Fulcro Insurance

♪♫ We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪♫

Christmas is here and with it the most joyful time

for some and stressful time for others. We plan

details starting from our outdoor decorations to

even our bathroom decorations. And let’s not

forget the food… the food! This is the season that

most people see as a free pass to eat anything

and everything.

In Puerto Rico, as well as other parts of the

United States, there are a variety of traditional

dishes than can tempt even the most health

conscious. And what about our health? Having a

Merry Christmas does not imply that we have to

forget about our health. The same way we plan

everything so it can be perfect for the visitors, we

can plan to include health tricks that can help us

during the celebrations. For example:

• Eat your normal three meals to avoid

extreme hunger episodes than can lead to

over eating.

• Before serving your food, look around to see

what is the menu. Stick with those that are

exclusive for the season and avoid the ones

that you commonly eat.

• Move!!! Include physical activity during the

celebrations. Avoid falling into the trap of

eating and turning into a couch potato.

Dance, walk, play… what ever, just move!!!

It is always a good idea to know the amount of

calories that seasonal foods might have. This can

help make informed decisions about our food

selection. For your convenience, you will find a list

of Puerto Rican holiday foods and the amount of

December 2009

In This Edition Page

Celebrating In Health 1

Joy to the World 2

Economical Gift Ideas for Christmas

2

CELEBRACELEBRACELEBRACELEBRACELEBRACELEBRACELEBRACELEBRATING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTHTING IN HEALTH

calories each food has.

Don’t forget to include healthy and realistic

objectives for this holiday. For example: maintain

your current weight, take your medication as

indicated by your doctor, take time to rest,

promote good relationships with family and

friends, consume alcohol with moderation, while

drinking don’t drive, manage your stress, etc. You

can celebrate a Merry Christmas in health.

FULCRO INSURANCEFULCRO INSURANCEFULCRO INSURANCEFULCRO INSURANCE

PO Box 9024048

San Juan, PR

00902-4048

Tel. 787-725-5880

Fax. 787-721-0959

www.fulcroinsurance.com

Health In Balance

Food Portion Calories

Green salad Any Free

Green boiled banana 1 70

Elbow pasta salad ½ cup 130

Potato salad ½ cup 185

Pickled green bananas ½ cup 285

Pork butt roast 3 ounces 165

Puerto Rican sausages (morcillas)

2 inches 150

Fried pork meat 3 ounces 345

Pastel (mashed green banana or yuca, filled with pork or chicken)

1 450

Puerto Rican style coconut pudding (tembleque)

½ cup 175

Rice with pigeon peas ½ cup 190

Chitterlings stew (cuajo guisado)

½ cup 256

Puerto Rican rice pudding (arroz con dulce)

½ cup 255

Nougat (various combinations)

1 ounce 190-210

Coquito (coconut, milk, egg and rum beverage)

4 ounces 300

According to the United States Mental Health Association, more

than 19 million Americans suffer from depression each year. For

many people, the holidays bring on feelings of sadness and

anxiety. These feelings can be so overwhelming that can lead to

a full blown clinical depression. Some cases can be related to:

• Fatigue or tiredness

• Financial limitations

• Family tensions

• Memories of loved ones that are no longer present

• Unrealistic expectations to re-live old memories or feelings

• Unrealistic expectations on how the holidays should be

To enjoy this season with your family and friends consider the

following:

• Remember to rest during the holidays. If you know you will

be up longer than usual due to parties or visits, include

additional time to rest.

• Learn to delegate. You don’t have to do everything yourself.

Share preparation responsibilities with family and friends.

This is also a good way of sharing with your loved ones.

• Talk to your family and friends and create a new Christmas

tradition like visiting a home and helping out, sharing food

and music with financially limited families, take time to see

old home videos or old photos, etc.

• If you are going shopping, program your time and consider

Page 2

HEALTH IN BALANCE / DECEMBER 2009

that there is going to be a lot of people shopping as well. Be

patient and remember to eat before you arrive to the stores.

Overall, don’t forget that the most important gift is the

demonstration of your love and happiness to others.

• Take time for yourself. If you feel overwhelmed or sad, take

time to reflect positively on your feelings. This can help you

manage your emotions so you can continue to enjoy the

present moment.

• Let go of the past. It’s normal to feel sad if past memories

reappear. The objective is not to let these feelings take over

and be a limitation for the happiness and new memories you

can construct today.

• Do not drink too much. Alcohol is a drug that suppresses the

central nervous system and can promote and heighten your

feelings of sadness and loneliness.

• Give yourself the credit you deserve. Forget about absolutes.

No one is the best nor the worst cook, etc. Enjoy your

strengths and capabilities and complement them with other

members’ strengths and capabilities.

• If you think you can’t control your

deep feelings of sadness or have no

interests or motivation, talk to your

doctor or call your Employee

Assistant Program. You can find the

help you need to feel the real Joy to

the World.

In this season we want to demonstrate our love and appreciation to our family and friends. To achieve this you don’t need to spend a lot of money, you just need lots of creativity and love. Try the following:

• Give gift baskets that are tailored to the persons interests or jobbies, like facial creams, coffee, makeup, candies, etc.

• Prepare special breakfast or lunch events.

• If you know how to bake, prepare desserts or cookies and decorate them in a fun personalized way.

• Give home made crafts. If you know how to make clothing, cards, candles, soaps, clay figures, pottery, paintings or if you master sewing, painting, embroidery, among others, devote yourself to prepare items for your loved ones.

• Prepare small albums or mount special pictures in frames

and give one to every member of the family.

• If you have children, ask them to prepare drawings, cards or little notes and put them in frames. They can also trace their little hands or feet and color them. This can be combined with pictures that will make an unforgettable gift.

• If you have videos of previous celebrations, prepare an event where family member get to see the videos. You can also give copies of the video to each one.

• If you want to give out toys to your children, consider the traditional games and toys you used to play. Show them how to play with game boards, jump rope, use the hula hoop, play with a spinning top, a yo-yo or with the traditional jaxs and don’t forget the jigsaw puzzles, etc.

Enjoy this Christmas without adding financial burden to your budget. Your desire to help, your thoughtfulness, your joy and your love will be the best gifts of all.

♫♪ … ♫♪ … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … JOY TO THE WORLD … ♫♪ ♫♪

ECONOMICAL GIFT IDEAECONOMICAL GIFT IDEAS FOR CHRISTMASS FOR CHRISTMAS