The Holiday Season is only weeks away and thus begins the onslaught of cocktail parties, 7-course dinners and friendly "get-togethers" that occur more often than at any other time of year. Out-of-town relatives will be visiting and you will be spending more time with your families and kids making it more difficult than ever to train regularly and eat a "normal" diet. It's a challenge we all face every year but we can survive this festive month with just a little effort and a few adjustments so that we don't end up completely out of shape and 15 pounds overweight. Otherwise, if we try to stick to our rigid routines, we'll be sure to disappoint Aunt Mabel and your pals at the office. So, let's see what we can do to make it through this December.

The Top Eight Holiday Survival Tips:

1) Cut your routine. You'll go crazy if you try to perform you're whole workout without making it a little shorter plus you'll just frustrate yourself. Do fewer sets than you normally perform for all your exercises.

2) Focus on training the large muscle groups. Hit the big bodyparts and don't worry about the biceps, triceps, calves and forearms at every workout. Training the larger muscle groups will indirectly stimulate all those smaller muscles as well.

3) If you miss the gym altogether do some calisthenics. Push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, chair dips, jumping jacks and pull-ups can help maintain your muscle tone until you hit the iron plus the change will give your joints a break.

4) Eat a snack before going to any dinner party or social activity. This will lessen the chances of overeating by having something already in your stomach. Preferably something with fiber and bulk like an apple or banana.

5) Don't, don't, and don't drink any alcohol on an empty stomach. Besides it wrenching your stomach lining, it will send your appetite soaring causing you to stuff everything in sight down your throat. Plus food will slow down the absorption of the alcohol as well.

6) Stop eating as early as possible. Try when you can to stop feasting around 6:00 or 7:00 PM. The later you continue eating, the greater likelihood of storing all that food directly as fat.

7) Drink water as often as possible during any event. This will help fill you up and keep your system hydrated, which helps you to eliminate all the wastes as quickly as possible.

8) Don't miss taking your vitamins and minerals. This is the time you'll need all that extra immune support and antioxidant cleansing.

Have a Great Holiday!!!