Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. A  comma  New  Year's  resolution  is  to  live a  healthier  lifestyle  by  eating a  balanced  diet  and  exercising  more. But  despite  our  earnest  intent, the  follow  through  really  is  hard. Mark  Pereira,  a  University  of  Minnesota Professor  of  epidemiology, suggests  that  we  start  by  having  a  holiday  resolution. The  average  person  experiences  extra  weight  gain and  increases  in  blood  pressure  and blood  cholesterol  during  the  holidays. The  solution  for  many  is  a  New  Year's  Resolution. But  a  better  approach  might  be to  anticipate  the  holiday  season and  some  of  the  challenges  that  it  brings  to lifestyle,  get  going  earlier. Perhaps  a  holiday  season  resolution, setting  realistic  goals, anticipating  being  proactive  to  some  of  the  challenges. And  having  a  plan  and  a  schedule. For  example,  can  you  walk  to  a  party  instead  of  driving? If  you're  hosting  a  party, you  can  be  creative  by  having more  variety  of  healthy  foods  and  smaller  portion  sizes. And  remember  not  to  shop or  go  to  parties  when  you're  very  hungry. Pereira  adds  that  playing  active  video  games  like the  and  Xbox  Connect  is  actually  good  exercise, especially  for  snowbound Minnesotans  during  winter  months. Think  about  active  video  games when  the  weather  is  bad  outside. Research  is  now  showing  that  some  of the  active  video  games  actually  do  get  people off  the  couch  and  they  burn more  calories  and  have  some  fun  instead  of  just  sitting.