You're starting to regret that third helping of green bean casserole, turkey and sweet potato pie you had on Thanksgiving.

In your food-coma, you're already thinking about what you will bring to the upcoming office holiday party in December. Another plan you should start making is joining a gym.

You may think you should just put that off until New Year's Day. But what happened to your 2016 New Year's resolution? You joined your local gym on January 4. But the equipment was crowded every time you tried to go, and it got harder to stick to a routine as the year wore on. You canceled that membership by March 1.

This year should be different. Beat the post-holiday rush and join a gym now. Here's a few reasons why:

• The holidays area stressful and draining time. Fitting in at least 30 minutes of physical fitness into your day will ease that stress and put you in a better mood to prepare for the day
• Most people gain weight during the holidays. Exercising will help ward off that holiday weight.
• Are you sad when Christmas is over? The holiday blues won't hit you as hard, because of your new workout.
• If you are constantly surrounded by friends and family, 30 minutes of exercise by yourself may give you welcome alone time.

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