How to stay in shape over the holiday season

Just because the holidays have arrived doesn't mean you're automatically doomed to pack on the extra pounds. How can you stay in shape over the holiday season? By following some simple advice on eating, drinking and staying active.

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Drink a large glass of water before you leave for the holiday party. It'll help you feel full and reduces the risk of overeating.

• Sometimes our brain tricks us into believing we're hungry when our bodies are actually thirsty, so drink more water throughout the feast.

Drinking water also helps you to avoid consuming too much alcohol, which has more calories.

• Overconsumption of alcohol can, in turn, lead to overindulging in cakes, stuffing, pastries and other high-calorie foods.

As you eat, take smaller portions than normal and eat slowly instead of swallowing every helping in one bite.

• Make it a challenge to see how long you can make your meal last. You may be able to go throughout the entire dinner with just one serving of turkey.

Give preference to low-calorie, high-nutrition foods that take up the most space in your stomach.

• A large salad at the start of the meal contains lots of fibre and fills you up quickly, so you'll be less tempted to heap a lot of food on your plate afterwards.

If you train mostly outdoors, don't use winter as an excuse to stop.

• Cross-country skiing can provide similar cardio and leg strengthening benefits to running.
• Sign up for winter conditioning classes at your local gym or indoor swim classes at your community centre.
• If your go-to gym closes down during the holidays, find another that stays open and go there temporarily.

Even if you don't feel motivated to go to the gym, you can partake in some family-friendly activities that are fun and good exercise for everyone, including:

Ice skating
Skating is a perfect workout, made especially enjoyable when gang tags along.

Walking
The beauty of walking is that it's as easy as putting on your boots and bundling up for the cold.

Tobogganing
Even tobogganing has it benefits! Going downhill is fun and easy, twice as much when you're with the kids, but heading back up is where you get the workout.

Ultimately, picking fun forms of exercise means you're more likely to stick with it, particularly if the notion of  training in a gym leaves you cold.

You can always burn off calories and stay in shape during the holiday season by shovelling snow from your driveway. If that's not enough activity, why not take care of the snow on your neighbour's walkway? They'll surely appreciate the gesture, especially if your neighbour is elderly.

• You can also do the same thing to help a local charity, such as a food bank or homeless shelter.
• Skip the cooking and serving and ask if you can complete any outdoor chores for them. You may even be able to help load and unload the trucks that deliver goods, instead.

Using your physical ability to help others in need keeps both your body and your soul in shape during the holiday season.

The holiday season doesn't have to come along with a few extra pounds if you keep a few of these tips in mind.