It’s December and time for a healthy dose of good old precautionary advice about eating right during what is often the most decadent time of year. Yes, we can all get caught up in the holiday season and let our routine health habits slip. The weather turns colder and a nice warm cup of hot chocolate (with whipped cream, of course) is just the solution. However, too many cups and you’ll no longer need the hot chocolate to warm you up—you’ll have an extra layer of fat to do that.

 Now, lest you think that I am so hardcore about eating right—but let me tell you. I just recently had a chocolate “fundue” party for my dughter! Yes, there’s room for splurging if you can remember to be disciplined enough to come back to your healthy lifestyle. What happens is many Americans splurge and then forget all about eating a clean diet to keep fit.

What you consume over these next several weeks will either help you or hurt you in 2007. We all know how quickly the calories add up, how easy it is to not make time for exercise, and how these two things will affect our future health. But nobody wants to be counting calories while everyone around them is living it up! So the best scenario is to couple a healthy dose of precaution with a little freedom to let loose and a commitment to keep your body moving this holiday season. I’ve gathered a few tips that help me stay track; perhaps they’ll be useful to you too.

Exercise all year: yo-yo dieting doesn’t work and neither does yo-yo working out. Keeping the body healthy requires a year-round commitment. So, even when schedules get busy, holiday parties consume nearly every weekend, and extended family take up residence in your home—keep a little “you” time—not only will your body appreciate it but also it’ll likely help keep you sane!

Choose your beverages carefully. A frosty margarita can have more than 600 calories in it and some wines aren’t too far behind. You don’t have to avoid the spirits entirely; just try one instead of two drinks—after the holidays, your waistline will show the difference.

Don’t plan to diet beginning January 1. This is only going to cause you to over-indulge and really live it up because your mind will keeping reminding you that soon the good times will be over. Instead use moderation mostly all year long and the results will please you.

Eat before you go to a party. Yes, this is one of my all-time favorites. Show up at a party and you’re certain to eat everything in sight. If you have a little something in your stomach it takes the edge off and will make you far more reasonable when selecting what you’ll eat at the party.

Remember we don’t live to eat, we eat to live! Focus on the holiday spirit of giving, helping others, enjoying time with family. Sure, eating is part of the fun and celebration but it doesn’t have to be stressful for you, nor does eating have to take center stage to make the holidays fun. Enjoy playing ball with the family, hiking, going to a movie—simply spending time together.

Overeating one day won’t make you unhealthy—maybe uncomfortable—but doing it routinely could lead to an unpleasant 2009. Take precaution now and ring in the best year yet!

Every day that he goes to work, 39-year old Oceanside Police Detective, Brad Hunter, knows that there is significant risk. As a new member of the Family Protection Unit for the Oceanside Police Department in California he’s found that risk is worth it. In February of this year, Hunter started investigating adult sex crimes but he began his career with the force in 1988.

“When I am able to make an arrest I feel really good about it because those [arrests] are usually people who really need to go to jail—rapists or child molesters,” says Hunter

Hunter is the kind of police detective that brings a savvy street-sense reputation and intense training to his police duties. Even after 20-years of service, he’s able to keep a strict focus on fighting crime and solving cases. He credits Taekwondo for his discipline and ability to endure the often brutal police work that he is faced with daily.

“Throughout my career, it’s helped me do my day-to-day tasks as a police officer both in focus and handling stressful situations,”  says Hunter.

Just this summer Hunter, a 6th Degree Black Belt, was awarded the prestigious title of Taekwondo Master Instructor at the American Taekwondo Association’s (ATA) International headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas. The certified instructor and International Taekwondo judge studied Taekwondo for the past 21 years. Hunter holds a 2001 ATA World Championship Title for Sparring. Surprisingly, he never thought he’d go this far in martial arts.

“Each step of the way I always thought this is probably as far as I’ll go,”  says Hunter.

But his determination brought him to greater levels in a sport that is challenging and rewarding.

“As long as you stick with it and have that perseverance you can continue to progress and advance,”  says Hunter.

It’s that attitude combined with Hunter’s desire to serve the community (he helps his wife, Vanessa, with her Pop Warner Cheerleading squads) that has intrigued his police force co-workers.

“He has credibility, not only among his peers, but he has it within the community and that’s something that only one-percent of guys have that ability to be able to do,” says fellow police officer, Mike Bowman.

Bowman recalls an incident when Hunter was a motorcycle cop and he and another officer were trying to apprehend a man wielding a sword. 

“They came against this guy with the sword and, of course, the guy was extremely agitated and they were doing everything they could to try to talk this guy out of using the sword and becoming aggressive with it because that would be a horrible thing. Brad was able to talk to this guy and talk him into handcuffs, literally, without having to do any type of other stuff,”  says Bowman.

Bowman says Hunter’s calm, natural demeanor is a gem for the police force. 

“I can think of 20 other cops who were working that day and there probably would have been a shooting involved or somebody having to use a baton or club or something to calm this guy down,”  says Bowman.

Of course, not all street incidents are so peaceful and that’s when Hunter is glad he’s equipped with the knowledge and skill of Taekwondo. He recalls apprehending a criminal near the train tracks one night. 

“When I went to talk to him, he had his hand in his pocket, and I wasn’t expecting it, but as I walked up to him, I saw that he had a gun in his hand and was pulling it out of his pocket,”  says Hunter.

Instinctively, Hunter used his years of Taekwondo training, “I applied a technique that I had practiced many times in class and took the guy down and controlled him. He didn’t get hurt. I didn’t get hurt. Nobody else got hurt and I was able to arrest him and take him to jail. Of course, afterwards you think about it and say ‘Wow! That was kind of scary.’” 

Currently Hunter is teaching at his friend’s studio. He aspires to own his own Taekwondo school one day.