Ah . . . the holiday season!  Our Thanksgiving Day feast has settled and Black Friday is behind us.  Now we're faced with that in-between time when we're bombarded with holiday parties and functions.  These typically cause us to gain a few extra pounds, leading us into the New Year with resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. 

The focus of this week's article isn't meant to discourage you from eating and having a good time, but to offset those festivities by giving you a few helpful ideas on how to increase your capacity to burn calories so you don't gain too much weight in the next month.  Walking is a great way to burn extra calories, especially when combined with carrying packages.  While shopping, refrain from driving around looking for the closest parking spot.  Park further away and walk.  A little extra walking inside the store also helps, especially if the weather outside is cold, windy, and snowy.

Make sure that you're hydrated.  The best way to do this is by drinking water.  Pop, coffee, sugary drinks (spiced cider, punch, etc.) and alcoholic beverages all contain ingredients that can actually dehydrate you.  Staying hydrated also helps to burn extra calories.  Pace yourself and don't try to do too much at once.  A steady pace of activities over an increased amount of time will burn more calories than quick bursts of activity.  This is especially true when shoveling snow.  Doing too much too fast increases your potential for injury, but a steady pace will burn many more calories and help to prevent/reduce strain injuries.

Therefore, the ability to KEEP MOVING is the key.  Maintaining a steady pace will also help reduce stress levels and improve mental processing.  Taking all of these things into consideration during this holiday season, you'll come out at least a little ahead on the approaching New Year and resolutions to come.

Yours in health,

Matt