Father James was training with Michael a few weeks ago, and bemoaned the fact that holiday feasting was upon us.

“Here come the pounds!” said Father James, a Greek Orthodox priest who appropriately sports a workout T-shirt that reads: “I Cross Train.”

And for many of us, food is the focus of the holidays—the turkeys, the stuffing the traditional dishes of our ethnic culture.

My childhood memories of the holidays are bittersweet. I could not wait for my mother to make kourabiedes, those rich, Greek shortbread cookies studded with cloves and glazed with confectioners’ sugar.

On the other hand, Christmas Day became a nightmare. We’d host the family dinner so all the new toys and goodies had to be put away before noon. Dinner was an all day affair and the cleanup stretched to midnight. Uncle Tom inevitably got sick after eating almost the entire pan of baklava, and aunt Jennie got amorous with just about everybody’s husband after a few glasses of vino.

Today, although food still plays an important role in celebrating the holidays, many of us try to extend the spirit back into the community.

For example, Michael’s Body Scenes has been very active in supporting the Foster Angel’s Wish List, an annual program that makes sure that our county’s many foster children receive gifts. This unique program targets actual wish lists from little boys and girls. We’ve had a wonderful time fulfilling these lists and reading the heartfelt thank you notes that the children write in response.

Please, please fill the collection box by the front desk with whatever you can spare this holiday season. We buy just the gifts requested by these kids so they know that Santa cares for them even though they are not living with their forever family.

Last year, my neighbor asked me to join her at Publix supermarket the night before Thanksgiving. A bunch of us loaded our cars with all sorts of foodstuff that Publix generously donated since they close Thanksgiving Day. We drove stacks of bread, rotisserie chickens and deli supplies to the Caridad center in Boynton, where volunteers would use the goods to cook a healthy dinner for hundreds of migrant workers and their families.

I even changed my pattern of gift giving this year, sending each daughter a Pilates DVD for Christmas. Thanks to Asti and Andrea, our wonderful Pilates instructors at MBS, I’ve been telling everyone how beneficial Pilates is for the body.

Michael Papamichael, one of the owners and obviously the founder of our club, is also the president of St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church. He believes in spending family time at church, celebrating the meaning of Christmas.

“Since my wife has converted to the Greek Orthodox faith, this holiday season is especially meaningful,” he says.

He suggests that we think about giving the gift of health to our friends and family and introducing them to the club.

“We have gift certificates for a month, two months or more so that you can introduce the gift of fitness without a major commitment,” he says.

Leslie Glickman, co-owner of MBS, and her family started a family tradition that’s given them great joy.

“We’re Jewish so we volunteer our services through our synagogue, B’nai Torah Congregation and visit a homeless persons shelter in Pompano,” she says. “It’s part of doing a mitzvah, or good deed, that serves others. On Christmas Day we go there to serve boxed lunches and spend the day going through donated items. Last year, my family and I dug into piles of clothing sorting them into categories for children and adults, dressy and casual.

“It was an eye opening experience for all of us, but even more so for my kids. I don’t believe my children realized how blessed they are until they saw with their own eyes how differently life can be for others. I will continue to participate in this project because I believe it keeps us grounded during the holidays that tend to be so excessive,” Leslie says.

This is an excellent example of how you and I can keep a sense of equilibrium during these hectic months. I remember bringing Publix dinners and toys to local families—here in Boca—who had no means to celebrate the holidays.

But let’s not stop here. There are many ways we can continue cultivating good community habits all year round. Sign up to volunteer at a shelter. Visit nursing homes. If a friend is ill, bring over some chicken soup or volunteer to shop for her. If you are crafty, knit afghans and blankets that the Red Cross or other charity can donate to migrant workers who are literally sleeping on the ground.

Sometimes even a phone call to an elderly relative is the most comforting and wonderful thing that happens during their day.

One of the big reasons I love MBS is that it’s one of the very few gyms with a family-like atmosphere. The owners and staff have hearts of gold and seldom—if ever—turn down a chance to enhance the community by holding fundraisers or simply giving a donation.

Let the holiday spirit be just that, a feeling of connectedness and love rather than a one of frustration and material gain. And have a wonderful, safe New Year!