Heading for the holidays!(Health & Fitness)

From Seattle to St. Paul, hundreds of NEA members have joined the NEA Fitness Challenge, launched just two months ago by NEA Today and the NEA Health Information Network. Already the news from you has been great: you're tossing the junk food, lacing up walking shoes, and taking it to the streets. Can you keep up the fun through the holidays? We say yes--even as you feast.

That's right. Conventional wisdom--and medical research--tells us that most folks lay on about three to five pounds from November to the first of the year. But those folks don't have to include you. You can learn to work with your body and mind, maintain your weight--and indulge in some of your favorite treats. After all, says John DeCastro, Ph.D., chairman of the psychology department at the University of Texas at El Paso, "Holidays are to be enjoyed. If you severely restrain yourself, you'll just pig out once the restraint is let go."

DeCastro ought to know. He conducts research on seasonal eating patterns, and says it's not your imagination if you swear you feel the urge to eat more as soon as the leaves turn from green to gold. Powerful evolutionary, social, and possibly genetic factors influence our attitudes about food intake throughout the year, he says. Add a little seasonal aggravation and, yes, you're suddenly drawn to eggnog and gingerbread.

"We eat more in the fall, regardless of the holidays," says DeCastro. "For our earliest ancestors it was the time of year they fattened up to prepare for the long winter." This primal urge sticks with you even if you reside in Malibu or Miami.

The social rituals that bring us together for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other celebrations also play a role in how much we eat. Simply put: "People eat more when they're with other people"--lots more, DeCastro says. You eat roughly 44 percent less when you eat alone. And the longer the meal or the larger the crowd, the more you'll feel inclined to nibble away.

So don't beat up on yourself this…