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‘Tis the season to be indulging in festive treats and decadent drinks (and it doesn’t stop after Christmas Day). In fact, the media often eludes that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t let the extra calories lurking around every garland decorated corner make you a statistic. We’re not suggesting that you avoid the festively decorated sugar cookie or a glass of Egg Nog, instead we are offering some tips on how to combat those pesky pounds with some inventive ways to burn calories. Think of it as multi-tasking during this ever-so busy time of the year!

TOP 10 SNEAKY WAYS TO BURN CALORIES THIS HOLIDAY:                         

1. Writing Holiday Greetings and Thank You Notes: Finally a reason to send a note of well wishes and thanks to all of your friends and family! For every 60 minutes of writing, you will burn 72 calories!
2. Caroling Through the Snow: Belt out your favorite holiday tunes to your heart’s content, for every 20 minutes you will burn 45 calories.
3. Grab Your Skates: Ice skating round and round the rink will burn 239 calories for every 30 minutes spent on the ice.
4. Cross Country Skiing: The aerobic activity at a moderate pace will burn 307 calories for every 30 minutes spent traversing the snowy terrain.
5. Downhill Skiing: Going downhill your thing? A moderate pace will burn 181 calories for 30 minutes of parallel turns and hockey stops.
6. Recreational Sledding: Grab the kiddos and burn 239 calories for 30 minutes of fun!
7. Household Chore, Ironing: Need to make your Ugly Holiday Sweater spiffy for a party? Make sure you spend 15 minutes getting the wrinkles out and burn 31 calories in the process!
8. Park Further Away: Most likely if you’re out doing last minute gift shopping, or any shopping at all, the choice parking spots will be next to impossible t o find. Have the last laugh and park in the furthest spot, and on your way back grab that holiday flavored latte you were craving, you deserve it!
9. Take the Stairs: Skip the elevators and take the stairs instead, you can burn anywhere from 10-15 calories (depending on the number of flights)!
10. Chopping Wood: Looking to roast some chestnuts by an open fire? You’ll need some fire wood, so get out there and chop (please use proper form and caution) and you can burn 206 calories in 30 minutes of this outdoorsy activity.

So now we’ve armed you with some fun and creative ways to burn a few extra calories. Keeping up with your exercise routine will also have you ahead of the holiday gain.

* calories burned are estimated based on an adult weighing 150 pounds.

Virginia Spine Institute’s reputation is unmatched as a world-renowned luxury destination in spinal healthcare, dedicated to providing an elevated level of concierge care for those suffering from neck and back conditions. For three decades, their proven methods have led them to dramatically improving the quality of life for over 100,000 patients, from 32 countries.

People seek care from Virginia Spine Institute because of their elite team of board-certified spine-specialized physicians offering unique approaches to safe and effective back and neck pain relief. As one of the few centers that begin treatment with non-surgical options before recommending surgery, 90% of their patients get better without spine surgery. Through a comprehensive model, Virginia Spine Institute is able to offer regenerative medicine, non-operative treatments, minimally-invasive spine surgery, and physical therapy through their team of spine specialists.

The team’s dedication to detail and patient success is a shining light in the field of spinal healthcare. As pioneers and leaders in this field, they have also accomplished many of the world’s firsts in spine surgery by using modern treatments and cutting-edge technology not offered anywhere else.

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