At Thanksgiving, we brought the Wii to our relatives and had a ball watching them look just as foolish as we did at home. BTW – I would highly recommend the Wii if you want to mix it up a bit and have fun while exercising.

In addition to putting on layers, do what your mother said. Wear a hat or some type of covering on your head. I understand, that an uncovered head can release as much as one quarter of your body heat. People (especially those of us in the south who are not familiar with bundling up) forget that an head covering is important.

Furthermore, If any of you are walking, running, beyond your immediate area, be sure to wear something that is bright or reflective. Many drivers find it hard to see people bundled up in dark clothing. There are reflective vests you can get at most Bike shops that are inexpensive and easy to slip on over anything. Also, tell someone else you are going out and when you expect to be back.

Finally, if you are on the roads, be sure you have some type of medical alert on your person. There are some that attach to your shoes, if you do not want to wear one on your neck or arm. My brother-in-law is a captain with the fire-department and he cannot say enough about these.

That is my motto and during the holidays it is so easy to sneak in little work outs with all the shopping and errands I have to run! If I have to run to the grocery store, I use a carry basket instead of a rolling cart; I carry my bags through the mall; I walk the mall instead of driving around; I take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator at work and when shopping or I walk up the escalator if it is just too darn convenient to pass up. I eat before I head to the mall so all of those yummy smells don’t tempt me as much. At parties when someone asks if I want something, I say ‘sure, I’ll go with you to help you carry it’ instead of just sitting there waiting for my food/drink to arrive. Even when decorating the house or tree, I try to focus on my muscles and do things myself instead of getting my husband to do it all for me.

There are TONS of things you can do to get up and move or work out your muscles… in fact sometimes I think I am more active during teh holidays than I am during the summer! Just get creative

My main way of staying active (and warm!) in the winter is that I walk back from university to the train station.

Sounds simple enough, but it’s a two mile walk, and usually takes around 40-45 minutes. After the first ten minutes, I’m so warm that I need to take off my scarf and gloves. And by the time I get to the station I’m not feeling any cold at all. Doing this 3-4 times a week,I’ve really noticed a difference in my counts. It’s helping me get a bit fitter as well, so marching up Edinburgh’s hills in the morning doesn’t seem that scary anymore!

Another plus; it saves me spending money on buses as often, which gives me a little more money for christmas gifts etc.

Also, it’s nice to walk through the city in the evenings and see all the lovely sights :]

I must admit that trying to keep an 8 year old active active during the winter months is hard. All Kacey wants to do is watch movies and read books…tons and tons of books! During the summer, she out riding her bike, playing soccer, playing softball and then when cold hits she shuts down.

I think we found a solution though and its just gonna cost us $250! LOL! When she was playing it, within 20min she was in a full blown sweat BUT she was laughing and having fun (which is most important) so as much as I hate video games….it looks like Santa is bringing a Wii! Ho!Ho!Ho!