About that post-holiday nap. (Editorial).

I have some very distinct memories of holidays around my home as I grew up. My grandparents would usually arrive sometime in the morning on Thanksgiving or Christmas, with their car loaded full of things to eat. Our home would be full of wonderful smells for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, until finally sometime in midafternoon everyone would sit down to the holiday meal.

If your home was anything like mine, there was usually a folding table off to one side holding the rolls and salads and relish trays, because the main table was overflowing with all sorts of traditional family favorites. Potatoes and gravy, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberries made with the secret Becker family recipe--my mouth is watering just thinking about some of those meals.

And after the meal, while some were cleaning up, the rest of us would head in one of two directions. Some would head off to the family room to watch whatever football game was being shown at the time. I would head outside to practice some basketball in the driveway. (Of course, I'd have to have Grandpa move his car out of the way.) When I came back in from shooting hoops, whoever was watching the game usually was asleep in front of the TV.

Well, as I've gotten older, my post-holiday-meal routine more often includes the football game/nap instead of shooting hoops. But just a few weeks ago I was reminded again about the important balance between diet and exercise, not just on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but throughout the entire year.

The National Academy of Sciences released a report on their two-year study of dietary recommendations. This new report tied the amount of calories a person consumes to the amount of exercise they get in a typical day. For instance, the report recommends a sedentary woman might need only 1,800 calories per day to maintain weight, while a more active woman might be able to consume 1,000 calories per day more.

The academy also strongly recommends a total of one hour of exercise per day, instead of the previous recommendation of a half hour daily. The good news for a busy person like me is that that hour can be accumulated in shorter periods of activity throughout the day; it isn't necessary to do a solid hour at one time.

As the holiday season approaches, all of us will have increased demands on our time. So getting enough exercise will be a dilemma. And with all the holiday events featuring food, from punch and cookies at my son's school Christmas program to the wonderful meals at Mom's, counting calories will be a problem too. But the National Academy of Sciences has convinced me that. shooting baskets with my son, and taking walks around the office and the neighborhood, need to be an important part of my agenda. Not just during the holidays, but throughout the coming year.