As is usually the case with many people the holidays approach and the worry begins about the extra 5 pounds that might be gained. You are not alone in that thought. Even I, as a trainer and nutrition specialist, worry about the dreaded weight gain. Here are a few tips that I have found that help me to keep my weight and overall health in check as I navigate through the months of November and December.

#1. Make yourself accountable to someone. I always do a holiday “Maintain” challenge with my workout class. The goal is to be accountable to each other with the exercise and food choices we are making as well as what the scales are showing . If we stay within a pound of where we started we consider that a success and we celebrate with some type of reward. As we go through the holiday months we encourage and lift each other up. It makes for a great incentive to stay on track.

#2 . NEVER SKIP A WORKOUT!!!! Make sure to be deliberate about scheduling your workouts. Put them in your calendar and treat them as VERY important meetings. Not only will you feel better but you will, also, burn more of those extra calories you may take in.

#3. Write down what you are eating. This helps you keep track of what you are putting in your body. It ,also, will help you see when you are about to make a poor choice.

#4. Be deliberate. Don’t deprive yourself but plan. If you know you are going to be having a large meal then account for that during your day. If you know you are going to be drinking alcohol decide ahead of time how many you will have. This will help keep you from over-indulging.

#5. Finally DON’T STRESS! Take time to relax and reflect. Try not to let yourself get stressed. Take short walks. Do a Bible study. Meditate. Take a hot bubble bath. Watch a Hallmark movie!!!! Something to relax you. Make sure if you have lots of activities that you put them in a calendar and don’t wait until the last minute.

Hopefully these five things will help you think less about those 5 pounds and more about the magic and joy of the holiday season. Enjoy your family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!!!! (Some of us already have our decorations going up!!! Ha! Ha!))