DON'T BE A CHRISTMAS COUCH POTATO (From Barry And District News)

DON'T BE A CHRISTMAS COUCH POTATO

VEGETABLES come in many shapes and forms over Christmas - brussel sprouts, carrots, couch potatoes... Well, who can blame us for vegging out over the festive period? We're shattered from the run-up to Christmas with its hectic rounds of shopping, cleaning and cooking, and we're full as a gun after the biggest lunch of the year. So we can be forgiven for a bit of sluggish behaviour - but not too much. After all, it's bad for our health to hang around watching TV for too long, and today's young people in particular get a lot of criticism for inactivity.

How can we get ourselves and our families off the couch? We've come up with ten top tips to turn the Christmas couch potatoes into festive fun people... 1) Start with yourself. If you're going to motivate the rest of the family, you have to be in the right frame of mind yourself. 2) Don't be TOO jolly - that will only irritate people and make them snuggle further into the cushions. 3) Be gently persuasive, but firm. Suggest a walk after lunch to stretch everyone's legs, but recruit people one at a time to your plan. That way, they can't gang up and say no. 4) Promise to record must-watch programmes for later - and make sure you do it! 5) Be crafty with your gifts. Walking boots, hats and cosy scarfs might just prompt your lazy-bones relatives to take an outing. 6) Offer shopping as an incentive - the teenagers will certainly like it better than just a walk, and after all, it's still exercise. 7) Buy a dog, but make sure it's not just for Christmas - remember, it's a lifetime of walkies, and whole world of new friendships. 8) Go for novelty. Suggest a trip somewhere different - to the beach or the hills, whichever you haven't visited for a while. 9) Bribe them with food - wrap up warm and take a winter picnic. 10) Ask them to do the washing up. They'll be out of the door like a shot!