Headline Entertainment's Jerome Hamilton stretches as he prepares to go for a jog around the Mona Dam on New Year's Day.

YES. I have made it through another Christmas season filled with cake, ham, rice and gungo peas, and sorrel. My once loose-fitting jeans, which are now less roomy around the derriere, are a living testament to that fact.

I'll be the first to admit that one of my favourite things at the holidays is eating fruitcake and ham (the other being watching The Sound of Music). I once sailed six hours by ferry across the English Channel just to ensure that I wouldn't miss out on the pudding that goes with Christmas dinner, and made sure to carry some back with me for the six-and-a-half hour return journey.

Once the holidays are over though, I know it's time to get back into the fitness regime and try to lose some of the excess baggage I may have taken on during the weeks leading up to and during the Christmas holidays.

Groups of people start the New Year well on the fitness train as they walk around the Mona Dam on January 1.

I believe I'm not alone in that sentiment. Local gyms are usually full in January, of women and men, trying to work off the residual of holiday over-indulgence.

Thursday Life caught up with nutritionist Patricia Thompson of the York Castle Avenue-based Nutrition and Diet Services who says where food is concerned, moderation is key: "You shouldn't be over-eating at Christmas." (Too late, too late shall be their cry, Mrs Thompson).

She notes as well that any decisions you make shouldn't be only about losing weight in the short term, but changing your eating patterns. So if you're starting a health programme you cannot neglect the eating, which is ironic, since chances are it was eating that got you into this position in the first place.

"It's not just a matter of just cutting out eating and losing weight," she says. "It's a long-term learning process."

Whether you walk it or jog it, the hilly trek up Mountain Spring Drive can be rigorous but always good for leg and thigh muscles. (Photos: Bryan Cummings)

She recommends first of all visiting a nutritionist who will assess you and tell you what are your needs, then starting the process of eating properly, learning to combine foods in order to get the maximum benefits, and importantly about quantity and portion control.

Making healthy food choices must be combined with getting and staying active, and the sooner you start, the better, so don't keep putting it off.

If you're not a gym person and not inclined to stick too much to one routine, there are alternatives. Perhaps you prefer the clean, fresh air of the great outdoors and in this land of wood and water there is no shortage of nature and an abundance of routes. So start walking.

Walking around the Mona Dam has always been popular and is a basically flat trek. You can do several circuits once your endurance level has improved. One must apply to the National Water Commission for a pass to enter the property, by the way.

You can also go hill-walking. Mountain Spring Drive at the end of Widcombe Road is also popular and the uphill climb of just over a mile will do wonders for your glutes and thighs. If you live in a safe area and have company you can also walk around your block.

Thompson suggests taking it slowly in the beginning: "Walking is pretty good to start out.you want to start gradually, 15-20 minutes at a reasonable pace, and keep at a particular level for 5-6 weeks before you increase to another level."

Another level can be by either increasing your distance or your intensity.

You could also put a little pep in your step by adding some music. It's called dancing, and it will make your workout seem less like work and more like fun.

So join a dance class, though Observer columnist Dr Jacqueline Campbell says if that's not convenient you could put on a CD at home and just keep moving.

".So you don't necessarily view your activity as exercise, because a lot of people hate the term exercise," she says.

"Increase your activity in whatever way. Move your body while you do housework. Walk on your driveway ten times if you are afraid of walking on the road. Do gardening. Anything that can be of help."

Part of Dr Campbell's own regime includes taking at least 10,000 steps per day. She suggests buying a pedometer and strapping it on daily to monitor how many steps you take.

Of course, getting involved in a sport or two would always be high up on my list of suggestions, and they can be fun as long as you remember to enjoy yourself. It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game.

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