I came across RealAge a few years ago. The website pulls together health and fitness information from a variety of sources and presents it in an easy way to digest (check out the healthy recipe section!).  For example, they have a great article on how eating a big breakfast will help keep you trim (rather than the other way around) and also on how papaya is the wrinkle fighting fruit – stuffed full of vitamin C – that helps fight the signs of aging from the inside out.

The one tool, however, that I find very useful is the RealAge test. It basically asks you a variety of lifestyle questions and out pops what your body is telling you your REAL age is. If you do nothing else, I suggest you invest a few minutes and find out how old your body thinks you really are!

Now, while you wait for your results on the test, here are some RealAge top tips on getting through the holiday season while still being able to button your pants at the end of it! You just need to separate a few holiday myths from reality:

Myth: Most people put on 7 pounds over the holidays.
Reality: The average gain is only about 1 pound. If your clothes feel tighter than that come January 2, it’s because that extra pound or so is fat, which takes up more space than muscle. The trick is to take off even a little extra weight right away. Many of us put on 1 or 2 pounds a year every year and never lose it. Bit by bit, that adds up. So either make sure you hold even or cut back for a week till it’s gone. But hey, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for!

Myth: If I just stick to my exercise routine during the season, I’ll be fine.
Reality: You won’t. Which will just make you want to throw in the fitness towel, too. Instead of trying to cram your regular workout into a totally overscheduled season, do 10-minute bursts of activity when you can. Going to the mall for last-minute shopping? Do what you always swear you will: Take the stairs instead of the escalator, and park at the far end of the parking lot. Got 10 minutes while dinner is cooking? Put on your favorite fast music and dance like a maniac. Need a stress break at work? Walk around the building two or three times. A few mini workouts like these will deliver the same mind-body benefits as a full 30-minute routine.

Myth: You can gain 5 pounds at one blowout holiday feast.
Reality: Five pounds is stretching it, but even if the scale jumps scarily 24 hours after a big meal, don’t panic — the extra weight is almost certainly water. Salt may be to blame for that, but carbs from the mashed potatoes and dressing are water holders, too, says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman’s Diet. Within a day or two, the water weight of a big meal will disappear as you return to normal activities and excrete the extra fluid.

Myth: It’s okay to go overboard at parties and special holiday meals — just exercise more the next day and burn it off.
Reality: While it’s true that the more you exercise, the more you can eat, there’s a limit to how much you can do. A 150-pound woman who eats a 2,500 calorie meal has to walk briskly for 10.5 hours to burn it off. So unless you’re planning to do nothing else but walk and eat for the duration, skip second helpings. You probably don’t really want them anyway.

According to the folks at RealAge, playing it smart will not only mean your jeans still fit in January, but maintaining a constant desirable weight can make your RealAge 6 years younger. Personally, I’m still trying to figure out when I can fit in my first 10.5 mile walk!