Lively and quick is the key to a fit St. Nick

Santa may be the hardest-working elf of Christmas but being able to fly around the world in a single night doesn’t excuse him from living a healthy lifestyle.

There’s a lot more he can do, said the doctors and specialists at Kaiser Permanente, adding that Santa’s age and weight are no obstacle to fitness. From knowing how to prepare for a journey to ensuring he doesn’t throw out his back while lifting a heavy sack of toys, their advice is aimed at keeping Santa on time.

But their advice works just as well for the rest of us.

Low-impact exercises

Santa’s rooftop antics would be risky for anyone, let alone a guy who became eligible for senior discounts centuries ago.

Dr. Serena Lo, a Kaiser Permanente specialist in geriatric medicine, said Santa has good reason to worry about falls: Falls account for 55 percent of all accidental injury deaths among seniors.

Broken bones can lead to lasting problems.

“Most people don’t rehab to their previous level,” Lo said. “People who were independent are now dependent.”

What’s a jolly old elf to do? Tai chi.

“Tai chi can help people learn how to balance better,” Lo said. “It has been studied and found to be quite helpful. It’s a great form of exercise for people who cannot do high-impact exercise.”

Healthy snacks

The holidays are a smorgasbord of treats but imagine poor Santa on Christmas Eve. Every house he visits has a plate of cookies and a glass of milk waiting for him.

Jennifer Davis, a registered dietitian with Kaiser Permanente, said there are lots of healthy alternatives to snacks high in sugar and saturated fat. These include popcorn, trail mix, carrots and strawberries.

“You could make a whole-wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookie,” she said. “And you could add cranberries and nuts for antioxidants.”

To wash that down, give Santa skim milk or low-fat eggnog — without the rum because he doesn’t want to get caught driving his sleigh while under the influence.

Parents can use Santa’s dilemma as an opportunity to teach their children the value of a healthy diet, Davis said, and she offers this cookie recipe as a starter:

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl whisk together pumpkin, egg and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Fold together wet and dry ingredients but do not overmix. Dough should be very thick. Add pinch of salt if needed.

Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheets and slightly flatten. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for at least 3 minutes and transfer to wire rack. Cookies stay fresh at room temperature for three days in airtight container or freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before serving.

Travel safely

As the world’s greatest globetrotter, Santa faces challenges that can also affect the average traveler, according to Dr. Johnnie Yates, a Kaiser Permanente physician who specializes in travel medicine.

“He will be going to different climates, from very cold to very warm,” Yates said. “He will have to have appropriate clothing. He would have to remove his fur-lined heavy stuff when he goes to Africa. And when he goes to the tropics, he will have to stay hydrated.”

Like Santa, airplane passengers, especially those in cramped seating, run an increased risk of developing blood clots because they aren’t able to get up and move around. Yates urged frequent fliers to make the effort to move about the cabin.

Food precautions are important, too. Santa doesn’t drink unpasteurized milk and neither should other travelers. And in countries where sanitation is a question, bottled water is a must. Yates advised travelers to less developed countries to avoid raw or uncooked food.

And Santa, like you, shouldn’t travel without having had a flu shot.

Prevent back injuries

Santa’s bag of toys is probably loaded with magic, which is why he can stuff it with so many things. But the old guy still has to carry it everywhere, which means he has to protect his back, said Marc Iyomasa, director of physical therapy at Kaiser Permanente.

If Santa hurt his back, he wouldn’t be alone. About 80 percent of the population has experienced back pain at some point, according to Iyomasa. The causes vary. Picking up something too heavy or lifting it the wrong way are common mistakes but simply sitting for extended periods is now referred to as “the new smoking” because it’s bad for your back, he said.

“A lot of muscles get tight when you sit. The hip rotators get really tight and that places tremendous pressure on the back as a whole.”

If Santa has time, he could enroll in Kaiser Permanente’s Back Basics class to learn stretching exercises to help him.

Keep moving

For all the work Santa does on Christmas, he doesn’t appear to get a lot of exercise during the rest of the year — and that’s risky, said Dr. Errol Buntiuyan, a general practitioner with Kaiser Permanente’s Kihei clinic on Maui.

“We are focusing our work on obesity prevention primarily because the sedentary lifestyle can lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which can lead to an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks,” he said. “But there is an overwhelming amount of research that says a sedentary lifestyle, in general — obese or not — can lead to increased risks of colon or breast cancer. There is increased mortality in those patients who were inactive.”

Regular activity also decreases cognitive decline in older patients, Buntiuyan said. Seniors also face muscle decline, so regular exercise allows them to continue taking care of themselves.

The basic recommendation is a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. Light jogging, yoga, Zumba and gym memberships are all good options. Even gardening, from raking leaves to shoveling dirt or gravel, is a good option.

“Anything that requires you to get up and move as opposed to sitting on the couch is good,” he said.