With the holidays taking the spotlight for the last two weeks of the year, it may be harder to stick to a normal physical fitness plan, Experts say it need not be – if you plan ahead.

When safety is not an issue, try to walk further than normal when going about your normal routine. Burning a few more calories by walking is one of the easiest ways to take off that extra weight. Just twenty minutes of brisk walking can burn over 100-150 calories. That equals a cookie or soda in calories!

By far, the best way to keep in shape over the holidays is to exercise it first thing in the morning. Not only does this guarantee that all the celebrating won’t interfere with exercise, but studies have shown that our will power is higher early in the day before we’ve had to exert a lot of self-control. Devoting the first 20 to 30 minutes of each day to exercise not only makes it more likely to happen, but an early morning workout could help you fight food cravings throughout the day, too.

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