Keeping Your Family Balanced Over the Holidays

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Halloween is about two weeks away, and it’s just the first of many holidays that will be here before you know it. When you think of the holidays, what comes to mind? I tend to think trick-or-treat candy, pumpkin pie, turkey, hot chocolate & lots and lots of peppermint mochas. It’s no wonder so many people gain weight over the holidays!

Shane’s candy haul last Halloween

Some people go into the holiday season telling themselves that they won’t indulge- that they don’t want to ruin their waistline over a few meals. &I get that, but it doesn’t work for me. Being able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my family without worrying about every single bite is just too important to me. I can always work it off later.

&That’s exactly what Together Counts believes! Not only do they encourage families to get moving together, but they stress the idea of moderation. Should I eat a whole bag of candy corn in one sitting? Of course not. But I can have a couple of pieces here & there- especially if I’m able to balance the calories out with some activity later.

A hidden section of the park we discovered on a recent walk

During the summer, we become a family of hermits. With temperatures that rarely dip below 100, even at night, it’s not safe for me to let Shane play outside in the heat unless we’re swimming. But now that the temperatures have dropped, we’ve been outside a lot. We hit the park almost every day last week, and this week the only reason we skipped it was the rain. We like to spend a good hour there, but even on days when that’s not possible, we still go for a bit & I let Shane run around. Before we leave, we also walk around the jogging track & explore the different parts of the park- it gets us both moving and it’s a great way for us to bond.

Together Counts is a nationwide program that strives to get families active and healthy. The principle behind their program is “Energy Balance”, which is being able to balance the calories eaten with the calories burned. Together Counts is a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 200 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations, and professional sports organizations. They work to get more families eating and getting active together so that they can enjoy the holidays- both at the table and outside!

On October 17th from 8-9pm EST, you can join the Twitter party for #TogetherCounts where you can chat about ways to find balance and how to work toward active and healthy living for the whole family. {&Of course there are prizes, including 4 $50 gift cards & 5 George Foreman Classic 5 Plate Serving Grills!} You can RSVP for the party here!

How do you keep your family balanced?

Note: I was compensated for my work on this campaign. All experiences are authentic & all opinions are my own.