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Many Americans gain about 5 pounds over the holiday season. Here are a few tips to help you watch that extra weight.

Keep track of what you put in your mouth. As mentioned in a previous post writing down what you are eating and the calories associated with each food is a good way to keep from overindulging. Keep your portion sizes from getting out of control and if you like something in particular focus on that food.

After a meal go for a walk. Actually, any form of exercise that is convenient for you will do. Even walking around a mall is good exercise.

Stay away from candy or other sweets and remember don’t sit down at a meal starved. Chances are you will eat too much. Have a low-cal snack before a major meal if you are hungry.

But most of all enjoy the holiday season. Happy Holidays!

According to an article in the British Medical Journal and reported at the BBC web site there are some long-standing holiday medical myths that even some medical professionals still believe to be true.

The first holiday medical myth is commonly believed: there are remedies to cure a hangover. The only cure for a hangover, according to researchers, is to either refrain from drinking alcohol altogether or drink very small amounts. All purported cures simply don’t work. And a hair of the dog that bit you—another drink—certainly doesn’t work either.

Sweets are generally more available over the holidays and most parents believe that allowing children to eat these sweets will make them hyperactive. According to recent studies the key ingredient in sweets—sugar—doesn’t increase hyperactivity in children. Scientists did find that this hyperactivity myth from sweets may come from the imagination of the parents. When parents think their children have consumed a sugar drink they tend to believe and label a child’s behavior as hyperactive when in fact it may just be normal. Still, too much sugar is never good for either the parent or the child.

There is a myth that you can lose 40% to 45% of your body heat through your head. Researchers contend you don’t lose any more heat from your head than the rest of your body. So putting on a hat in cold weather while the rest of your body is lightly dressed will help only marginally in keeping you warm.

We often read about the fact that there are more suicides during the holiday season than any time of year because of stress and the depressing, dark, cold days of winter. However, according to research, this contention is besmirched by the facts: suicides around the world peak in warmer months.

And lastly, many of us have heard this: that eating late at night will result in weight gain. Researchers have found that the main culprit in weight gain is overeating rather than the time that you eat.

In the “Senior News” section at ActiveGeezering.com is a link to a New York Times article entitled: “Keeping your bones healthy.” Keeping bones strong is important particularly as you get older. As pointed out in the article, a recent study by the American Medical Association found one in five Americans 65 and older will die within a year after a hip fracture. Newer research is discovering that much of the previous medical thought about strengthening bones must now be revisited.

The old school of thought was that any exercise would strengthen bone. But not all exercises are equal. For example swimmers were found with less bone strength than runners. And runners had equal bone strength to those that do a daily brisk walk. Even over training can result in less strength in the bones.

Ironically, jumping up and down may be the best exercise to help your bones. But be careful and don’t get hurt. Instead, try a very brisk walk each day.

People have been ice skating for almost 4,000 years. It’s great exercise and easier on the joints than running. Ice skating can also sharpen your balance and tune up muscles in your legs.

In many parts of the United States there are indoor and outdoor rinks and many local recreation centers have ice skating programs.

Beginners should have a competent skater accompany them. You will fall while learning how to skate. It’s nice to have an accomplished skating partner that may be able to steady you or reduce the impact of a fall.

Once you’re ready you can even compete in either figure skating competitions (visit the web site of the U.S. Figure Skating Association at http://usfsa.org) or an adult hockey league.

However, for most, ice skating is just a fun activity especially with friends and family.

Either on the open ice or inside a shanty many find ice fishing a fun wintertime activity.

If you’re a newbie to the sport make sure you fish with someone that is experienced and spend considerable time in understanding how to determine the thickness and condition of the ice and whether it is safe to venture out on it.

Remember you will be sitting for long periods of time and if you aren’t protected from the elements it’s going to be cold. So dress with layers of warm clothes and be mindful that you will need very warm footwear.

For many, ice fishing is just as enjoyable as fishing in the summer. Just colder!

