When the cold, wet and windy weather forces us to stay indoors while snacking on chips and spending endless hours in front of our televisions, it is no surprise that laziness begets laziness.

When you get home from work and it is already dark and the rain is pouring, it is easy to huddle indoors and forget the gym. Add to that a lack of sleep from late nights and stress, you are setting yourself up for weight gain and the chance to get sick.

The two major causes for illness and weight gain in this season are lack of sleep and poor health standards.

We all need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night to allow our bodies to repair and recover from the long and exhaustive days.

It is imperative to get a restful night's sleep to improve your immune system, but just as important in weight management.

Without sleep your body tends to release more of the stress hormone, cortisol, which increases abdominal fat storage.

When you don't sleep you also misinterpret fatigue for hunger and will ingest more calories to keep your body going.

If you feel constantly hungry or tired, you need more sleep probably not more food.

However, if you are racing around trying to get your errands done while your evenings are filled with children's holiday programs and shopping then you might find you go hours without eating.

That is brutal to your metabolism.

If you know that your day will be full of work, errands and holiday business, then pack yourself enough healthy snacks that you can run like crazy and still have a quick bite to eat while driving around.

It is very important to your internal furnace that you eat every three hours to keep your energy up and your metabolism running. Aim to eat 200 to 300 calories every three hours.

By doing this you will also reduce your risk for overeating late at night when you have finally slowed down enough to prepare something. Good small snack options are pre-portioned bags of almonds, rice cakes with peanut butter, a piece of fruit with nut butter or a low sugar protein bar.

Everyone's life gets busy and your own health might occasionally take the back-burner, but it is worth it to have a plan to prevent illness or weight gain. The plan that works for me is having a plan. Don't simply say, "We'll see if I can fit exercise in this week."

Nine times out of 10 you won't find time. Make time.

Schedule it in as you would the Christmas shopping or the cookie baking.

To maintain your weight simply try to find three 10-minute exercise periods throughout your day.

Take 10 minutes to walk or job, another 10 to do push-ups and sit-ups and the last 10 to practice deep breathing and stretching exercises to ease your anxiety.

Good stress management is also vital to your overall health and wellness. Practice letting your mind go blank, without a to-do list. Enjoy the quite and relaxation to lower your heart rate and reflect on what you can be thankful for.

Take each day and each week at a time and focus on doing what you can.

Do not punish yourself when you miss a day but plan for some activity the next. If you need a straightforward plan, then hire a trainer or take the following weekly workout and use what you can:

Day One: Walking with a co-worker at lunch.

Day Two: Get up 30 minutes early and do some basic weight training exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, planks, squats, lunges, and dips).

Day Three: Stretch for 10 minutes on a break and take another 10 minutes to jump rope. (Jumping rope will burn as many calories as walking for 20 minutes).

Day Four: Get up 30 minutes early and do dumbbell or stability ball exercises for strength.

Day Five: Walk after work with a friend or spouse.

On the weekend, aim to get in some physical activity. Take the family ice skating or head to the slopes for skiing or just playing!

When you feel as if you have lost motivation, than remember why you are doing it. To stay healthy through the holidays allow yourself less weight gain.

Remember, the more weight you gain now, the more you have to lose later.

Enjoy the holidays but make time for simple exercise. It does not take a lot of intense exercise to maintain your health, but just small and persistent steps toward wellness.

I have said this many times, but find a partner who will support you and encourage you. It is extremely hard to maintain motivation and this time of year makes it even harder. So, enlist people to keep you accountable (trainers, friends, family) and surround yourself with people who lift you up when you succeed