Celebrate Fiesta with Fitness and Nutrition in Mind
By Raymond Wei, MMA, CHE,President of the board of directors of the Health Collaborative.
Fiesta means fun, Fiesta means family, and Fiesta can also mean fitness.
During Fiesta in San Antonio, you can make good choices for fitness and nutrition and still have a good time. All you need is information and planning to avoid overindulgence that can lead to unwanted pounds and that post-Fiesta feeling of guilt. Want to party guilt-free and still enjoy your favorite goodies? Then follow these tips.
Fiesta food choices
Go for grilled and fresh. Save calories by avoiding the fat and breading from fried foods. Every tablespoon of fat has a whopping 150 calories. Watch out for fried, creamy, cheesy, stuffed and buttery foods. Your best choices include a grilled shrimp kabob, baked oysters, a Yakatori chicken kabob, fresh fruit kabobs, roasted corn without toppings, a caramel apple or a snow cone. Foods to limit include the fried onion flower, fried desserts and candy bars, fried turkey legs, twice baked potatoes, barbecue pork ribs, gorditas and portabella puffs.
Count your calories
Familiarize yourself with the calorie counts of some of the more popular Fiesta foods and beverages. Some of them may surprise you.
For example:
Margarita (8 ounce) 500 calories
Wine (8 ounce) 160 calories
Beer (12 ounce) 140 calories
Lite Beer (12 ounce) 95 calories
Water or diet soda 0 calories
Fried onion flower 1,500 calories
French fries (1 pound) 1,430 calories
Fried turkey leg 900 calories
Corn-on-the cob with the works 850 calories
Choose smaller portions
If you can’t resist those high-fat, high-calorie favorites, try splitting those foods with a friend, or try taking small tastes of several different foods so that you can still enjoy your favorite tastes without overindulging.
Drink your water
Water is a real “find” for Fiesta-goers. It contains zero calories, it makes you feel full so that you will eat less, and it keeps you hydrated during the traditionally warm Fiesta weather.
Pack your own Fiesta cooler
It’s a San Antonio tradition to see families lining the Fiesta parade routes with their own ice chests packed with snacks and drinks. This is a great opportunity to provide nutritious options. Stock your cooler with sandwich meats, cheeses and condiments for build-your-own sandwiches. Select low-fat meats and cheeses. Add sliced cucumber and lettuce. Buy a roasted chicken, or roast your own ahead of time. Slice, chill and serve on sandwiches. Roast beef works great, too. Serve a variety of sliced veggies with dip as munchies. For elegant cooler cuisine, pack antipasto with low-fat cheese and chilled boiled shrimp.
Budget your calories, alcohol and money
Plan a budget for the number of calories you are willing to consume from food and alcohol at each event. Moderation is the key. Eat before you leave home. You will be less hungry when you get to the event, and that will save calories. Also, try limiting your selections to one or two foods and calorie-containing beverages per event. Better yet, plan how much money you are willing to spend and stick to that plan.
Fiesta Fitness Fun
Fiesta is full of opportunities to work off the calories you consume. This year, plan to take advantage of more outdoor activities that involve exercise.Get off to a running start. Get a fast start on Fiesta by participating in the San Antonio Roadrunners’ 31st annual Fiesta Mission 10K and Kids’ run on April 22. Each race begins and ends in scenic Mission County Park. The route follows the San Antonio River past the lovely Spanish missions of Concepción and San José.
Walk it off
If you’re a walker, start Fiesta at the Caminada de Fiesta, also on April 22. This 10K (6.2 miles) walk is a European-style Volksmarch through historic Fort Sam Houston and the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Walkers will enjoy a bit of the post’s history and the beauty of the Botanical Garden along the way. Remember that, though the number of calories burned in one mile varies depending on the individual, the speed walked, the terrain and other factors, an average estimate is that about 100 calories may be burned per mile.
Move to the music
If you want to move to the music to get rid of some Fiesta calories, go the Sunken Gardens Amphitheatre in Brackenridge Park for Fiesta Fest 2006 on April 28. It will feature music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s as ARTS San Antonio salutes the great performers of these decades. Plan to dance the night away!Though it’s probably best known for its great food, the Fiesta Oyster Bake at St. Mary’s University offers continuous rock ‘n’ roll, Latin and country music to keep you on the dance floor. King William Fair and Fiesta San Fernando, both downtown, and Mission San José Spring Fiesta all offer music all day.
Walkers on parade
If you want to be part of one of the Fiesta parades, plan to participate in the Fiesta Flambeau Fandango 2.6-mile run. Sponsored by the San Antonio Roadrunners, it takes place just before the Fiesta Flambeau Parade on the same route, from Grayson and Broadway to Columbus Park on the west side of downtown. This is a great chance to race in front of the thousands of cheering people who line the entire length of the Fiesta Flambeau parade route.
Check it out!
Check out the entire list of Fiesta events, and explore other opportunities for physical activity at www.fiesta-sa.org.For more tips on nutrition and fitness, visit www.healthcollaborative.net.
Viva Fiesta!
A cutting-edge, public-private model for solving community health issues, The Health Collaborative began informally in 1997 when several area health care organizations agreed to put aside their competitive business practices to conduct the first community health assessment. The mission of the organization is to improve the health status of the community through collaborative means. Representatives of this group are dedicated to the health and well-being of our community in the spirit of collaboration. Partners include the major health systems in San Antonio, Metro Health, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, Community First Health Plans, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and a community representative. For more information, visit www.healthcollaborative.net.
