The holiday season is now in full swing, and with it comes a lot of struggles when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I've been asked by a couple of parents of kids and teens that have attended our weight loss camps, or are thinking of attending one of our camps, about tips for the holiday season that they can use at home.

While it's true that most of us (kids and adults) often feel like we gain weight over the holidays, studies have shown that less than 10% of us gain 5 pounds or more.  That is not to say that only gaining 5 pounds is a good thing.  In fact, it is not, and the goal should be to not gain any weight.

So what is the trick?  Not so surprisingly, there is no secret to maintaining a healthy weight during the holiday season - it's the same as it is every other time of the year:  Diet and Excercise.  What makes the holidays more difficult, though, is that there is often so much going on that our normal routines get thrown off.  We quickly find ourselves forgoing the family hike on a Saturday afternoon because some friends are hosting a holiday party.  And it's hard to go to any sort of holiday gathering without being presented with plate after plate of (usually) unhealthy appetizers, chips, dips, and so on.

So what can a parent that has a child struggling with weight issues do to maintain the consistency in diet and exercise that they're striving for?

Here are a few suggestions that center on both sides of the healthy weight loss coin (diet and exercise).

Exercise

This is one of the hardest part of the holidays as exercise/activities are often pushed aside in favor of party planning, shopping, decorating, and everything else that makes this time of year so busy.  So, instead of simply forgetting about having your child exercise for the next month, the trick is to have them make the most of the activities that they are doing.  Such as:

• Decorating - get your kids to help out hanging decorations and/or cleaning the house.  Things like climbing ladders, moving boxes of lights, getting decorations from storage, etc. are all forms of exercise.
• Take advantage of the opportunities you have - If you get a big snowstorm, encourage the kids to go sledding, have a snowball fight, or whatever else they like to do in the snow.  They won't realize it, but all the running around, walking up and down the hill, etc. are fantastic forms of exercise.
• Shopping - Yes, even the very act of shopping can be used as a form of exercise.  If you don't have time to go for a walk with your kids after dinner but still need to find that gift for your sister, take the kids to the mall with you and walk around there instead.

Diet

Many people often feel that they eat far too much and far too often during the holidays.  If you have kids that struggle with weight issues, this can be especially problematic.  Here are some tips for helping to keep your child's diet in focus during this time of year.

• Start the day off right - make sure you start each day by giving them a healthy and wholesome breakfast.  This will help prevent them from feeling hungry all day and being tempted to fill themselves on junk food, cookies, etc.
• Keep a close eye at any parties - if you go to holiday parties where there are a lot of kids, chances are there will also be a lot of "kids snacks" - things like cookies, candy, and all sorts of junk food that a lot of parents feed their kids without thinking twice.  Unfortunately, these are probably the kinds of things that you and your child are trying to avoid.  So, encourage them to snack on veggies instead.  You can also have them eat a nice healthy meal before going to the party, which will curb their desire to fill up on snacks at the party.  Finally, it's not realistic to ask anyone to completely avoid the food at any party, so tell your kids to only take one item at a time and have them wait 20-30 minutes before returning to the snack table.

It's true that this time of year can be challenging for people (kids and adults) trying to lose weight or trying to avoid gaining weight, but by following some of these simple steps, you can ensure that the lessons learned this past summer at weight loss camp do not go to waste.