Editor’s note: With any holiday gathering or exercise, be sure to follow CDC and health department guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Avoid mindless eating. Approach every snack, meal and food gathering “mindfully.”

• Notice your breath. Inhale and exhale before and after every bite of food. This will help you more accurately gauge your true hunger level.
• Don’t linger over the buffet table or hover over the hors d’oeuvres, nibbling as you engage in conversation.
• Pre-plate everything – meals, hors d’oeuvres, dessert, etc. We tend to eat less if we can view all the food before we start.

Make movement a priority. It’s a fantastic safeguard against weight gain and helps compensate for holiday indulgences. It’s also the perfect tonic for the stress and anxiety we all experience during the holiday season.

• Take a “family walk” after your holiday feast.
• Sign up for a holiday road race.
• Schedule in advance a regular workout with a trainer.
• Recruit a holiday walking buddy.
• Incorporate walking into your holiday shopping. Wear comfortable shoes and do as much of your shopping as you can on foot.
• Don’t forget house-cleaning and yardwork count as exercise, too.

Ann Kulze is founder and CEO of Just Wellness and has a knack for breaking down the science of healthy eating and living into simple and easily digestible messages. She has been featured on “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah and Friends,” WebMD and U.S. News & World Report. Alabama NewsCenter is publishing advice from Dr. Ann.