Most people who gain weight over the holiday season tend to keep it on all year long.  However, it is possible to maintain your weight during the holidays.  Here’s how…

Start by building physical activity into your holidays.  Try to create new family traditions that are activity-based instead of food-based.  Go ice-skating, go sledding, build a snowman, play a game of touch football, participate in an annual charity walk, or take a family walk through the neighborhood to see the holiday decorations.  Other ways to add physical activity to your holidays include:

• Parking farther away at the mall or grocery store,
• Walking the mall before shopping the mall, and
• Turning on some music and dancing while at home decorating, cooking or cleaning for holiday guests.

A daily bout of physical activity can counter the harmful effects that stress and overeating have on health.

And because so many holiday traditions revolve around food, it is easy to overindulge.  But, by practicing the “3-bite rule,” you can still enjoy your favorite holiday treats without the excess calories and the guilt.  The first few bites of a great dessert are typically the most satisfying anyway, so three bites is a good place to stop.