficiently, here are some non-alcoholic party drinks to try, from Associated Content.

Vienna Soother:  Add 4 ounces of strong coffee, 2 ounces of cream, a hearty drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon to a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with plenty of ice and shake well. Strain the cocktail into a clear coffee mug or highball glass and top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

 Nada Colada: This non-alcoholic alternative to the Pina Colada can be made to taste even more like the real thing by adding a little rum extract to the blender. Blend 2 cups skim milk, 2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice frozen into ice cube trays, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 1 tablespoon of coconut extract, and two tablespoons of vanilla in a blender until mixture becomes frothy. Pour into glasses and garnish with pineapple wedges.

 Cinderella:  Add one ounce each of strained fresh orange juice, pine

New Year’s Eve may be the highest alcohol consumption night of the year, so it may be a good time to review alcohol’s effect on weight loss. Most people associate the beer gut with the calories in alcohol. But there is a more important component to the alcohol and fat equation.

Because of the liver’s need to metabolize toxic substances first, the body shuts down fat metabolism activities until all alcohol in the body is metabolized. That means that as long as there’s alcohol in your system, you won’t be burning any body fat.

So, if you have one or two drinks, you might halt your fat loss for a few hours. If you have many drinks, it might be as long as four days before you are metabolizing fat again. 

New Year’s Eve is meant for smooching. In my opinion, you may as well not celebrate New Year’s if you aren’t going to kiss someone at midnight! It’s the kiss that makes the celebration, isn’t it?  

Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this way, because a recent TouchTunes Corp survey of 84,500 people found that 34 percent of people think kissing someone at midnight is even more important than watching one’s weight. (Call me shallow, but watching your weight might be a prerequisite for getting a midnight kiss.) 

So, why is the midnight kiss so important? The theory is that it is supposed to signify whether you will have abundance of love in the coming year. If you have a significant other, the kiss will ensure that the passion is maintained in your relationship in the new year. If you are single, kissing someone (anyone) will set the love wheels in motion, bringing you romance and passion in the year ahead.

If you want to be lucky in love in 2009, you had better find a pair of lips to lock with by midnight! (Those of you who find yourself surrounded by only attached men and men you find highly un-kissable, I give you a reprieve.) But because I am an optimist, I believe every one of you, in a relationship or not, kissed at midnight or not, will be getting lots of sex, love, and romance in the new year.

To prepare, I’m giving you my list of love rules for 2009 to bring romance in and keep passion alive. Feel free to pass these on to your men!

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I know you want to feel sexy and beautiful in the new year. The only way you can do that, is if you are healthy! The other day I suggested fitness resolutions for the new year that could benefit your health greatly. Today, one day away from New Year’s Eve, I am giving you a list of diet related commitments you can make to yourself in order to be Fit After Thirty in 2009! Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking of it as making ten resolutions. Think of it as making one big resolution to eat healthier, using these ten tips as your guide for how to do it! Here’s to a sexy, healthy, new you, in the new year!

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If you read number 8 on my list of Resolutions for 2009, you know that we recommend building muscle with weight bearing exercise. I’ve uncovered a list at How To Maximize Your Health of some great reasons to incorporate strength training into your routine!  Don’t worry; lifting weights does not have to make you look bulky and burly.

You only have a few more days to come up with your resolutions for 2009. We suggest staying Fit After Thirty with some of these commitments in the new year!

Fit After Thirty’s Top 10 Fitness Resolution Ideas

1. Give up looking frumpy when working out. Buy cute and comfortable workout apparel and dress for the activity. Looking good makes you feel good, which invigorates you for a great workout.

2. Make a conscious effort to incorporate stress reduction activities into your lifestyle. A yoga class twice a week, 15 minutes of meditation per day, five minutes of deep breathing morning and night, are ideas on how to start.

3. Train for a 5K or 10K – setting a goal helps motivate you to stick to a workout schedule, and keeps your heart in shape for number 4 on the list.

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