After all of the turkey, carbs, cookies are eaten, egg nog is drank and naps are taken, many pounds will be put on during this holiday season.

But there are several ways holiday revelers can keep off and shed those extra pounds that typically come with yuletide cheer.

Using the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator when shopping or at work is a great way to keep the pounds off, according to Mary Misko, who has been with the Greendale Park and Recreation Department for 26 years.

"Get your exercise in while you are doing other things since everyone is so busy," said Misko, who oversees the baseball program and teaches a BodyWorks and a water aerobics classes among others at the department.

"In the routine of the day, park further away and walk from one end of the mall to the other end," she added.

DiAnn Stasik, an exercise physiologist in Greendale, recommends winter and holiday activities to help burn those calories.

"If you go for a walk in the snow you could burn 330 calories and if you saw down your Christmas tree, that's 270 calories," Stasik said. "Keeping active will keep you warm too."

Another 270 calories can be burned sledding and another 240 can be burned shoveling snow, according to Stasik. You can even burn calories by baking cookies and wrapping presents yourself, she added.

"If you go out caroling or shopping, that's about 90 calories a piece," Stasik said. "Instead of telling your kid to go shovel or paying the neighborhood kid, do it yourself."

Another tip that Misko passes along for those individuals who are in a workout class or have their own fitness routine is to do those exercises that are the toughest during their holiday break.

"If you do not have time to do your exercises at home, do the ones that are hardest for you," Misko said. "Do the ones that you hate. If pushups are hard, do those when you are off. Because if they are hard for you, those are the ones that you need the most."

During the holidays, exercise can also act as a balancer, relieving the stress that comes along with this time of the year.

"Exercise does as good as a power nap actually. Because sometimes you are just stressed out," Misko said.

Eating before heading to a holiday party is another way to combat gaining those extra pounds during this season. This practice curbs the appetite, resulting in less of a desire to fill up on fattening appetizers, entrees and deserts. Misko recommends eating a big salad or a piece of chicken before hitting the town.

"If you are going out to a dinner party or a big holiday feast, what a lot of people will do is skip eating that day so that they can feast up," Stasik said. "That is basically a bad idea because you will over eat more than you will like to. Stick to your eating patterns as diligently as possible and don't skip a meal to save up for the big feast."

 Misko also advises to eat the raw vegetables on the appetizer buffet before diving into the high-calorie items.

"Eat a high-water content food like an orange or a citrus," before heading out, Stasik said. "High-water content food satisfies you more than a non-high water content food. So you will want to eat a food like citrus since it also has a curbing effect on your appetite."

Drinking plenty of water and getting a good night sleep are also ingredients to staying healthy and fit during the holiday season, Stasik and Misko recommended.

Editor's note: This story ran in December 2010.