Giving the heave-ho to holiday weight gain

Question: How do I avoid unwanted holiday heft this year?

While the holidays are a time to eat and be jolly, your knees, back and ankles won’t be pleased with added pounds. Here are a few tips to keep you from tipping the scale.

1. Sign up for a race. Maintain your training program or start up a holiday-specific plan to get you through the season. Find a race early in the year, especially ones for local charities, that you can focus on. With a race in your near future, who wants that extra rum ball making those tights even tighter?

2. Eat early, bring food. Bring an empty stomach to a buffet and what’s it going to do? Tell you to eat until your tummy hurts. To avoid this miscommunication, have a mini meal with protein before you go – such as a salad with nuts and fruit or veggies with hummus. A little protein can help you resist the tantalizing truffles, or at least make one seem satisfying. And if you bring a refreshing vegetable or fruit tray with a protein-packed bean or seasoned plain yogurt dip, you know there’s a healthy island you can cling to amid a sea of calories.

3. Don’t skip your workout. We all know the holidays are busy, and workouts are often the first sacrifice. Rather than skipping your run or a gym session to accommodate parties, mall trips or frequent guests, discuss your workout plans with your loved ones-let them know you’re maintaining your schedule. Plan parties after your regularly scheduled day program, which includes your workout. Use your lunch hour to run.

4. Move away from the table. Proximity is temptation’s best ally. Instead of taking a stand at the buffet table, move to another room. If everyone is congregating in the kitchen, stand as far from the food-laden counter as you can. Use your friends as blockers, or turn your back on those tempting treats.

5. Occupation is half the battle. Don’t know what to do with your hands? Pick up a guitar. Learn how to knit. Wrap presents. Play cards. Occupy your hands before they can creep into the candy jar.

6. Be a kid. Remember how much fun the holidays were when you were a kid? Rather than hosting or attending parties that make your kids yawn, plan fun activities the kids can join. Snowman building contests, sledding parties, scavenger hunts, even touch football in the snow moves the party away from food and towards fitness.