The holidays are both a wonderful and stressful time. It's amazing how the month of December has such a completely different impact on us than does say.........April! It's weird how our culture/society has created such a wild phenomenon where people voluntarily set themselves up to spin out of control. Not only are we spinning, but we plan to spin! Having said that, the fact that you've chosen to read this article means you would really like to avoid ending up dizzy from debt and desserts come January.

You can get through the holidays without sacrificing yourself. Here's how.

• Don't buy things you can't pay for TODAY! Pay cash for gifts, trips and other holiday luxuries. You needn't work the rest of the year to pay off your mistakes this month.
• Don't consume more calories than you can burn off TODAY! Excess caloric intake leads to weight gain, and you shouldn't have to run extra miles the rest of the year to burn off the mistakes you make this month.

• Put yourself on a financial budget. Plan your purchases. Decided how much money you have to spend on the holidays and don't go a penny over. If you arrange to carry cash, or designate a separate account for holiday money....you'll have a very clear view of how much money you have left to spend.
• Put yourself on a caloric budget. On average a person burns 10 calories per pound of body weight, per day. If you exercise or have an extremely active job, you'll burn more. Figure out about how much you burn each day, and keep a food diary. If you exercise hard in the morning, you might allow yourself an extra edible treat at night. If you do not burn extra calories, you should not consume them.

Make plans, and have a budget. Work some overtime or get a second job if you want more money to spend. Increase your exercise efforts if you want to consume more calories. Use discipline, planning, and the thrill of feeling fantastic in January as incentive. You can do this! The holidays are truly a time for family, friends, and religious celebrations. Reckless consumption is absolutely not the reason for the season. Consider this effort a gift to yourself!

APEX Fitness offers a great program called the BodyBugg to help you through these times physically.

Dave Ramsey is the master of debt free living. I recommend visiting his website, tuning into his nationally syndicated radio show or his new television show on FOX Business Network nightly .

I also recommend Dave's book The Total Money Makeover as a $10 gift for yourself and everyone else you wish financial freedom.

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