With the right equipment and the right conditions, snowshoeing is a sport for just about everyone, especially seniors.

Starting out, it may prove easier to visit a local cross-country ski center that offers snowshoeing equipment and well groomed trails.

Snowshoeing equipment has changed over the years and it’s better to try the sport before making any equipment purchases. Snowshoes come in a variety of brands and sizes. There are snowshoes for running, recreational walking or hiking, or winter backpacking. Learn about the equipment and pick snowshoes that are right for you.

If you’re a beginner, try staying on trails that are well groomed, and terrain that is relatively flat. Trudging through snow that has not been groomed, or on trails that are steep, can be challenging.

For more information about snowshoeing as well as cross-country skiing check out the “Features Section” here at ActiveGeezering.com. So seniors, if you want to stay fit this winter try snowshoeing.

Find out just how happy the people in your state are by going to the Well-Being Index. This index is a product of the Gallup polling firm and Healthways, a firm that designs health programs.

The Well-Being Index is a collection of data from six categories that determines your level of happiness. These categories are: physical health, meeting our life’s expectations, enjoying work, basic access to life’s needs, emotional health, and healthy lifestyle.

It then compiles this data so the reader can compare between states and congressional districts.  How does your state compare to others? Check out your state’s scores and ranking here.

Can you believe it’s that time of year again? In a few weeks most of the Vermont’s ski areas will be open as will many other areas in the Northeast and West. Before you hit the slopes to go downhill skiing or snowboarding here are some pointers to get ready for the upcoming winter season.

First, you need to make sure you are physically ready for the season in order to prevent injuries.  Daily stretching and flexibility exercises should be a top priority.  Also, start out your season on beginner to intermediate slopes until your legs are ready for the more difficult trails.

Make sure your equipment is ready to go.  Have your skis or boards tuned and your bindings check.  If you purchased new equipment understand how it works.

When you ski or board wear a helmet.  If you don’t have a helmet purchase or rent one. Also, if you’re a backcountry skier make sure you have a way to communicate if you get lost or injured. Even in the East, but especially in the western part of the United States there are backcountry areas that are prone to avalanches so be careful and carry a avalanche beacon if you are in any of these areas.

Above all, skiing and boarding are great exercise and tons of fun. So, indulge yourself!

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a controversial article about the appropriateness of extramarital relationships when your partner has Alzheimer’s  A link to the story is provided in the “Senior News” section of ActiveGeezering.com.

As many know Alzheimer’s is a devastating and so far an incurable disease that robs a person of memory plunging them into a dark abyss where ultimately they wither and die, perhaps years later from the onset of the disease. Over 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, most over the age of 65.

The spouse –who is usually the caregiver for their partner with Alzheimer’s–slowly witnesses the fading memory and personality change until their loved one is lost, yet still alive. Alzheimer’s reduces a person to just a shell of their once vibrant self until death comes, sometimes years later. The question becomes is it adultery if you are having a relationship with another person while the the person you married is still alive, but has now lost the mental capacity to function or even understand their existence?

It’s a thorny issue, with many coming down on different sides of it. Some religious leaders contend it is still adultery, while others aren’t so sure. Support groups on the other hand are trying not to be judgemental.  And while some family members may support the dating parent, others see it as being unfaithful.

As we age we will have to grapple with these and other complex issues in the future.

Thanks to information supplied by the University of Arkansas for Medical Services several medical myths can now be busted. Here are some examples.

Shaved hair will not grow back faster, darker, and coarser.

Drinking coffee will not counter the effects of drinking too much alcohol.

Your heart doesn’t stop when you sneeze.

Copper bracelets do not cure arthritis.

You don’t have to wait 30-minutes to allow your food to digest before you can go swimming.

Hair and fingernails do not grow after death. It may appear that way, but in reality the skin actually shrinks.

Vitamin C will not prevent a cold. Scurvy yes; colds, no!

To read about these myths and others click here.