It’s the most wonderful time of the year… unless “health” is still on your Christmas or New Year’s list.  With more stress, less sleep, a few extra drinks, tasty treats and a dwindling fitness routine, you could probably use these secret holiday survival hacks.

There’s a fairly standard approach to weight loss…eat less and move more. To most people this means a restrictive diet and hitting the treadmill.

While nibbling on rice cakes and jogging may highlight the accepted procedure, it also doesn’t work as well (nor is it as enjoyable) as a different method – building muscle to lose fat.

Recently, a mother of two boys asked me “I know it’s important that my kids get outdoors but I can’t find a way to motivate them… What can I do?”

It turns out she had recently read my article about Vitamin N (if you haven’t checked it out, it’s probably a good idea to give it a read first…) and she was really concerned about her 11 and 13-year-old sons, who typically preferred to stay indoors playing more sedentary games and usually put up a fight when presented with outdoor options… Especially in the heat of the summer.

If you’re a parent of ‘tweens (that’s 8-12) maybe you can relate too. This seems to be a fairly common concern when their interest in nature and the outside world gets replaced with iPhone’s and Xbox’s.

Incidentally, did you know that research demonstrates the majority of a child’s lifelong health habits are formed by the age of 12?

It’s time for a break from work, from school, and from the daily grind … but that much-needed time off can never be a vacation from reality, at least not without pretending that “being on vacation” means our lifestyle choices no longer matter.

The good news – there are some simple strategies that can help you have fun and, with little time and energy investment, keep up with many of your Life By Design action steps so you can turn your holiday into a health boost instead of a colossal setback!

The most important principle to understand is that Reality Exists.

If something is important for the health of your body today, it will be important for your health tomorrow. It doesn’t matter whether you are carrying out your normal routine at home or lounging in a tropical paradise with the ocean at your feet.